3 Days in Vilnius: Complete Itinerary with Day Trips to Trakai or Kaunas

In this guide

Three days cover the Old Town, the Soviet-era history at the KGB Museum and the Užupis district, and leave one day for a trip out of the city.

Each day is grouped by area to keep transit short, and the plan works around the days museums are closed.

St John’s Church and the Grand Courtyard of Vilnius University. Photo: Vilnius University, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Museum Closed Days & Schedule Planning

Before setting out, align your days with this weekly opening schedule:

Day 1: The Ducal Old Town

09:00 – Cathedral Square and the Grand Ducal Palace

Start at Cathedral Square:

• Vilnius Cathedral: Free to enter. Look for the Chapel of St Casimir, built in 1636 from Swedish sandstone and Italian marble, housing the silver tomb of Lithuania’s patron saint.
• Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania (Valdovų rūmai): Spend 90 minutes exploring the reconstructed residence of Lithuania’s rulers. Buy the all-routes combined ticket (€17.00 for all four routes, half price for students and seniors, from valdovurumai.lt). Route I goes down to the preserved fourteenth-century stone and brick foundations, and Route II covers the Renaissance ceremonial chambers, ducal thrones and Flemish tapestries.

11:00 – Gediminas Tower and Upper Castle Panorama

Stroll out of the palace courtyard to the base of Castle Hill:

• Ascend via the spiral cobblestone pathway (10 minutes, free) or ride the funicular railway (€2 one way / €3 return).
• Enter Gediminas Tower (€8.00 adult / €4.00 concession) for the castle museum and the open-air rooftop deck, which has a 360-degree view over the Old Town roofs and church towers.

Gediminas’ Tower on Castle Hill during autumn. Photo: DavidConFran, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

12:30 – Pilies Street and Vilnius University Courtyards

Walk south onto pedestrianised Pilies street:

• Turn into Vilnius University (Universiteto g. 3), founded in 1579. The ticket is €3.00 (€2.00 concession, vu.lt) and covers thirteen courtyards with Gothic, Renaissance and baroque arcades. St John’s Church is part of the complex.

14:00 – Traditional Tavern Lunch

Stop for lunch at Etno Dvaras (Pilies g. 16), ordering a bowl of beetroot soup and traditional pork-stuffed potato cepelinai drenched in sour cream and bacon crackling (€7.50 to €9.50).

15:30 – St Anne’s Church, Bernardine Complex and Park

Stroll east along Bernardinų street:

• St Anne’s Church: A Flamboyant Gothic brick facade built from 33 different brick shapes, little changed since 1500 (free entry).
• Bernardine Church and Monastery: The adjoining church has Gothic ribbed vaults, old altars and sixteenth-century polychrome frescoes.
• Bernardine Garden: A nineteenth-century park along the Vilnia River, with flower beds, fountains and oak trees.

18:30 – Dinner in the Glassblowers’ Quarter

Walk the lanes of the Glassblowers’ Quarter (Stiklių kvartalas). Order roast wild boar or venison in the vaulted stone cellars of Restoranas Lokys (Stiklių g. 8).

Day 2: Soviet History, Modern Art and Užupis

09:00 – The Gate of Dawn and Halės Market

Start Day 2 at the southern end of the historic core:

• The Gate of Dawn (Aušros vartai): The only surviving gate of the sixteenth-century city wall. Climb the interior stairs to the chapel for the painting of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, framed by silver votive offerings (free).
• Halės Market (Halės turgus, Pylimo g. 58): Walk five minutes south to the 1906 market hall. Stalls sell smoked cottage cheese (varškės sūris), linden honey and cured sausages, and the market cafes serve pastries and coffee.

11:00 – MO Modern Art Museum

Walk northwest along Pylimo street to the MO Museum (Pylimo g. 17):

• Designed by Daniel Libeskind, this private museum shows rotating exhibitions of post-war and contemporary Lithuanian art.
• Tickets are €11.00 adult / €6.00 discounted (mo.lt); the sculpture garden outside is free. (Closed Tuesdays.)

13:00 – Gedimino Prospektas and Lunch

Stroll north to Gedimino prospektas for a weekday dienos pietūs (lunch special) at an avenue bistro like Neringa or La Pergola (€7.00 to €9.00 for two courses).

14:30 – The KGB Museum (Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights)

At Gedimino pr. 40 on Lukiškės Square:

• The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights: Housed in the former Gestapo and KGB headquarters.
• The exterior stone foundation is inscribed with the names of executed anti-Soviet partisans.
• The upper floors document Soviet deportations and the partisan war in the forests (Miško broliai).
• The basement holds the preserved prison cells, solitary confinement cells and the execution chamber.
• Admission: €6.00 adult / €3.00 concession (olkm.lt). (Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.)

17:00 – The Independent Republic of Užupis

Cross back east into the self-declared Republic of Užupis:

• Find the bronze Užupis Mermaid in its niche in the river wall by the bridge.
• Read the 41-article Užupis Constitution on Paupio street.
• The central square has the Angel of Užupis statue, with artist studios and riverside sculptures along the Vilnia River.

19:30 – Dinner and Farmhouse Beers

Eat at Šnekutis (Polocko g. 7a in Užupis) and try Lithuanian farmhouse ales with a plate of kepta duona (fried garlic rye bread with cheese sauce).

