The capital and the largest city of Lithuania—Vilnius is situated in Southeastern Lithuania at the confluence of the River Vilnia and the River Neris in the Eastern Europe.

Vilnius is also known as Vilna, Vilno, or Wilno. The name of the city Vilnius is believed to have come from the river Vilnia.

Vilnius, a rail and highway junction, a commercial and industrial city, and a center of education and the arts, is a cosmopolitan city with diverse architecture. The city is home to more than 40 churches, great restaurants, hotels and museums.

Vilnius has earned well-deserved reputation of being the most hospitable city in the world, and the Hospitality Club is the great attestation for that.

Vilnius is one of the most charming tourist destinations of the world. The city is known for its peppy nightlife, and is home to one the most vibrant pubs, clubs, bars, and discos in Baltic States.

Vilnius’ major attractions include numerous palaces of feudal lords, many gothic & renaissance buildings, Pilies Street, The Old Town, the Gediminas Castle, the Cathedral Square, Cathedra Basilica, Frank Zappa statue, Lithuanian National Museum, The Centre of Europe, The overpriced European Park, Old Arsenal Building, Artillery Bastion of Vilnius Defensive Wall, Three Crosses Hill, Trakai (Water castle outside Vilnius), and the cemeteries, interesting jewish cemetry in Seskine.

Vilnius is often dubbed as the baroque city because of its gothic & renaissance buildings. The Old Town of Vilnius, home to churches and other building built in 13th-19th centuries, has a place in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Facts about Vilnius—

• Area: 402 sq kms
• Population: 540,318
• Currency: Litas (Lt) = 100 centas. Notes are in denominations of Lt500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1. Coins are in denominations of Lt5, 2 and 1, and the worthless 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 centas.
• Languages: Lithuanian is the official language, but Russian, Polish, and English are also understood and widely spoken.
• Ethnicity: Lithuanian (80.6%), Russian (8.7%), Polish (7%), and Byelorussian (1.6%)
• Religion: The major religion is Roman Catholic followed by Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical Christian Baptist, Muslim, and Jewish.

Climate—

Vilnius enjoys temperate climate, but with considerable temperature changes. Vilnius summers are warm with relatively mild weather in spring and autumn. Winters, which last from November to mid-March, can be very cold.

The city has rainfall throughout the year with the heaviest rainfall in August. Heavy snowfalls are common in the winter months.

Traveling To Vilnius—

Vilnius International Airport is the major air gateway to Lithuania. The airport receives the major international flights from the major European destinations. The airport is the home base of Air Lithuania and Lithuanian Airlines, and has the capability to accept jets up to the Boeing 747 freighter.

The Airlines serving Vilnius International Airport include Aeroflot, Air Baltic, Air Lithuania, Austrian Airlines, Aviavilsa, British Airways, CSA Czech Airlines, Estonian Air, Finnair, Lithuanian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa and SAS Scandinavian.

Lithuanian Airlines offers good service to Vilnius from the major Euro hubs. Ryanair flies to Kaunas, which is an hour run from Vilnius, from Ireland and London.

Taxis, buses, trains, and boats are good options to travel around the city. The city has a well-developed railway network, and it also does offer trolleybus service.