Vilnius Christm-ius

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Traveler Vilnius Christm-ius
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- Dec 28, 2023, 11:45pm
- ☁️ 37 °F
- Altitude: 354 ft
- Lithuania Vilnius City Municipality Senamiestis University of Vilnius 54.683642, 25.28551254°41’1” N 25°17’8” E
Day 1–3
Vilifying Myself
December 28, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ ☁️ 37 °F
Merry post-Christmas from a place that feels like winter- Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Lithuania is one of the three small Baltic states in Northern Europe, along with Latvia and Estonia.

Why would I leave the Mediterranean in December to freeze in Lithuania? Because not only is Lithuania the one Baltic state I've not visited, but it's also the only EU nation that was missing from my (now-completed) list of EU countries visited. (For the trivial-minded amongst us, there are 27 total EU countries.) That is an eminently reasonable justification, though I'm certainly not saying I'd do it twice.

We arrived near midnight, and while Vilnius is famous for its Christmas decorations, everything was just dark and cold...which I suppose is befitting a country with Russia both to the east AND the west. (This is true! There is a tiny, isolated chunk of Russia sitting to the west, nestled between Lithuania and Poland. Cozy!)

Our grand hotel off the city square was a bit less grand in person- most architecture here is "Vilnian Baroque," a brightly colored, ornate Hapsburgian style, but our hotel was more "Elegance Circa 1983." And if it's not Vilnian Baroque, don't fix it. (Sorry, couldn't help myself.)

But we're only here for a day and a half- long enough to see the Old City and try some Lithuanian food- so we're looking forward to seeing this place in the daylight tomorrow!Read more
We loved Vilnius! Spent 5 days when we were traveling in 2018 and really enjoyed it. They have a wonderful coffee culture. Enjoy [Roseann]
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Traveler Vilnius Christm-ius
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- Dec 29, 2023
- 🌧 39 °F
- Altitude: 361 ft
- Lithuania Vilnius City Municipality Senamiestis University of Vilnius 54.685512, 25.28442954°41’8” N 25°17’4” E
Day 2
Baroque and Cold
December 29, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ 🌧 39 °F
We spent a chilly day exploring Vilnius's Old Town. While the day was dark and gray, Vilnius really knows how to brighten up and decorate for Christmas.

Vilnius is a lovely city filled with pastel-colored churches and façades in the Baroque Vilnius style, all set by the River Neris. It's tiny enough that you can see all the highlights on foot in a single day. So, challenge accepted!

We started our walk through the city by climbing up to Gediminas Tower Hill, one of the symbols of Vilnius. This tower is the lone remaining part of the 13th century fortress. One climbs up there to see the fantastic views, and apparently get very cold.

Beneath Gediminas Hill, on Cathedral Square, is where the main city's sights are, including the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, the Vilnius Cathedral, and the city's Christmas market. The 13th century Palace has been rebuilt multiple times over the past 700 years, most recently after Russia flattened it in the 19th century. Now, it's a gorgeously restored museum of Lithuanian and palace history.

But it's also a LOT. This museum includes 4 routes, each with hundreds of displays, separate wings, and an exhausting load of history. I'm just saying, I'M ON VACATION, cut a girl a break.

We walked through Vilnius Cathedral, which I can confidently say has taken the most...bold design decisions of any European cathedral I've ever seen. The Cathedral itself looks like a Greek theater, with a belltower that sits out front like an abandoned 19th century lighthouse. It is odd.

We strolled the Christmas market and viewed the Christmas tree, which is a very big deal in Vilnius. The city holds design competitions and presents the final tree in a grand tree lighting ceremony. Seeing past years' trees online makes me think perhaps 2023 was a bit phoned in, but you do you, Vilnius.

We viewed several other churches in the old town. Lithuania was the last pagan European country to adopt Christianity, but they wow did they commit when they finally converted in 1387. In a city of just 600,000, there are 52 churches. Vilnius was also a major Jewish center with over 260,000 Jews in the early 20th century. However, Lithuania suffered the greatest loss of Jews during the Holocaust- only 5% of the population survived, and never recovered. The ghettos are now a lovely medieval neighborhood filled with shops and restaurants, but with a large interactive display explaining the tragedy.

By 3pm it was already getting dark, so when we stumbled upon a cat café in the Old Town, we decided to spend the remainder of the afternoon among kitties and mulled wine.Read more
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Traveler Vilnius Christm-ius
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- Dec 30, 2023
- 🌧 37 °F
- Altitude: 390 ft
- Lithuania Vilnius 54.685663, 25.27772654°41’8” N 25°16’40” E
Day 3
Northern Night Lights
December 30, 2023 in Lithuania ⋅ 🌧 37 °F
In Lithuania, it gets dark around 3pm in winter. And like many northern European cities, Vilnius really ramps up the hygge, or winter coziness, with its lights, decorations, and food.

We had read that Lithuania, much like Estonia, is experiencing a local food revolution. Rather than heavy, bland Russian foods that have been a staple since the Russian occupations, Lithuania is bringing back its culinary traditions, including game and "forest foods." Last night we had reservations at one of Vilnius's most well-known of these restaurants, LOKYS, in the old Jewish quarter. It's located in a 15th-century Gothic cellar, and specializes in game meats.

I ordered the duck confit with potatoes (because everything has potatoes in Lithuania, I am just saying) and Matt ordered boar with cheese croquettes. I wouldn't say that Lithuanian food is light, but it is delicious and warming on a winter night. What I particularly loved was the wine list: "hot mulled wine" was not an after-dinner treat, but rather a serving option of their house wine! This, in a nutshell, is how cold winter can be in Lithuania.

After dinner, we strolled the Christmas market, which is far lovelier in the dark than in the daytime. And unlike our Barcelona Christmas market, Vilnius's market sold hot mulled wine and gingerbread...though Santa AND Christmas music were strangely isolated on a different side of the Cathedral. I did not get to see me sum Santa. Fail!

We walked through the tiny Old Town to view the buildings at night- in the dark with its Christmas lighting, Vilnius feels like a completely different city. We visited Vilnius's famous Gate of Dawn and Basilian Monastery Gate, which are gorgeous at night. The Gate of Dawn is the only remaining medieval gate to the Old Town, and one of the symbols of Vilnius. It's also a major site of pilgrimage for Lithuanians, who visit to view the icon of Mary inside the gate's upstairs chapel. We were quite surprised to note a Camino de Santiago shell on the gate, and discovered via Google that we were standing on the "Camino Lituano." A bit more research revealed that this Camino was created in 2016 by Camino enthusiasts in Lithuania...and has no connection whatsoever with the Camino de Santiago. It's a 500 kilometer walk through Lithuania, with no endpoint at the Cathedral of Santiago. People! One does not simply co-opt the Camino de Santiago. I am just saying. That is anarchy.

The following day was our final morning in Lithuania. We lingered at the breakfast buffet at our hotel, and took a short walk in the Old Town as a final goodbye before our afternoon flight. Given the chill and drizzly rain, we wisely opted to leave for the airport early and enjoy Lithuanian sparkling wine in the departure lounge. Happy New Year!Read more
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Vilifying Myself

Baroque and Cold

Northern Night Lights