Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania and it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994.  The city derives its name from the river that flows through, the Vilnia River.  Vilnia translates to ‘a surge’.

The old town has some amazing architecture and churches to visit, however, one of the most important religious, historical and cultural monuments in Vilnius is The Gate of Dawn. Originally there were nine gates which were built to protect the city – Dawn is the only survivor.  Dawn houses the painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy in its Chapel, which is known all over the world and one of the most visited shrines in the city.

St. Peter and St. Paul’s (Šv. apaštalų Petro ir Povilo bažnyčia) is a Roman Catholic church circa 1km from Vilnius old town. I would recommend taking the time to visit here, it is one of the most interesting churches I have visited and I have seen many!  The inside hosts over 2000 stucco (render / plaster) figures by Giovanni Pietro Perti and decorated by Giovanni Maria Galli. The church is a masterpiece of Commonwealth Baroque and unique in Europe. The amazing chandelier was made by Liepāja and put in place in 1905 – it is to remind us that St Peter was a fisherman.

Užupis is one of the oldest districts in Vilnius and means beyond the river.  It has become popular with artists and has its own constitution which is displayed on the roadside in Paupio Street – it’s quite bizarre!

Make sure you take a trip up Gediminas Hill and to the Three Crosses for amazing views of the city.

Vilnius has a rather chequered, interesting and varied history with occupation by both Germany and Russia.  The Holocaust resulted in the largest ever loss of life in such a short period of time in its history.  Approximately 195,000 were murdered mainly between June to December 1941.  That accounted for over 95% of Lithuania’s Jewish population.

On March 11, 1990, Lithuania declared that it was an independent nation, the first of the Soviet republics to do so.  Gorbachev had other ideas and sent the troops in, the world was horrified.

It was an amazing city to visit and definitely one I would recommend.  English is widely spoken and prices were cheap compared to other European cites.  I visited during winter, which was very cold, -9 in the day, however, beautiful to see the city covered in snow.

My one tip is be careful with taxi prices, a lot of the drivers overcharge you from and to the airport.  Check out the airport website which gives you costings, if you are over charged, you can report and they will refund you.

As a rule, I always eat local cuisine when travelling, however, I came across ‘Galo Do Porto’ in the Old Town and was rather hungry – I’m glad I did.  Amazing Portuguese food with excellent service and very good prices.  Restaurants Lokys and Leičiai sold local cuisine and were both very good and I would recommend.

Check out my photo stream on Flickr to see more of my Lithuania and other travel photographs.