Short trip to Lithuania: exploring Vilnius and Trakai
Lithuania is, perhaps, the least well known of the three Baltic countries.
While Riga has a relatively well connected airport and Tallinn is just a stone’s throw from Helsinki, Lithuania really requires a trip on its very own.
And this is something I had the chance to do not long ago. The experience did not disappoint and I will share some of the impressions in this mostly-visual post.
Vilnius, the old town
Vilnius’ historical center is not huge, but very walkable (as you can see here, many of its streets are cobbled) and photogenic.
Also, it is not exactly flat, the old town has a bit of an incline converging on the city’s cathedral square (this is one of two major squares in Vilnius’ old city, the other being Town Hall square, at the opposite end of the historical center).
Cathedral square is, thus, the center of gravity of the city, but this is not your typical old town central square. For a starter, it is not right in the middle of the old town, but at its edge, acting as a nexus between the narrow, cobbled streets of the old town, the straight commercial streets of the modern city and a major forested park.
Cathedral square is also dominated by a relatively high (for a urban environment) and steep hill, at which top are the vestiges of Gediminas Castle, and criss-crossed by two rivers, the Vilnia and the Neris.
The cathedral is also quite unique in that, unlike those in other Central and Eastern European cities, it is built in neoclassical style, with its clock tower separate and in front of the main building.
Next to it is the former palace of the Dukes of Lithuania, which ruled a powerful state in the late Middle Ages and early modern era, which stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea.
Nowadays this building complex houses several museums and temporary exhibitions.
But the one thing you should do if you come to Vilnius is climb up to Gediminas Tower for the best views of the city.
There is a small funicular that will get you there from the museums next to the cathedral, but health and weather permit, I recommend walking (there is a track from the back of hill that starts next to the Vilnia river embakment). It is a bit steep at times, but a nice walk (also cobbled!).
It was quite cold, but the views were absolutely worth it!
I stumbled upon a ceremony in which new Lithuanian army officers were sworn in. Here’s the band, which played the national anthem and other marches.
Walking around the old town you can notice that a lot of effort and investment has gone into restoration works. The results are certainly paying off and most of the city is now postcard-material, although when getting into some side streets it is still possible to see a fair number of derelict buildings (I guess a bit of imperfection adds some authenticity to the ensemble too!).
Although today it is overwhelmingly Lithuanian, Vilnius had historically been quite a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural city, with significant Polish, Jewish and Russian populations as well. According to the 1897 Russian Empire census, at the turn of the 19th C., Jews were the largest population group in Vilnius, followed by the Poles.
Vilnius is also a city of churches. Interestingly and, rather uniquely, I think, for this part of Europe, most of these churches are built in an Italianate style.
Apparently in the 16-17 C. Jesuits, many from Italy, had a strong influence in Lithuania, which was the last European country to convert to Christianity and, to this day, remains strongly Catholic.
Was it not for the typically Northern European winter weather, you may be forgiven for thinking you are in Italy. The Baroque facades, the decorations and colours of many of Vilnius’ churches make you feel like it at times!
Modern Vilnius
There is also a modern Vilnius, which spreads on both banks of the Neris river. Most of the commercial activity is in the area adjacent to the old town, with many shops, restaurants and cafés located along Gediminas Avenue and Vilnius street.
A business district with some mini-skyscrapers has sprung on the north bank of the Neris, although I am not sure there is much to do there unless you have work to do there, the best views are from the other bank.
It is also possible to walk or cycle along the Neris embankment. I am sure it makes for great outdoors recreation in the summer, but at the time of my visit if was rather cold!
The memory of the 50 years of Soviet occupation, between 1940 and 1990, are very present, even more so after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in 2022.
The Soviets ruled Lithuania and the other Baltic countries with an iron hand and deported tens of thousands of Lithuanians to Siberia in terrible conditions. Many of them never came back.
Excursion to Trakai
Trakai is, possibly, one of the easiest out-of-town excursions you can do from central Tallinn if your schedule is time-constrained.
Trakai is one of Lithuania’s most historical towns. It is located some 25 km west of Vilnius at the center of the Trakai Historical National Park.
For a period of time in the 14th and 15th Centuries, Trakai, with its two imposing castles, acted as a de facto capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. That was just at a very important moment in the history of the country, right as it was adopting Christianity and increasing its contacts with other European kingdoms.
Another interesting aspect of Trakai’s history is that it was home to a community of Karaim, that is Turkic-speaking Jews from Crimea (also known as Karaite Jews), which were settled in the area by the Grand Duke of Lithuania in the Middle Ages and preserved their language and cultural and religious traditions through the following centuries.
Getting to Trakai from Vilnius is easy, there are trains running pretty much every 30 minutes or so. The station is located in the outskirts of the village, though, and you need to take either a bus or a taxi or just walk the couple of kilometers to the castle, which is what I actually did.
What to see in Trakai?
The Island Castle, of course. This is the best preserved of two castles on Trakai and, as it name implies, it is located on an island, which is in middle of a lake.
The whole of Trakai is actually located on a narrow isthmus that protrudes into the lake and to get to the Island Castle you need to pass a series of bridges and another smaller island. A bit like in the fairy tales!
At the time of my visit, in fact, could possibly have walked straight away since the lake was frozen solid with ice.
There is another castle on the adjacent Peninsula, although it is partly in ruins.
In fact, the Island Castle, which was built in the 13th and 14th Centuries, also fell into disrepair and by the 19th Century was mostly in ruins too.
However, its was thoroughly restored in the mid-20the Century and today can be visited more or less in what would have been the original state.
The castle is made of red brick. It has an interior courtyard around which there are several museum rooms where the story of the castle and of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and, later, the Polish-Lithuanian Commowealth are explained.
The visit continues in the upper section of the castle, which towers over the rest of the grounds. Here there is another, more narrow, central courtyard, surrounded by high walls. Here it is possible to continue learning about the history of the castle through the exhibits in the different rooms.
The rest of Trakai is not without its charm. Besides the ruins of the other castle, which I did not visit, there is promenade that takes you from the castle to the station and which is dotted by long lying wooden houses.
This is clearly a spot that gets its fair share of tourists (many of them local from what I could tell) and the areas next to the castle are full of souvenir shops and some bars.
I guess in the summer time, the lake makes for some great recreation and there is, in fact, a footpath the runs along the lake shore.
It took me about 30 minutes to walk, at a good pace, but not particularly fast, from the castle to the station.
Tasting Lithuanian food in Vilnius
Restaurant Bernelių Užeiga
Pilies g.10, Vilnius
Ok, this is a bit touristy in its appearance (including the staff wearing traditional dress!), but I was taken here by some Lithuanian colleagues, so the food is really the real deal.
I am aware that “pink soup” is one of Lithuania’s signature dishes and Lithuanians take great pride in it, featuring it even in their postal stamps. But pink soup is a summer speciality, and here is was winter and rather cold, so went for something more earthy, instead!
Started with what is considered a very typical snack in Lithuania, which is basically crumbs of fried rye bread eaten together with melted cheese and a touch of garlic and butter.
Then tried “cepelinai”, which are a sort of potato dumplings (their consistency is a bit reminiscent to that of gnocchi) that are eaten together with butter or sour cream with some crispy onions on top.
They are typically filled with meat, although I think there are other fillings as well.
