Where to Stay in Vilnius: Best Areas, Old Town Boutique Hotels

In this guide

Vilnius is compact, and the four areas below are within about 20 minutes’ walk of each other. The hotels listed link to Hotels.com.

Didžioji street in the historic hotel heart of Vilnius Old Town. Photo: Diliff, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Neighbourhoods at a Glance

1. Vilnius Old Town (Senamiestis)

The Palace of the Grand Dukes, Vilnius Cathedral, Gediminas Tower, and Vilnius University are all within a 5- to 10-minute walk along pedestrian lanes.

Old Town Hotels

Hotel Pacai (5-Star)

Hotel Pacai is in a baroque mansion built in 1677 for the noble Pac family of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and is a member of Design Hotels. On Didžioji street, it combines seventeenth-century frescoes and exposed red brick with contemporary furnishings, a courtyard restaurant, a subterranean spa and a cocktail bar.

• Location: Didžioji g. 7, Old Town
• Booking: Hotels.comad

Narutis Hotel (5-Star Boutique)

Narutis occupies a sixteenth-century merchant building on pedestrianised Pilies street. It has beamed timber ceilings, antique furnishings, an internal atrium, and a spa in a Gothic vaulted cellar with an indoor pool and sauna.

• Location: Pilies g. 24, Old Town
• Booking: Hotels.comad

Shakespeare Boutique Hotel (4-Star Historic)

This literary-themed boutique hotel is in an eighteenth-century manor house on a cobbled lane two minutes from St Anne’s Church. Each room is dedicated to an author or playwright (Shakespeare, Dickens, Voltaire, Oscar Wilde) and has an antique mahogany writing desk and leather armchairs.

• Location: Bernardinų g. 8, Old Town
• Booking: Hotels.comad

Artagonist Art Hotel (4-Star Design)

Artagonist is a design hotel near Town Hall Square in a fifteenth-century masonry building. Every room and suite has murals, textile installations and sculptures by contemporary Lithuanian artists.

• Location: Pilies g. 34, Old Town
• Booking: Hotels.comad

Stikliai Hotel (Relais & Châteaux)

Stikliai is in the Glassblowers’ Quarter (Stiklių kvartalas), a Relais & Châteaux hotel with a winter garden courtyard restaurant, a Lithuanian tavern and French-inspired suites.

• Location: Gaono g. 7, Old Town
• Booking: Hotels.comad

Grand Hotel Vilnius, Curio Collection by Hilton

This historic hotel looks over to Cathedral Square, the neoclassical Cathedral facade and the Bell Tower. It has the Telegrafas restaurant and a wellness centre.

• Location: Universiteto g. 14, Old Town
• Booking: Hotels.comad

Radisson Collection Astorija Hotel

Opposite the Town Hall on Didžioji street, this neo-baroque hotel dates to 1901. It has classic rooms, a French brasserie and a vaulted wine cellar.

• Location: Didžioji g. 35/2, Old Town
• Booking: Hotels.comad

Mabre Residence Hotel

Mabre Residence was built within the courtyard of a former sixteenth-century Russian Orthodox monastery, on a lane near St Anne’s Church. It has walled gardens and a steakhouse.

• Location: Maironio g. 13, Old Town
• Booking: Hotels.comad

Gedimino Prospektas, the central avenue near modern hotels. Photo: Terminator216, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

2. Gedimino Prospektas and Central Axis

Gedimino prospektas is the city’s 1.8-kilometre central avenue, running from Cathedral Square west to the Seimas (Parliament). It is lined with nineteenth-century neoclassical and art nouveau buildings, ministries, boutiques, cafes, and the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights.

Neringa Hotel (4-Star)

Neringa dates to 1959 and was a gathering place for Lithuania’s dissidents, artists and poets in the Soviet era. It was modernised while keeping its mid-century modernist look, and has a heritage restaurant, a rooftop summer terrace bar and a gym.

• Location: Gedimino pr. 23, City Centre
• Booking: Hotels.comad

Pastel-coloured facades and quiet lanes in Užupis. Photo: Bryan Ledgard, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

3. Užupis and Paupys

Across the Vilnia River lies the self-declared Republic of Užupis and the adjacent modern Paupys quarter:

• Atmosphere: Riverbanks, art workshops, quiet residential courtyards and riverside terraces.
• Why stay here: Užupis is a quiet neighbourhood five minutes’ walk across the bridge from St Anne’s Church. The neighbouring Paupys district has Paupys Market, an indoor food hall with palm trees and international kitchens.
• Accommodation type: Mostly independent boutique apartments and lofts with kitchenettes, which suit couples and longer stays.

4. The Station District and Halės Market (Naujamiestis Fringe)

The southern edge of the Old Town, by the Central Railway Station and Halės Market, has bakeries, coffee roasters and start-up offices:

Comfort Hotel LT - Rock ‘n’ Roll Vilnius

A lifestyle hotel built around a rock-music theme, a short walk from Halės Market and the railway station. It has soundproofed rooms, a breakfast buffet, a free 24-hour gym and underground parking.

• Location: Kauno g. 14, Station District
• Booking: Hotels.comad

Moon Garden

A boutique hotel beside the sixteenth-century Gate of Dawn city wall. It combines the old masonry walls with contemporary Lithuanian artwork and a courtyard terrace.

• Location: Bazilijonų g. 10, Old Town fringe
• Booking: Hotels.comad

Guided Walking Tours

A walking tour on your first day orients you in the Old Town:

Vilnius: Old Town Walking Tour with Local Guide & Chocolate

From €21 · 4.9 stars from 26 reviews · 2.5 hours · local guide and chocolate tasting

Vilnius: Old Town Walking Tour with Local Guide & Chocolatead: a walk through the Old Town led by a local, covering the city’s history, everyday life and hidden corners, with chocolate as part of the tour.

Practical Hotel Advice

• Air conditioning: Many historic Old Town buildings have thick stone walls, but if you travel in July or August, confirm that your room has air conditioning.
• Parking in the Old Town: The Old Town has “loop traffic” restrictions and paid street parking. If hiring a car for regional day trips to Kaunas or the Hill of Crosses, choose a hotel with its own parking (such as Narutis, Pacai or Comfort Hotel LT).
• From the airport: Bus 88 runs from the airport to the Gate of Dawn (Aušros vartai) and Town Hall (Rotušė) stops on a standard bus ticket, near most Old Town hotels.

Common questions

Where should first-time visitors stay in Vilnius?

The Old Town (Senamiestis), around Didžioji street, Pilies street and the Glassblowers' Quarter (Stiklių gatvė). From there you can walk to the major historic sights, restaurants and museums in 5 to 15 minutes.

Is Gedimino prospektas a good neighbourhood to stay in?

Yes, if you want a modern business hotel, shops and cafes close to both the Old Town and Lukiškės Square. Gedimino prospektas is the city's central avenue.

Which Vilnius hotel is in a baroque palace?

Hotel Pacai, on Didžioji street, is in a restored seventeenth-century baroque palace of the noble Pac family. It is a 5-star Design Hotels member with preserved frescoes, contemporary design and a spa.

Can you stay inside the Republic of Užupis?

Yes. Užupis has boutique apartments and guesthouses in historic courtyards above the Vilnia River, just across the bridge from the Old Town.

Is public transport convenient from Vilnius hotels to the airport?

Yes. Bus 88 runs through the Old Town (stopping at Town Hall Square and the Gate of Dawn) to the airport terminal in 20 to 25 minutes, and express bus 3G runs from Lukiškės Square. Both take a standard bus ticket.