On seeing the latticework of brick (33 different varieties) making up the façade of St Anne’s, Napoleon is said to have wanted to dismantle it and take it home to France. This little church with its elegant contours reaching skywards is a masterpiece..

For lovers of ecclesiastical architecture this street is heavenly. In addition to the fine houses lining it, the upper part has no fewer than three churches: the church of the Holy Trinity in a courtyard at n°7; the church of the Holy Spirit draw..

Impossible to miss, this thoroughfare runs for 2km from Cathedral Square to the parliament. Gedimino is the shop window of Vilnius, where fashions come and go, and stores and retail complexes vie for shoppers’ attention. Be aware that it is at its li..

The scene of Royal christenings, weddings and coronations, this symbol of the evangelisation of the nation also represents today’s independent Lithuania. The first churches here were erected in 1251 by Mindaugas and in 1388 by Jogaila. The focus of n..

The former KGB headquarters and prison, this building is a symbol for all Lithuanians of 50 years of Soviet occupation. Within its walls redolent of a tragic past is housed this museum telling the story of the KGB and those who opposed the regime (th..

19C Lithuanian rural life is rekindled in the ethnographic section of the national museum, notable for fine wooden objects (statues, chests, ornaments). The history section bears witness to the nation’s eventful history, with a collection of finely c..

The centre of city life, which in 1989 witnessed the coming together of all the Baltic nations when it was the scene of the climax of a march involving 2 million people that had started in Tallinn (Estonia). Absorb the hustle and bustle across this v..

Today’s Lithuania was populated by Indo-European people several thousand years before Christ. In the 13C, the Lithuanians were united under Mindaugas, the country’s first and only king (crowned in 1253). This archaeological exhibition provides an adm..

A fine example of successful restoration, the charming Baroque church of St Catherine seems to soar skywards thanks to its vertical lines. The interior is decorated with works by Simonas Cechavicius. In addition to the visual pleasures on hand, music..

Visitors will recognise this building from the 100 Litas banknote; the university of Vilnius (16C) is a labyrinth of courtyards and passages, composed of numerous buildings and bustling with around 25 000 students, the doctors, lawyers and philosophe..

Pilies Street, which is the continuation of Didzioji Street leading to the cathedral, is pedestrianised and much the better for it! Architectural treasures abound behind the plethora of signs, with a wide array of styles and functions in evidence. Hi..

Built in 1387, at the dawn of the Christian era in the country, the church of St John was already well established when the university was founded. It shows little of its original Gothic appearance following remodelling in the 18C by Jan Krzysztof Gl..

This street is pleasantly animated by artisans’ workshops (visitors may observe them in action – ask at the tourist office), yet it has a tragic history in the dark annals of Jewish persecution. Along with surrounding streets – note their names – it ..

Head north from the Gate of Dawn, following Ausros Vartu Street. It continues, soon becoming Didzioji Street, crossing the popular meeting place of Old Town Hall Square bordered by fine façades, before finishing its course above the Vilnius art gall..

Just another district in the capital? No; here visitors set foot in an independent republic, declared on 1 April 2000! The utopia turned into reality that is Uzupis is a haven for artist, artisans and like-minded people. It’s worth coming here for it..

Built from 1668 on the site where Milda the pagan goddess of love was formerly worshipped, this is one of the capital’s finest Baroque churches. In the late 17C, the Italian sculptors Giovanni Pietro Perti and Giovanni Maria Galli created 2 000 statu..

This 16C gate leading onto the Minsk road is the only one to survive of the nine that once served the capital. It has two very different faces; its sober external façade is surmounted by Vytis, a white knight and two griffons, the emblem of Lithuania..

Here lie those who moulded Lithuania’s history. Soldiers fallen in combat, communist leaders, artists, victims of political oppression… The surroundings of this peaceful cemetery are redolent of eternity.

It was on this 48m-high hill that Vilnius was first founded, replacing Trakai as the nation’s capial. Since the 13C, an octagonal brick tower (Gedimin bokstas) has stood here, all that remains of a larger castle. Visible throughout the city, it is to..

Restored in 1986, this huge white 16C building (a former arsenal) hosts temporary and permanent exhibitions. Furniture, porcelain, earthenware and tapestries from a variety of European schools are displayed in a series of vast rooms. Lithuanian arts ..