We found flights for £45 return, leaving Friday and coming back on the Monday and we booked a beautiful apartment right by the old town which worked out £60 each for the three nights. Vilnius airport is very small and it cost us seven Euros for a large taxi from the airport to our apartment (slightly less for a standard sized car).
In December Lithuania is slightly colder than the UK and temperatures ranged between-5 and -15 during our trip. There was a brief flurry of snow one evening and if you got away from the town centre there was snow on the ground and trees still. We came prepared with warm layers, thick socks and thermals and the cold didn’t feel nearly as biting as the UK in my opinion.
There were two Christmas markets on whilst we were there, the first one was just for a weekend and was an international market in the town hall which was mostly tables run by different embassies. The second one was in the Cathedral square and centered around the huge Christmas tree. Every year there is a different theme to the tree and 2022 looked like a three tiered cake. It was spectacular day and night, however the market was quite limited. We did get mulled wine and some Lithuanian candy but bought more from other stalls around the old town rather than the market here.
Whilst the market was disappointing, the mini break certainly wasn’t and I adored Vilnius. The architecture is incredible and the old town with its cobbled streets, beautiful coffee shops and Christmas lights was pretty special. There were so many buildings which had gone big with their Christmas decorations and made the whole town feel so warm.
Here are some of the places we visited during our stay
1) Uzupis is a self declared republic within Vilnius and a short walk from the old town. You can find their constitution in 23 languages written on the wall which contains statements such as ‘everyone has the right to cry’. The area is full of fun street art, interesting boutiques and a tourist office where you can stamp your passport.
3) There is a Christmas train that drives around the old town at night, all lit up with fairy lights. It is 2 euros per ticket and a fun activity to get out of the cold for a little while and see the beautiful city.
Rex was 12 months old when we visited and was so easy. He was happy in the stroller or sling as we explored and I made time to find empty coffee shops for him to explore or took him back to the apartment for a crawl around when he needed it. The bars we visited (sky bar and the prison bar) were both happy to have a baby in and the city was stroller friendly. Vilnius is a beautiful city to visit, small enough that you can see a lot in a couple of days and it felt very festive in early December.