Chapel interior, Trakai Island Castle. Photo: Diliff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Day 3: Trakai Island Castle and Sunset

Spend the third day outside the city, in Trakai.

09:30 – Train to Trakai

Go to Vilnius Central Railway Station (Vilniaus geležinkelio stotis):

• Board a direct LTG Link electric train to Trakai.
• Journey time: 33 minutes.
• The walk in Trakai: Follow the footpath along Vytauto street (25 minutes, 2.2 km) past wooden cottages to the castle footbridge.

10:30 – Exploring Trakai Island Castle

Cross the 300-metre twin wooden bridge across Lake Galvė to enter Trakai Island Castle:

• Grand Duke Kęstutis and Vytautas the Great built it on an island in Lake Galvė in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
• Walk through the outer bailey, cross the drawbridge into the ducal palace, and see the Gothic vaulting of the Great Hall and the museum exhibitions.
• Admission: €14.00 adult / €7.00 concession from April to September, €12.00 / €6.00 from October to March (trakaimuziejus.lt).

13:00 – Karaite Heritage and Kibinai Lunch

Walk along Karaimų street past the three-window wooden cottages of the Karaite community:

• Eat at Kybynlar (Karaimų g. 29) or Senoji Kibininė (Karaimų g. 65). Kibinai are hand-crimped pastries filled with chopped mutton or pork, served with clear broth (€3.00 to €4.00 each).
• In summer, rent a pedal boat or rowboat on Lake Galvė (€10.00 to €15.00 per hour) to see the castle from the water.

15:30 – Return to Vilnius

Catch the afternoon LTG Link train back to Vilnius Central Station.

17:00 – Sunset at the Three Crosses Monument

Spend the last late afternoon in Kalnų Park:

• Three Crosses Monument (Trys kryžiai): Climb the wooden stairways up Bleak Hill.
• The three white concrete crosses look over the Old Town and the bend of the Neris River at sunset. Access is free.

19:30 – Farewell Dinner

• Book the tasting menu at Nineteen18 or 14Horses in the Senatorių Pasažas courtyard.
• For modern Baltic cooking with foraged ingredients, book Džiaugsmas (Vilniaus g. 28).

Alternative Day 3: Kaunas

If you prefer interwar architecture to a lakeside castle, swap Trakai for Kaunas:

• Train: LTG Link takes 70 to 85 minutes from Vilnius Central Station to Kaunas (€8.00 each way).
• Highlights: Walk Laisvės alėja, a 1.6-km pedestrian avenue, see the UNESCO-listed 1920s modernist buildings, and visit the fourteenth-century Kaunas Castle at the river confluence (€4.00), the National M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum (€10.00) and the Devils’ Museum (€8.00). (Kaunas museums are closed on Mondays.)

Guided Day Tours from Vilnius

If you would rather not work out train timetables on Day 3, a tour handles the transport.

Vilnius: Trakai Tour with Audio Guide and Minibus Transfers

From €30 · 4.3 stars from 1,561 reviews · 4 hours · audio guide and minibus transfers

Vilnius: Trakai Tour with Audio Guide and Minibus Transfersad: an audio-guided trip to the lakeside town that covers Trakai’s history as a capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Insular Castle, with minibus transfers from Vilnius.

Practical Advice for Your 3-Day Trip

• Getting from the airport: LTG Link train takes 7 minutes for €0.90, or bus 88 takes 20 minutes for €1.25 directly to Town Hall Square; see our airport guide.
• Where to stay: Base yourself inside the Old Town (such as Hotel Pacai, Narutis, or Shakespeare Hotel) to walk to all evening dining without relying on transit.
• Payment: Contactless cards and phone wallets are accepted almost everywhere; see money in Vilnius.

Common questions

Is 3 days enough time to visit Vilnius?

Yes. Two days cover the UNESCO-listed Old Town, the Palace of the Grand Dukes, the churches, the Republic of Užupis and the KGB and MO museums, and the third day goes to a day trip to Trakai Island Castle or Kaunas.

Which day trip is best on a 3-day Vilnius trip?

Trakai Island Castle fits best: it is 28 kilometres west of Vilnius and takes 33 minutes on direct LTG Link trains from Vilnius Central Station. You can walk round the fourteenth-century red-brick water fortress and eat Karaite kibinai pastries by the lake. Kaunas suits travellers who prefer interwar architecture and museums.

How do you work around museum closures on a 3-day trip?

The KGB Museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, MO Museum is closed Tuesdays, and the Palace of the Grand Dukes is closed Mondays in the off-season. Schedule your museum visits between Wednesday and Sunday, or use Mondays and Tuesdays for Trakai Castle, churches, and outdoor viewpoints.

Can you visit both Trakai and Kaunas in 3 days?

Yes, by rearranging the plan. Spend Day 1 in the Old Town and Užupis, take an early train to Kaunas on Day 2, and on Day 3 visit the KGB Museum in the morning and Trakai in the afternoon. The KGB Museum is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, so Day 3 must fall between Wednesday and Sunday.

Do you need a car for a 3-day Vilnius itinerary?

No. Vilnius is a walkable city, and Lithuania's state railway network (LTG Link) connects Vilnius Central Station with both Trakai (33 minutes) and Kaunas (70 minutes) with direct electric trains.