In part 3 of 3 of our visit to the Baltic Countries, we travel from Latvia to Lithuania. We have a great friend from Lithuania, and we were really looking forward to seeing her home country. So far, we found the capital cities of Tallinn and Riga quite different from each other, and we were curious to see what we would find in Vilnius.
Continuing our road trip, we drove out of Riga, heading south to Lithuania. As soon as we left the city, we ran into a few navigation challenges. First, the entrance ramps to get on the A7 were completely closed due to construction, but our rental car’s SatNav couldn’t see any other way for us to go. We used iPhone Apple Maps, and managed to find a meandering way south on back roads through villages and countryside.
Juggling between the 2 navigation systems, we made it to the border between Latvia and Lithuania, the only time on our trip that we saw an established border. We weren’t stopped, but it looked very official with guard buildings, multiple fences, and security. After traveling through a lot of farmland and small villages, our road suddenly turned into a dirt track, not busy at all except for some farming equipment. That might explain why the kids in the last village who waved to us also seemed surprised to see us.😳
With large dark clouds moving in, we decided it was better to keep going forward, and we did indeed finally reach a paved road again, and were on to our next destination. For an outing before we reached Vilnius, we were heading to the Hill of Crosses.
The Hill of Crosses
Kryžių Kalnas, or the Hill of Crosses, is a pilgrimage site that has been growing for over two hundred years. Tens of thousands of crosses, statues, and rosaries cover a small hill and stretch into the fields on every side in a country setting in northern Lithuania. The Hill of Crosses was destroyed by the Soviets in 1961, but was recreated by faithful locals in secret. Religion, nature, and culture all come together in this one atmospheric spot, a symbol of the faith and resilience of the Lithuanian people.
The Hill of Crosses is a must-visit in Lithuania.
Storm clouds had gathered and we saw some rain, but otherwise it was an uneventful drive to Vilnius. Since this was our final destination, we headed to Avis’ car return at the airport to drop off the car. There was a drop box for the keys, a nice small-town feel, no one was working car returns that evening.
Vilnius, Lithuania
An inexpensive taxi ride (€10) brought us from the airport to The Artagonist Hotel, quickly to become one of our all-time-favorite hotels. As soon as we walked out the door into Old Town, we were in a mix of what seemed to be a lot of locals, out for a stroll, or dinner, or a gelato. Seated for dinner at a café table at the edge of the main street going to the Cathedral, we were in a perfect spot for people watching. We were also in a perfect spot for a parade that marched by right in front of us! It just happened to be Statehood Day in Lithuania.🇱🇹
The slogan of Vilnius is “unexpectedly astonishing,” and this is spot-on. There are both narrow streets and wide boulevards to explore, café restaurants, the Vilnia River with small quaint bridges, and a large green park. You can take a tram or walk up to Gediminas Castle Tower for sweeping views of Old Town. The stairs up to the Three Crosses Monument end in a nice walk through the forest, and more amazing views.
There are many beautiful and interesting churches, from Vilnius Cathedral to the unique Gates of Dawn with the miraculous painting of the Madonna. The walk through Old Town to the old Jewish Quarter is especially photogenic, and the self-proclaimed Republic of Užupis neighborhood is a fun, artsy area to wander through.
Trakai
Another top recommendation for an outing in Lithuania is the lake town of Trakai. It’s an easy 30-minute train ride from Vilnius, and Lake Galvė is scenic and set up nicely with both boat tours and pedal boats for rent. A pedestrian bridge connects to the island castle, originally a royal summer residence. It was a beautiful day for our outing and everyone was in a holiday mood, enjoying the sun and warm weather.
Foods of Lithuania
We enjoyed a sharing platter of traditional Lithuanian food, wonderful sausages, stuffed potatoes, and delicious potato pancakes. We even found some Lithuanian wine to try, made from bilberries – it was quite good! At Lokys, the oldest family-run restaurant in Vilnius, we tried Beaver Stew, which was also good.
In Trakai, we ate Kibinai, delicious traditional pastries filled with meat, cheese, or vegetables, a lot like empanadas. And, always on the lookout for a cosy pub, we found The Portobello back in Old Town Vilnius. They have a fun entrance through a red phone booth, and we stopped in for a pint of Guinness.
Impressions
We had a wonderful time on our visit to the Baltics. Each of the Baltic countries is perfect for a 3-4 day trip, and if you can visit all three, you’ll see a variety of similar but distinct cultures. Support for Ukraine was everywhere in the Baltics, all formerly occupied by the former Soviet Union. Our visit was a few days before the NATO conference in Vilnius, so heightened security was noticeable.
Overall, the traditional foods that we liked the most from the trip were the bear stew in Estonia, mussels in Latvia, and Kibinai in Lithuania.
We didn’t get to see as much of the countryside of Estonia and Latvia as we wanted, due to weather. Spending most of our times in the Old Town of each location, Tallinn struck us as very authentically historic and full of cobblestones, and Riga as a series of charming neighborhoods with lots of green spaces. Vilnius is full of both narrow streets with colorful buildings and wide avenues with café restaurants.
We loved our days in Vilnius the most, especially for the friendly locals and for its relaxed nature. Vilnius is inland, and we did not miss the daytime crowds from Cruise Ships that we saw in both Tallinn and Riga.
If you get a chance, don’t pass on the Baltics for your vacation destination.
Sveikata!
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