Little-known Vilnius is about to have a big moment (Picture: Getty)
Winding cobbled alleyways. A bohemian quarter with Baroque architecture. Michelin-starred restaurants and moodily lit jazz bars. It sounds like Paris, but this is what awaits visitors in Vilnius, Lithuania’s pocket-sized capital that’s on the brink of a moment.
Beyond the city’s 700-year-old walls is a charming town still reckoning with its complex past, where brutalist Soviet architecture meets high-end boutiques and a rapidly blossoming food scene. It’s been more than 30 years since Lithuania gained independence from the USSR, but the buzz of freedom is still in the air. And, drawn by vibey nightlife, dark history and reasonable prices, people are starting to take note.
But despite direct flights from major UK airports such as Stansted and Luton, Vilnius remains off the beaten path for British travellers. The tourism board is willing to laugh at its obscurity, declaring the country the ‘G-spot of Europe’ — ‘amazing, but nobody knows where it is’.
You can fly to the city from as little as £25, and at a time when so many destinations are feeling the weight of overtourism, frankly, you’d be silly not to.
Lithuania is the largest and most southerly of the three Baltic state (Picture: Metro)
Happiness found
I’ve barely begun my two-night trip when I am struck by how peaceful Vilnius is. Compared to the heaving Tube carriages of central London, the silence of the streets is like a warm hug, despite the November chill.
Only 5% of Brits know more than the name and approximate location of the Lithuanian capital, according to a 2019 survey, and there’s a distinct lack of the British accents you hear in steady streams on the streets of Prague or Amsterdam.
The city is convenient and exceptionally cheap, with an airport just 15 minutes’ drive from the Unesco-listed old town and tourist staples like bottles of local beer for £2.75 (€3.20). Vilnius was recently named Europe’s most affordable city break in a survey by Post Office Travel Money, and even luxury is accessible.
Arriving late in the evening, I head straight for 14 Horses, a farm-to-table restaurant serving up lamb dumplings, grilled eel on sourdough and potato pancakes with sweetbread (four courses for €55 per person). Another must-visit is Dziaugsmas, one of four local restaurants to receive a coveted star in this year’s first-ever Michelin guide to Lithuania (try the black pudding doughnuts and bone marrow from the €67 tasting menu).
Lithuania got its first Michelin guide this year, a nod to its burgeoning food scene (Picture: Metro)
Traditional dishes get a fine dining twist at some of Vilnius’ top restaurants; these black pudding doughnuts with mustard sauce were a standout (Picture: Metro)
Outside the city feels incredibly safe, to the point that I leave my bag and coat unattended on a stand by the door in Nick & Nora, one of Vilnius’ best cocktail bars that makes an excellent quince gin (€11).
Cheap, safe and up for a laugh; …read more
Source:: Metro
