A weekend in Ukmergė
One of the oldest settlements in Lithuania, with a hill fort, a regional museum and an old town, north-west of Vilnius.
Contents
Ukmergė in brief
Ukmergė, officially called Vilkmergė until the First World War, is one of the oldest settlements in Lithuania. At the beginning of the second millennium a wooden castle stood on the hill fort at the confluence of the Ukmergėlė and the Šventoji, and the name Vilkmergė was first mentioned in a chronicle in 1333 (Lithuanian Universal Encyclopedia, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09). Now it is a district centre of about 21 thousand inhabitants, divided in two by the Šventoji (VLE, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
People come here for history and quiet walking: the hill fort, the old town, the regional museum and the manors around. We do not name a best season, because the sources do not give one; the museum’s opening hours differ in winter and summer. Look for routes from Vilnius in the list of trips from Vilnius (in Lithuanian).
How to get there
We checked the services on 2026-10-29 for Saturday, 14 November; repeat the search for your own date.
| From | Service | Journey time and price |
|---|---|---|
| Vilnius | national timetable data: e.g. 08:25 → 09:30, 11:10 → 12:15, 14:00 → 15:05 | 1 h 5 min–1 h 25 min; base fare €7.00 (2026-10-09) |
| Kaunas | national timetable data: e.g. 08:00 → 09:35, 12:00 → 13:35 | about 1 h 35 min |
From Vilnius. Long-distance services (Biržai, Joniškis, Mažeikiai) also stop in Ukmergė. On Saturday, 14 November, services leave Vilnius bus station, for example, at 07:05, 07:50, 08:25, 09:00, 11:10, 12:50, 14:00, 14:50, 15:20, 15:50, 17:00, 17:40 and 18:05. Back from Ukmergė they run, for example, at 06:25, 10:15, 10:55, 13:00, 13:40, 14:35, 17:00, 18:10, 18:40 and 19:20 (national timetable data, checked 2026-10-29), and at 09:30 a FlixBus service (FlixBus timetable, checked 2026-10-30). Most services have a base fare of €7.00, one of €5.50 (national timetable data, checked 2026-10-09); the price on the ticketing platform may differ. Buying tickets is explained in the bus ticket guide.
From Kaunas. There are direct services several times a day: on Saturday at 07:00, 08:00, 09:15, 11:00, 12:00 and later, and back from Ukmergė at 07:55, 10:00, 12:00, 13:55 and later. You will find other destinations in the list of trips from Kaunas (in Lithuanian).
From Klaipėda. There is no direct service in the national timetable data; see the trips from Klaipėda (in Lithuanian).
Getting around the city
The bus station (Vytauto St) is outside the old town, so you will have to walk to the centre. By the walking route from the station to the Church of Sts Peter and Paul it is 2.0 km (27 min), to the hill fort 2.2 km (30 min), to the regional museum (Kęstučio a. 9) 2.5 km (33 min) (routing.openstreetmap.de, 9 October; we calculated time at a speed of 1.25 m/s). We did not check city buses and ticket prices.
From the museum to the hill fort and the Castle Park it is roughly 200 m (by OSM coordinates). The Castle Park is at Kauno 8, and on the former castle hill in the fifteenth century stood a brick castle-fortress (Visit Ukmergė, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
Districts and where to stay
- The old town. The hotel Big Stone (Kauno 5) has 33 rooms and stands in the centre of the old town (Visit Ukmergė, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
- Radiškis village. The hotel Sleepy Horse (Žirgyno 1) has 15 rooms on a farm, suits a quiet rest, but it is hard to get to without a car (Visit Ukmergė, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
More: how to choose accommodation for a weekend (in Lithuanian).
What to see
Ukmergė Regional Museum
The town history exhibition in a former cinema in Kęstučio Square; open on Saturday 9:00–16:00.
The regional museum (Kęstučio a. 9) is housed in the former cinema “Draugystė”, built in 1959 and renovated in 2016. The exhibition tells the history of the town from archaeological finds to 1990, and at the end there is a model of the narrow-gauge railway station (museum, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09). From 1 October to 31 May it is open Tuesday to Friday 9:00–17:00, Saturday 9:00–16:00, and closed on Sunday and Monday; visitors are not admitted in the last 15 minutes before closing (contacts, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09). An adult ticket costs €4, and visiting the viewing tower €1 (prices, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
Ukmergė Hill Fort
A hill fort at the confluence of the Ukmergėlė and the Šventoji, associated with Vilkmergė castle; slopes up to 16 m high.
The hill fort at the confluence of the Ukmergėlė and the Šventoji has steep slopes up to 16 m high and a 26 × 30 m platform; it is associated with Vilkmergė castle (VLE, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
The Old Fire Station tower (Kęstučio a. 3) is an 18 m high tower from the early 9th decade of the nineteenth century, whose viewing platform has binoculars and four boards about the town’s history; combine the visit with the museum (Visit Ukmergė, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
Church of Sts Peter and Paul
A neoclassical church built in 1818 and rebuilt in 1939, with eighteenth-century paintings and a monstrance.
