A weekend in Vilnius 2027: what to see and do

Ad. On some links we earn a commission if you book. The price does not change for you. How we earn (in Lithuanian)

Vilnius is an hour and a half by bus from Kaunas and about four hours from Riga. The bus, the accommodation and the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania have separate prices, which we give below. We checked the bus and ticket prices on 2026-10-16 for the weekend of 8–10 January 2027, so check them again before you buy.

How to get there from Kaunas and Riga

From Kaunas. On Friday, 8 January, FlixBus runs a 17:10 service (arriving at 18:45, 1 h 35 min), a ticket costs €11.50 per person. On Sunday, 10 January, the cheapest return service leaves at 15:50 and arrives at 17:25, a ticket costs €11. There were more than 20 direct services on each day.

From Riga. On Friday the 14:15 service arrives at 18:15 (4 h), a ticket costs €7.99 per person. On Sunday the 15:15 service arrives at 19:10 (3 h 55 min), a ticket costs €8.49. More about the journey to Riga: Vilnius to Riga by bus (in Lithuanian). FlixBus adds a €0.99 service fee to the whole order.

What it costs

For two travellers sharing a double room, two nights and the Palace of the Grand Dukes all-routes tickets cost:

• From Kaunas: from €189. Bus 2 × (11.50 + 11) = €45, accommodation 2 × 55 = €110, Palace of the Grand Dukes 2 × 17 = €34.
• From Riga: from €177.95. Bus 2 × (7.99 + 8.49) = €32.96 and the €0.99 FlixBus service fee, accommodation €110, Palace of the Grand Dukes €34.

The total leaves out food and other tickets, because we did not check their prices. It is a “from” price because the accommodation is “from €55” a night.

Where to stay

As an example for accommodation we take the Žemaitė Hotel (Žemaitės g. 15). On its website a double room with breakfast is shown “from €55” a night. Check-in from 13:00, check-out by 12:00 (hotel page, checked on 2026-10-08). This is a “from” price and does not depend on the date, so check again for 8–10 January.

What to see

The main points of the old town and Gediminas Hill that we found on official pages:

What to eat

The Vilnius tourism website says that there are 44 restaurants in the Lithuanian Michelin guide, 31 of them in Vilnius. Four restaurants in the capital have one star each. Source: Go Vilnius, checked on 2026-10-07. The same website suggests trying cold beetroot soup (šaltibarščiai) and cepelinai. We did not check the opening hours and prices of specific restaurants, so we do not write them here.

What to do

If it is raining or cold, you can choose museums:

Weekend plan

Friday, 8 January. Arrive in the evening and settle in; we do not suggest a place for dinner because we did not check one. People from Kaunas on the 17:10 bus reach Vilnius at 18:45, people from Riga on the 14:15 bus at 18:15.

Saturday, 9 January. Before noon climb Gediminas Tower, which is open daily 10:00–20:00 (LNM page, checked on 2026-10-16). After that go to the Palace of the Grand Dukes: on Saturday it is open 10:00–18:00 (opening hours, checked on 2026-10-07). A ticket for all routes costs €17 for an adult, single routes from €4 (ticket prices, checked on 2026-10-16). In the evening stroll round Cathedral Square. The plan has no checked place for lunch or dinner, because we did not check restaurants.

Sunday, 10 January. Give the first half of the day to the MO Museum, which is open daily 10:00–20:00 except Tuesdays (MO Museum page, checked on 2026-10-11). The plan does not suggest lunch on Sunday either, because there is no checked restaurant. People from Kaunas return on the 15:50 bus, people from Riga on the 15:15.

Planning to visit many museums? Before you buy tickets, look at the Vilnius Pass prices and rules (in Lithuanian).

For more January trip ideas, see where to travel in January (in Lithuanian).