Lithuania · Self-guided walk
Vilnius in one walk 8 sights, 50 minutes
A self-guided walking tour of the Vilnius Old Town: 8 sights on one 3.4 km loop, about 50 minutes on foot, back where you started.
No two days to spare? Here is the short version: the big sights in one loop. I would take longer. I always take longer.
At a glance
The walk in numbers.
- Distance
- 3.4 km, a loop
- Time
- about 50 minutes of walking at 4 km/h, plus however long you stop
- Sights
- 8
- Start and finish
- Vilniaus universitetas
- Steps
- no streets with steps on the route
- Cost
- free: no guide, no booking, no tip
The route
Map of the Vilnius walk: 8 stops, one loop.
The gold line is the walk. The numbers are the stops, in the order you reach them. The pale lines are every other street in the Old Town.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
The stops
8 sights in Vilnius, in walking order.
Each stop says how far the next one is and which streets take you there.
1. Vilniaus universitetas
the start
A block you are allowed to walk into. Take the arch on Universiteto street and keep going: the courtyards open one into the next, and each belonged to somebody with an opinion about the last.
Next: Lietuvos Respublikos prezidentūra, 220 m, about 3 min.
2. Lietuvos Respublikos prezidentūra
about 3 minutes of walking from the start
A calm yellow front around a courtyard, with a guard at the entrance and a flag that tells you whether anyone important is home.
Next: Šv. Mikalojaus bažnyčia, 630 m, about 9 min, along Universiteto g., Gaono g., Žydų g., Šv. Mikalojaus g..
3. Šv. Mikalojaus bažnyčia
about 13 minutes of walking from the start
Small, low, and set back behind a wall on its own lane, so you can walk past it twice. Do not. It is older than it looks, and it looks old.
Next: Vilniaus Rotušė, 360 m, about 5 min, along Šv. Mikalojaus g., Vokiečių g..
4. Vilniaus Rotušė
about 18 minutes of walking from the start · inside open Mon–Fri 11:00–19:00, Sat 10:00–17:00, Sun closed
A white portico at the wide end of Didžioji street, facing a square that has been a market, a stage and a meeting point. The columns are the newest thing about it.
Next: Šv. Kazimiero bažnyčia, 150 m, about 2 min, along Didžioji g..
5. Šv. Kazimiero bažnyčia
about 20 minutes of walking from the start
The one with the royal crown on top, which is a strange thing to put on a church and an excellent reason to look up. It was built to the pattern of the Jesuits' mother church in Rome, and it is the only one in the country that was.
Next: Aušros Vartai, 360 m, about 5 min, along Didžioji g., Aušros Vartų g..
6. Aušros Vartai
about 26 minutes of walking from the start
The last of the city gates still standing, with a room built into the top of it and a window looking down at the lane. Walkers halt in the archway without being asked to.
Next: Vilniaus gynybinės sienos Bastėja, 460 m, about 7 min, along Aušros Vartų g., Bokšto g..
7. Vilniaus gynybinės sienos Bastėja
about 33 minutes of walking from the start · inside open Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00, Mon closed
The hillside above Bokšto street is hollow. What is under there was built to be pointed outwards, and for a long time nobody could go in. Now you can.
Next: Šv. Onos bažnyčia, 890 m, about 13 min, along Bokšto g., Latako g., Rusų g., A. Volano g., Šv. Mykolo g..
Lunch break
Beigelistai, Literatų g. 7, about 40 m off the route, open Mon–Sun 09:00–19:00.
A small bakery on a lane full of bookshops, boiling and baking bagels every morning. More on what to eat in Vilnius.
8. Šv. Onos bažnyčia
about 46 minutes of walking from the start
A small church that stops walkers mid-step, with a belfry beside it behind a wall and a gate. The square outside shows you the ensemble from one side only, and that is the side to stand on.
Back to the start: Vilniaus universitetas, 350 m, about 5 min, along Šv. Mykolo g..
Every stop counts from the street; the hours are for going inside. Opening hours from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors. Check before you go.
After the walk
The rest of Vilnius.
This loop is 8 sights. The Old Town is 56 streets, and I have opinions about all of them. Every street of the Vilnius Old Town, with what to eat and where.
Cobble Gobble is a walking game for iPhone: every street is a line of dots you collect by walking it, and the phone stays in your pocket. Your first city is free.