The Church of Sts Peter and Paul was built in 1818 and rebuilt in 1939 (architect V. Michnevičius); it keeps many valuable paintings and an eighteenth-century Rococo monstrance (VLE, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
The Post Station complex is a classicist post office designed in 1836 by the architect W. Ritschel, with an outbuilding, a coach house and a gate (VLE, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
The Church of the Holy Trinity was consecrated in 1869 and was an Orthodox church until 1919; the Old Believers’ Orthodox church of the Protection of the Mother of God (second half of the nineteenth century) stands at Paupio 5 (VLE, OSM, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
The Tolerance Centre (Vasario 16-osios 11) operates in the former Jewish boys’ primary school built in 1898, which was supported by Chaim Frenkel; it is open Monday to Friday and closed on Saturday and Sunday (museum, tourist centre, both in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
Sculptures and manors. In different parts of the town you can find 36 “Singing Pigeons of Ukmergė” sculptures (Visit Ukmergė, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09). The museum’s branches – Siesikai Castle, President A. Smetona’s manor in Užulėnis and the Vepriai Region Museum – are outside town; the Smetona manor has the same hours as the museum, with a lunch break 13:30–14:00 (museum, Siesikai Castle, both in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
What to do by season
From 1 June to 30 September the museum and its branches are open Wednesday to Saturday 10:00–18:00, Sunday 10:00–17:00, and closed on Monday and Tuesday. From 1 October to 31 May the hours are shorter, as stated above (contacts, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09). You will find winter suggestions in the article where to travel in Lithuania in winter (in Lithuanian).
If it rains
On a rainy day choose indoor places. The regional museum (Kęstučio a. 9) is the main indoor choice, with hours and prices in the section “What to see”; visiting the exhibitions (apart from the permanent exhibition) is free (prices, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09). If you have a car, the World Music Instruments Museum operates in Dainava (Algirdų al. 3): there you can touch the instruments, and educational sessions last from 1 to 2.5 h (Visit Ukmergė, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
What to eat
The restaurant Vilkmergė (Kauno 9) is the oldest catering establishment in Ukmergė, operating since 1965, in the town centre (Visit Ukmergė, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09). The tourism website also lists the restaurant Big Stone, the Chinese restaurant China Town and nine cafés, among them the Užupis café and Chocolate Cafe (restaurants, cafés, both in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09). We did not check menus and opening hours.
Practical information
- The tourist information centre
Mūsų krautuvėlė(Kauno 1) is open Tuesday to Friday 8:00–17:00, Saturday 8:00–15:45, closed on Sunday and Monday; tel. +370 603 10550 (Visit Ukmergė, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09). - Guided tours. Tours of the town are arranged by the museum; for a group of up to 20 people a 2-hour sightseeing tour in Lithuanian costs €50, and booking in advance is required (prices, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
Weekend plan
A day plan. Take the 08:25 bus from Vilnius to Ukmergė (09:30). From the station walk to the regional museum, after it climb the hill fort and the Castle Park, have lunch at Vilkmergė and take the 14:35 bus back to Vilnius, where you arrive at 15:40. This day is offered by the day trip to Ukmergė from Vilnius (in Lithuanian). Nearby are Kėdainiai (in Lithuanian) and Panevėžys (in Lithuanian).
FAQ
Is there a direct bus to Ukmergė from Vilnius? Yes, there are services every few hours, and the journey usually takes 1 h 5 min.
How much is a ticket from Vilnius? In the national timetable data the base fare is €7.00 per person (checked 2026-10-09); on the ticketing platform it may differ.
Is the museum open on Saturday? Yes, all year: 9:00–16:00 from October to May and 10:00–18:00 from June to September (contacts, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).
Things to see and do in Ukmergė
By car: distance, time, fuel
By car
- From Vilnius: 73 km, 47 min one way. Fuel there and back: €18.52 per car, €9.26 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 73 km = 146 km; 146 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 9.49 l; 9.49 l × 1.951 €/l = €18.52.
- From Kaunas: 68 km, 1 h one way. Fuel there and back: €17.25 per car, €8.63 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 68 km = 136 km; 136 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 8.84 l; 8.84 l × 1.951 €/l = €17.25.
- From Klaipėda: 267 km, 2 h 42 min one way. Fuel there and back: €67.72 per car, €33.86 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 267 km = 534 km; 534 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 34.71 l; 34.71 l × 1.951 €/l = €67.72.
From Šiauliai, Panevėžys is not calculated yet: we do not have map data for this route.
This is an approximate calculation, not a price. Travel time without traffic or border queues. Fuel price: Lithuanian average, Euro-super 95 with taxes, 2026-10-19, the European Commission's Weekly Oil Bulletin (CC BY 4.0); consumption 6.5 l/100 km. Routes: MOTIS, car profile, no traffic conditions, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extracts, calculated 2026-10-29. There are no road tolls for passenger cars in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia; for Poland, see here (in Lithuanian).