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Local dishes to try in Vilnius

1. 1🥟

   Cepelinai

   Big zeppelin-shaped potato dumplings stuffed with meat, mushrooms or curd cheese, topped with fried onion, bacon and sour cream. Lithuanians say that when you eat cepelinai, all your worries disappear.

   📍 National dish
2. 2🥣

   Šaltibarščiai

   A vivid pink chilled soup made from kefir and beets, loaded with dill, spring onion and cucumber, served with a side of hot boiled potatoes. The summer signature dish — and impossibly photogenic.

   📍 Cold beet soup
3. 3🥐

   Kibinai

   Flaky crescent-shaped pastries filled with mutton and onion, originally from the Karaim minority in Trakai but found all over Vilnius. Great with a cup of hot broth on the side.

   📍 Stuffed pastries
4. 4🥔

   Kugelis

   A hearty baked pudding of grated potato with onion, egg and bacon, served with sour cream or lingonberry jam to cut the richness. Honest, homey comfort food.

   📍 Baked potato pudding
5. 5🍞

   Dark rye bread

   Dense, slightly sour black rye bread eaten with cheese and ham, sold at craft bakeries. Some pubs fry it into garlicky sticks served as a beer snack.

   📍 Local staple
6. 6🍺

   Lithuanian craft beer

   Lithuania has a deep, old beer culture, especially the farmhouse ales of the north. Try it at a craft pub in the Old Town alongside some salty snacks.

   📍 Local drink

1. 1🗼

   Gediminas Tower

   The last red-brick turret of the Upper Castle and the city's defining symbol, even on the banknotes. A 10-minute walk up from Cathedral Square (or take the funicular) earns you a 360° view over the Old Town rooftops.

   📍 Viewpoint · city symbol
2. 2⛪

   Cathedral Square

   The grand open square anchoring the Old Town, home to Vilnius Cathedral, the bell tower and the Palace of the Grand Dukes. Find the Stebuklas 'miracle' tile, spin around three times and make a wish.

   📍 Heart of the Old Town
3. 3🧱

   St. Anne's Church

   A gothic masterpiece in red brick, largely unchanged for over 500 years, with a façade so intricate it looks like lace. Legend says Napoleon wished he could carry it back to Paris in the palm of his hand.

   📍 Red-brick gothic
4. 4🎨

   Užupis

   The small bohemian district across the Vilnelė river, with its playful constitution mounted on a wall, a mermaid and angel statue, and galleries and arty cafés filling the lanes.

   📍 Artists' republic
5. 5✝️

   Hill of Three Crosses

   White crosses on a green hill above the Old Town, reached by a short climb. The reward is a sweeping panorama of spires and rolling hills — best at golden hour.

   📍 Sunset viewpoint
6. 6🚪

   Gates of Dawn

   The surviving city gate from the early 1500s. Its chapel holds an icon of the Virgin Mary believed to have miraculous powers, making it one of Lithuania's most important pilgrimage sites.

   📍 Pilgrimage site
7. 7🌳

   Bernardine Gardens

   A peaceful green park between the Old Town and the Vilnia river, with a musical fountain, chess tables and a playground. In summer it hosts open-air events and small festivals.

   📍 Riverside park
8. 8🏰

   Trakai Island Castle

   A 14th-century gothic fortress on an island in Lake Galvė, 28 km west and a 35-minute train ride away. Walk the wooden footbridges to the castle with the lake on all sides — Lithuania's classic postcard shot.

   📍 Half-day trip · 35 min