Money in Vilnius: Euro, Contactless Payments and Budget Guide

Lithuania joined the Eurozone on 1 January 2015 and replaced the litas (LTL). A contactless bank card or phone covers an espresso, a bus ticket, a stall at Halės Market or a hotel bill.

Euro starter kits. Photo: Noyescancel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Currency: Euro (€)

The Euro (€) is the sole legal tender in Lithuania.

Lithuania mints its own national reverse design across all eight circulation coins (1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, €1, and €2):

• The Vytis: Every Lithuanian coin depicts the Vytis, Lithuania’s historic state coat of arms dating back to the fourteenth-century Grand Duchy. The design shows an armoured knight on a rearing steed, brandishing an uplifted silver sword and a blue shield bearing the golden double cross of the Jagiellonian dynasty.
• Design details: Designed by sculptor Antanas Žukauskas, the 1c, 2c, and 5c coins depict the knight on a plain field; the 10c, 20c, and 50c coins add horizontal lines representing the sky; and the bimetallic €1 and €2 coins frame the knight against vertical lines.

Contactless Payments and Cash Use

You need little cash in Vilnius:

• Cards: Contactless debit and credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro) and phone wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay) are standard.
• When cash helps: Carry a few €1 and €2 coins for church donation boxes, public toilets in train stations, and cash tips in small family-run places where the card terminal has no tipping option.

Halės Market. Photo: Sdkb, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Bank of Lithuania, Gediminas Avenue. Photo: Pofka, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

ATMs and Avoiding Currency Conversion Scams

ATMs are easy to find around Cathedral Square, Gedimino prospektas, Didžioji street, shopping centres and transport hubs.

Which ATMs to use

Withdraw cash from machines run by banks:

• Swedbank
• SEB Bankas
• Luminor
• Šiaulių bankas

The Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) trap

With a card from a non-euro country, the ATM or card terminal may ask:

“Would you like to be charged in your home currency or in EUR?”

Always choose EUR (“Without Conversion” or “Charge in EUR”):

• If you choose your home currency, the machine applies Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) at its own exchange rate, which is worse than your bank’s.
• If you choose EUR, your home bank does the conversion at its usual rate.
• Avoid Euronet ATMs: Standalone yellow-and-blue Euronet kiosks in tourist areas tend to push DCC screens and charge higher fees. Stick to bank machines.

Tipping Etiquette in Lithuania

Tipping (arbatpinigiai, literally “tea money”) is customary in Lithuania for good service, though it is never legally mandatory:

• Sit-down restaurants: Leaving a tip of 5% to 10% of the total bill is standard practice when table service is attentive and friendly.
• Paying tips by card: Many modern restaurant card terminals in Vilnius offer an interactive screen prompt where you can select 5%, 10%, 15%, or a custom amount, or simply choose “Skip / No Tip” before tapping your card. If the terminal does not support digital tips, leaving cash coins on the table or bill folder is welcomed.
• Cafes and bars: In coffee shops and craft beer pubs where you order at the counter, it is common to round up the purchase to the nearest whole euro or drop small coins into the counter tip jar.
• Taxis and rideshares: Rounding up the fare or adding a €1.00 to €2.00 tip through the Bolt app for a clean car and polite driver is standard.
• Cloakrooms and porters: Large theatres and concert halls often provide attended cloakrooms (rūbinė); leaving a €1.00 coin per coat is courteous.

Sight Prices

Adult admission at the main Vilnius sights and one regional day trip:

The Vilnius Pass

The Vilnius Pass covers entry to museums and attractions across the city for a fixed time from the first scan. It costs €39.00 for 24 hours, €53.00 for 48 hours and €64.00 for 72 hours, and is sold at govilnius.lt or in the Vilnius Pass app. Our sight pages say what it covers at each place: it includes Gediminas Tower and the KGB Museum, and takes €6 off an adult ticket at the MO Museum. It pays for itself only if you visit several paid sights in the same day or two.

Everyday Costs

• Plate of two large pork cepelinai dumplings: €7.00 to €9.50
• Bolt ride across central Vilnius: €4.00 to €7.00

Related Planning Guides

See also where to eat in Vilnius, the craft beer and bars guide, public transport fares, where to stay and the Vilnius city guide.