Visiting Lithuania: what to see, when to go and itineraries

Less than three hours from Paris by air, Lithuania brings together the baroque old town of Vilnius, the red-brick castle of Trakai sitting on its lake, the modernist architecture of Kaunas and the high dunes of the Curonian Spit, facing the Baltic Sea.

Why visit Lithuania?

Lithuania, the southernmost and most populous of the three Baltic states, combines a UNESCO-listed baroque capital, a protected coastline of dunes and hundreds of lakes. A member of the European Union and the Schengen area, it has used the euro since 2015, which makes travel simple from the rest of Europe.

What to discover in Lithuania?

Vilnius and its baroque old town

The old town of Vilnius, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994, ranks among the largest historic centres in Eastern Europe, with baroque churches, hidden courtyards and cobbled streets. Allow two to three days to explore it on foot, from the Gate of Dawn to Gediminas Hill, by way of the bohemian Užupis district, which declared itself a republic in 1997. The airport is only about twenty minutes from the centre, which also makes the capital a good choice for a long weekend.

Trakai and the lake district

Around thirty kilometres west of Vilnius, about 40 minutes by train or bus, Trakai makes an easy day trip for its red-brick Gothic castle built on an island in Lake Galvė. The town also preserves the memory of the Karaim, a community of Turkic origin settled here in the late 14th century, whose three-windowed wooden houses and kibinai, stuffed pastries, are part of the visit. Further north-east, Aukštaitija National Park strings together dozens of lakes linked by rivers, best explored by canoe from June to August.

Kaunas, the interwar capital

The country's second city, just over an hour from Vilnius by train, Kaunas served as Lithuania's temporary capital between the wars, when Vilnius was under Polish control. That period left a body of modernist architecture listed by UNESCO in 2023, best seen along Laisvės alėja avenue. One day covers the centre and the castle, two if you add the Ninth Fort and the museum devoted to depictions of the devil. To the south-west, the border with Poland is less than two hours away by road.

The Curonian Spit and the Baltic coast

A narrow strip of sand between the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea, the Curonian Spit has been UNESCO-listed since 2000 and is shared with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. You reach it from Klaipėda on a ferry of a few minutes to Smiltynė, then by road to Nida, about 50 kilometres away, where the Parnidis dune towers over the lagoon. Allow two to three nights in July or August, the swimming season. An eco-fee is charged for vehicles at the entrance, and the Russian border south of Nida must not be crossed: France's foreign ministry advises against all travel to Russia.

The north, from Šiauliai towards Latvia

About twelve kilometres north of Šiauliai, the Hill of Crosses gathers more than a hundred thousand crosses planted by pilgrims since the 19th century, a symbol of resistance under Soviet occupation. It takes an hour or two to visit, ideally on the way to Riga: the capital of Latvia is only about two hours away by road. This route lets you build a Baltic circuit of ten to fourteen days, extended to Tallinn in Estonia, as the three capitals are linked by daily direct buses.

Cities to visit in Lithuania

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Not to miss in Lithuania

Eight places that tell the country's story, from the Grand Duchy's history to the Baltic dunes.

Gate of Dawn

The only surviving gate of the Vilnius city walls, housing a chapel and an icon of the Virgin revered by Lithuanian and Polish Catholics.

Trakai Island Castle

A red-brick Gothic fortress on an island in Lake Galvė, linked to the shore by a wooden footbridge and home to a history museum.

Republic of Užupis

An artists' district of Vilnius declared a republic in 1997, whose tongue-in-cheek constitution is displayed in many languages on a wall in Paupio street.

Hill of Crosses

A pilgrimage site near Šiauliai covered with over a hundred thousand crosses, bulldozed several times under Soviet rule and always rebuilt by locals.

Parnidis Dune

A tall sand dune south of Nida, topped with a sundial, offering views over the Curonian Lagoon and the surrounding pine forests.

Kaunas Ninth Fort

A tsarist fortification that became a prison and then a massacre site during the Second World War, now a museum and monumental Holocaust memorial.

Gediminas Tower

The remains of Vilnius's upper castle on a hilltop, reached on foot or by funicular, with a panorama over the old town's rooftops.

Grūtas Park

A park near Druskininkai that gathers dozens of Soviet-era statues removed after independence, displayed with their historical context.

Frequently asked questions

How many days do you need for Vilnius and Trakai?
Three days are enough: two for the Vilnius old town, Užupis and Gediminas Hill, and a third for the trip to Trakai, about 40 minutes away by train. Add a day if you also want to see Kaunas, just over an hour from the capital.
Can you get to Nida without a car?
Yes. From Klaipėda, the foot ferry crosses to Smiltynė in a few minutes, then regular buses run along the spit to Nida in just under an hour. Once there, cycling is the best way to reach the Parnidis dune and the beaches on the forest bike paths.
Can you cross into Kaliningrad from the Curonian Spit?
No: the southern part of the spit belongs to Russia, where France's foreign ministry advises against all travel, and a Russian visa would be required anyway. Your trip therefore ends at Nida, with the border a few kilometres south of the village.
What are cepelinai and where can you try them?
They are large potato dumplings stuffed with minced meat or curd cheese, served with a cream sauce and bacon bits. You will find them in most traditional restaurants in Vilnius and Kaunas; in summer, pair them with šaltibarščiai, the cold pink beetroot soup.
Vilnius or Riga for a Baltic city break?
Vilnius stands out for its larger baroque old town and many churches, Riga for its Art Nouveau district and a central market set in former zeppelin hangars. With about four hours by bus between the two capitals, they are easy to combine in a week.
What is Vilnius like in winter?
From December to February, temperatures often stay below freezing and snow regularly covers the city, with a Christmas market on Cathedral Square. Days are short, around seven hours of daylight in December, so a city trip focused on museums makes more sense than the coast.
Is Grūtas Park worth the detour from Druskininkai?
Yes, to understand the Soviet period: the park gathers dozens of statues of Lenin, Stalin and Lithuanian communist leaders taken down after independence in 1990. It lies a few kilometres from Druskininkai, so you can combine it with a spa day in the south of the country.

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