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Fold 1Weekend
in Vilnius
Lithuania’s petite capital is a Baroque beauty
with immense allure for weekenders, home to
Eastern Europe’s largest Old Town and sensitive
memorials to historic struggles.Hot-air balloons
are a popular way
to see VilniusFriday
Saturday Sunday
PILIES KEPYKLĖLĖ
Start your day at this handsome,
brick-vaulted crêperie-bakery
that stands out from the crowd
on Vilnius’s busiest tourist
street, mixing old-world charm
with a fresh, upbeat vibe. The
9am omelette is a must, as are
the savoury pancakes. The
poppy-seed cake is reputedly
the best on this side of town
(00 370 5 260 8992; Pilies
Gatvė 19; 9am–11pm; mains
from US$3).VILNIUS OLD TOWN
Eastern Europe’s largest Old
Town deserves its Unesco status.
The area, stretching south from
the cathedral, was built in the
15th and 16th centuries, and its
narrow winding streets, hidden
courtyards and lavish churches
retain the feel of bygone days.
Spend at least the morning
aimlessly wandering, starting at
Pilies Gatvė (Castle St). Don’t
miss the classical Presidential
Palace, the university’s spectacular
13 courtyards and St Anne’s
Church – a favourite of Napoleon.MUSEUM OF
GENOCIDE VICTIMS
The former headquarters of
the KGB (and before them
the Gestapo, Polish occupiers and
Tsarist judiciary) houses a
museum dedicated to thousands
of Lithuanians who were killed,
imprisoned or deported by the
Soviet Union from WWII until the
1960s. Memorial plaques
tile the outside of the building.
Inside, floors cover the harsh
realities of Soviet occupation
(genocid.lt/muziejus; 10am–6pm
Wed–Sat, to 5pm Sun; US$4).GEDIMINAS HILL
Vilnius was founded on this
48m-high hill, occupied since
Neolithic times by a series of
settlements. The castle today
dates to the 15th century and
commands 360-degree views of
the city; it’s particularly
atmospheric at sunset. Inside
the tower there’s a branch of the
National Museum of Lithuania,
displaying 16th- to 18th-century
armour (lnm.lt; US$4).LOKYS
Immerse yourself in traditional
Lithuanian cuisine for your first
meal: track down the big
wooden bear and you’ll find this
local institution making merry in
the vaulted 16th-century cellars
of a former merchant’s house. It
specialises in game such as roast
venison, quail with pear and
cowberry, and even beaver
stewed with mushrooms
(lokys.lt; Stiklių Gatvė 8; noon–
midnight; mains from US$8).BŪSI TREČIAS
BREWERY
Locals know this microbrewery-
pub is a great place to get a
cheap, sustaining Lithuanian
lunch. It also offers charismatic
wooden décor, 12 varieties of
beer (including lime, raspberry
and caramel) and courtyard
tables for the warmer months
(busitrecias.lt; Totorių Gatvė 18;
11am–11pm Sun–Wed, to
midnight Thu, to 2am Fri–Sat;
mains from US$5).HOT-AIR BALLOON
RIDE
Vilnius is an unlikely hot-air
ballooning capital, and there’s
no better way to see this city of
spires than by sailing over it.
Arrange an early flight for your
last morning through the city’s
ballooning centre, Oreivystės
Centras, which offers hour-long
saunters over the Old Town
with a glass of bubbly
(ballooning.lt; Upės Gatvė 5;
US$99).JEWISH VILNIUS
The Old Town was once home
to a sizeable Jewish community
that was known around the
world for its piety. When the
city fell to the Nazis in 1941,
many were murdered and today
only a small population remains
along with relics of the old
Jewish quarter. Spend the rest
of the morning exploring the
area, including the Choral
Synagogue, the Holocaust
Museum and Tolerance Centre
(jmuseum.lt).ANTAKALNIS
One of Eastern Europe’s most
beautiful graveyards lies in this
leafy suburb, a short stroll east of
the centre. Those killed by Soviet
special forces on 13 January 1991
are buried here; a sculpture of the
Madonna cradling her son
memorialises them. Another
memorial honours Napoleonic
soldiers who died of starvation
and injuries in Vilnius while
retreating from the Russian army
(off Karių Kapų Gatvė; 9am–dusk).Savoury panckes are a
speciality at Pilies KepyklėlėThe Upper Castle on Gediminas
Hill is a key national symbolThe Choral Synagogue is the only
remaining synagogue in VilniusFold 2MINI GUIDE