Lithuania
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Lithuania - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Lithuania - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Vilnius's main cathedral, Arkikatedra Bazilika, has been a national symbol for centuries; inside is the dazzling 17th-century Chapel of St. Kazimieras. Originally a temple to Perkūnas, one of Lithuania's many pagan gods, the building became a church in the 13th century, when Lithuania converted from paganism to Christianity (the last European country to do so). The cathedral was used for other purposes under Communism; the church reclaimed the cathedral in the 1980s.
In the New Town, at the Genocido Auku Muziejus, plaques take you through a litany of horrors in the basement of the former KGB prison. Hundreds of Lithuanians were killed here, and hundreds of thousands more were deported to Siberia by the Soviet regime during the 1940s and '50s. The former execution room now has a floor made entirely of glass cases displaying objects recovered from the mass graves in which the Soviets buried the prisoners. A section dedicated to the Holocaust in Lithuania was opened in 2011.
The museum is located in a carefully restored old blacksmith’s workshop, displaying a wide collection of various forging tools and forged items, such as iron crosses, fences, architectural elements, household articles, and fishing equipment.
Klaipeda's botanical garden is located along the Danes River, north of the city center, in an area of great historic importance. It was founded in 1993 and spans approximately 23 acres. Here, domestic and foreign plants of great variety are exhibited in four collections, including those focused on herbs, medical plants, roses, and vines and bulbous plants.
The gorgeous and elegant late-Gothic facade of the 16th-century church was created using 33 different types of brick in a complex pattern. It is said that when Napoléon passed through town, he wanted to take the church back to Paris "in the palm of his hand."
The church has an astounding Baroque interior, with nearly 2,000 ornate, white-stucco figures and an extraordinary boat-shape glass chandelier.
The first floor illustrates principles of measurement and the evolution of clock construction—from ancient to modern times—with a collection sundials, hourglasses, and mechanical clocks. Second-floor displays highlight the development of mechanical clocks from the 16th to 20th century, showcasing more than 1,700 works by Lithuanian and international master clockmakers.
This house was originally the home of Dr. Jonas Sliupas, Palanga's first mayor and an important public figure during the Lithuanian national revival in the early 20th century. It now accommodates a museum dedicated to Sliupas’s life and the history of Palanga.
The Gates of Dawn is the only one remaining out of the city's original five 16th-century gates. It has a beautiful chapel, a quiet place for prayers whose walls are covered with metal and silver hearts. It also contains an icon of the Virgin Mary renowned for its healing powers, making this chapel one of the most visited in Vilnius, popular with both Lithuanians and foreigners.
Castle Hill is topped by the 13th-century Gedimino bokštas (Gedimino Tower), once part of the city's fortifications. Inside the tower is the Vilniaus Pilies Muziejus, which has outstanding city views. There is a lift to reach the Castle Hill from the inner courtyard of the castle (on the Arsenalo street side), at €1.50 per return trip. You still have to pay to enter the Tower itself in order to view the panorama of the Old Town.
This museum is housed in one of Klaipėda's oldest surviving structures from the 18th century. It includes exhibits on the history and culture of the inhabitants of the area in and around Klaipeda, but it also offers geological information on how the region was formed. On display are both pagan and Christian items, as well as archaeological finds, old photographs, maps, and postcards.
This museum is housed in the remnants of Memelburg Castle, which dates from the 13th century, when the town was known as Memel and was a stronghold for the Teutonic Knights. The museum opened in 2002, in honor of the city's 750th anniversary. It shows the development of Klaipeda from the 13th to 20th century, with various objects such as documents, city stamps, and costumes, as well as a model of Klaipeda and the city’s Renaissance symbol, a golden ring with a diamond.
Founded in 1977, the park is at the location of the city's former central cemetery. It displays a total of 116 artworks by 61 sculptors, which were created during symposiums for sculptors held between 1977 and 1991. Today, it's a pleasant space for leisurely strolls. Some of the valuable metal works from the old cemetery are now exhibited at the Blacksmith's Museum, which is also at this location.
This museum is in an authentic,1927, fisherman’s homestead typical of the Curonian Spit. It shows an exhibition of interior and everyday life for a local fisherman around the turn of the 20th century.
This is one of Palanga’s best-known sights and one of the most visited museums in the country. It displays approximately 4,500 amber objects (from a total of 28,000 pieces), as well as information about the trade routes, formation, extraction, and processing of amber. The museum is housed in a beautiful early 20th-century mansion that once belonged to Count Feliksas Tiskevicius, whose family has played a major role in Palanga's development. In addition to the actual amber exhibition (as well as changing exhibits), you can tour beautiful period interiors on the ground floor
Surrounding the Palanga Amber Museum is a vast botanical park, which was founded on the palace grounds by Count Feliksas Tiskevicius in 1897. The park was designed by the famous French landscape architect and botanist Édouard François André, with assistance from Belgian gardener Buyssen de Coulon. Today it is a beautiful place for leisurely strolls, picnics, and relaxation, as well as concerts and other cultural events.
The beautiful, Baroque, 17th-century church is named for Lithuania’s patron saint, Prince Casimir Jagiellon. During Russia's reign, an onion-shape cupola replaced the original tower with its significant crown.
To learn about Vilnius's Jewish heritage, visit this museum, which is divided into several different parts, including the Tolerance Center, a Holocaust Exposition (at Pamenkalnio g. 12), the Samuel Bak Museum, and several other sections that are still being developed.
Founded by the Jesuits in 1570, the university campus is comprised of a complex of 12 courtyards. Highlights include the observatory, with its 18th-century zodiac engravings (note that it is not open to the public), and the church of St. Johns. Originally a Gothic Church begun in 1387, St. Johns and its striking Vilnius baroque-style facade are a part of the university compound. It is also a perfect stage for "Alma Mater Musicalis" concerts and organ recitals.
The single remaining active synagogue (out of the more than 100 synagogues and prayer houses Vilnius once had) survived the war only because the Nazis used it as a medical-supply warehouse. Today it is the only synagogue in the city that is still in use.
{{ item.review }}
Please try a broader search, or expore these popular suggestions:
There are no results for {{ strDestName }} Sights in the searched map area with the above filters. Please try a different area on the map, or broaden your search with these popular suggestions: