Editing Vilnius (section)

== City Attractions ==

Vilnius is one of the most frequently visited cities of Eastern Europe. It draws attention, not only because of its
unique architectural character, but also by its cultural events and attractions.

Parts of the town you should definitely visit are first of all the Old Town (Senamiestis) which is one of the
largest old town centres in Eastern Europe and is included in UNESCO World Heritage List. However, before starting
your meanderings around the streets of the Old Town it is worth getting a bird’s eye view of Vilnius and taking in a
panoramic view of the city. There are some high buildings suitable for this purpose namely the TV tower, ''Skybar''
of the ''Reval Hotel Lietuva'' and the top floor of the shopping mall ''Europa'' near the northern bank of the Neris
River, on the edge of the Old Town. You can get the best open air view of the Old Town at the top of the Gediminas’
Hill, Hill of Three Crosses, Bastille Hill or Bekešo Hill.

Top attractions in the old town would include Gediminas’ Tower and upper castle; The cathedral with a Belfry by the
side; Pilies & Didžioji streets with lots of luxurious boutiques, coffee shops, cultural centres, embassies, night
clubs, souvenir sellers and the happy hubbub of the city; late Gothic architectural masterpiece that impressed
Napoléon Bonaparte a lot - St. Anne’s Church; Townhall and Vokiečių street where many bars, clubs and restaurants
are located; an area known as the “Jewish Ghetto” centred on Stiklių, Gaono, Antokolskio and Žydų streets;
Presidential Palace and one of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe - Vilnius University which campus consists
of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical buildings arranged around twelve closed courtyards and the tallest
Church of St John; the Bastion which is an original Renaissance fortification; the only surviving gate of the first
original five gates in the city wall named the Gates of Dawn and of course the main street of Vilnius - Gediminas’
Avenue, where you can find some important national institutions such as the Parliament or the National Library, as
well as banks, hotels, shops, casinos, restaurants and cafés. Some small things also worth experiencing is Frank
Zappa monument and a "magical" tyle with the word "Stebuklas" (Miracle) in the Cathedral square where one can make
his wish come true by simply stepping on it and turning around with the eyes closed.

The Republic of Užupis is worth a separate notice and is a must while visiting Vilnius. Užupis is a recognised
district for artists and won the name of the most bohemic, mysterious and romantic district of Vilnius which has
its own constitution, national anthem, calendar, map, its own holidays, "main institutions" and so on. If you walk
along the banks of the Vilnia River, you will be sure to come across artists working there who will invited to have
a try at the various kinds of art, like photography and painting, or to take part in an evening of summer cinema or
exhibitions.

Take a look at our album of
[http://picasaweb.google.com/CSLithuania/SightsOfLithuania# Vilnius Sights] in order
to get a better view what the city looks like.

=== Museums and Galleries ===

There are a lot of [http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/topic.php?tid=64&sid=95 museums]and [http://www.vilnius-
tourism.lt/topic.php?tid=64&sid=97 galleries] in Vilnius however, not all of them are worth visiting. Here is the
list of the most recommended ones:

[http://www.genocid.lt/muziejus Museum of Genocide Victims (KGB)]is located in the former headquarters of the KGB
and has the former execution chamber open to visitors.

[http://www.cac.lt/ Contemporary Art Centre]is the largest art centre in the Baltic States presenting the latest
international art tendencies of the contemporary art.

[http://www.ndg.lt/index.php?id=37&L=1 National Gallery of Art] presents a collection of Lithuanian art of the 20th
and 21st century and is a good space for active communication where the audience can see the permanent exposition
and temporary exhibitions as well as participate in cultural events, lectures and educational programmes.

[http://galera.multiply.com/ Užupis Galera] is an alternative gallery in Užupis where the expositions are pretty
unique and you can witness the creatinion of it's masterpieces.

[http://kultflux.puslapiai.lt/ Kultflux] is a gallery - platform on the river Neris next to Mindaugas bridge where
various exhibitions and other cultural events take place.

=== Sightseeing outside Vilnius ===

If you are staying in Vilnius for few days, you might want to make some day trips and see few places outside
Vilnius:

[http://www.trakai.lt/index.php?-2130764187 Trakai] is a historical capital of Lithuania where one can find the only
castle in Eastern Europe built on the island on the lake, Karaite national minority and it's unique cuisine. There
are a lot of buses and trainsgoing there and it takes only about half an hour to get there. If the weather is good,
you should take a chance to see it!

[http://www.europosparkas.lt/ Open air museum of the center of Europe] signifies the geographical centre of Europe
in the language of contemporary art and is a place where nature and art are combined.

[http://www.belmontas.lt/apie_belmonta/ Belmontas park] is very close to Vilnius center and is a complex of
restaurants serving traditional meals arranged around little lakes, watermills, river and waterfalls and is a very
nice place to spend a relaxing afternoon.

=== Tourist information ===

If your host cannot show you around or you like exploring the city by yourself, you might still find it helpful to
get city maps and some additional information about the city, things to see&do, events etc. There are a few tourist
information centres in the Old Town: one is inside the Townhall and another one is located in Vilniaus street.

You also have a superb possibility to go for [http://www.vilniusfreetour.com/ Vilnius free tour] and see the hiden
side of Vilnius through the eyes of the people who live here. All you need to do is to appear at 12PM any day of the
week in front of the Townhall and look for a person with a yellow suitcase. Enjoy!

You can get some more information about Vilnius prior to your arrival in [http://www.inyourpocket.com/lithuania/
city/vilnius.html?more=1 Vilnius in your pocket] guide or browse [http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/topic.php?tid=63
Vilnius tourist information center website].

[http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/mediabank/A4_Dviraciai%20PRINT(1).pdf Map of Vilnius old town] - quite a nice map
with the routes you can explore either by bike or on foot.

[http://www.lietuvosmarsrutai.eu/index.php?lang=2 Lithuanian routes] is a really great website where Lithuanian
routes are coherently presented with the help of textual, photo and video material for those who want to travel
around Lithuania.

[http://www.fotoskrydis.lt/kategorija/vilniaus-apskritis/ Vilnius from above] - some nice pictures of Vilnius and
other cities of Lithuania made from an air ballon.

=== Events ===

Apart from Couchsurfing events there are plenty of things to do in Vilnius and around. Vilnius is ''European Capital
of Culture 2009'' and therefore there are a lot of cultural, artistic and social activities every month. Check out
what's happening in Vilnius during your stay:

[http://www.couchsurfing.org/group_read.html?gid=1351&post=4162900 Cultural events in Vilnius ]
about interesting events in Vilnius provided by Couchsurfers of Vilnius group;

[http://www.eb.lt/en.php3 Entertainment bank] - the biggest database of all kinds of events in Vilnius and the rest
of Lithuania;

[http://www.vilnius-life.com/ Vilnius life] - a very handy website with a lot of useful information about Vilnius;

[http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/index.php?lang=EN Vilnius tourist information center];

[http://www.djscene.lt/event?fCity=vilnius&lang=en DJ Scene LT]

[http://www.club.lt/ Club.lt] - and some more clubbing events

[http://www.ore.lt/event.php?kada=&kur=Vilnius Ore.lt] - one more event calendor. Please note that the website is
only in Lithuanian;

some information

- some clubbing events in Vilnius;

[http://lietuva.lt/en/events/ Events in Lithuania] - if it's still not enough ;)

[http://www.cinema.lt/ Cinema] news. The website is in Lithuanian, but they have titles in original language as
well, so it's easy to get it;)

[http://www.vilniusjazz.lt Vilnius Jazz festival] - takes place every October and invites lots of great jazz
musicians from all over the world. Jazz lovers - don't miss a chance!

==== Cinemas ====

All non-hollywood movies fans should check out two cinemas in Vilnius (both of them are major venues for cinematic
events – festivals, meetings with filmmakers, retrospectives, special screenings etc.):

* [http://www.kinopasaka.lt/ Cinema Pasaka] - (Šv.Ignoto St. 4/3) is a very cozy little cinema in the heart of the
old town, same building as La Boheme wine bar.

* [http://www.skalvija.lt/index.php/about_skalvija/743 Skalvija] - (A. Goštauto St. 2/15) is another cinema center
that focuses on non-commercial European and World cinema, both classics and recent film.

Other cinemas with more recent/Hollywood movie repertoire are:

* [http://www.forumcinemas.lt/?lang=eng Forum Cinemas Vingis] - Savanorių St. 7;
* [http://www.forumcinemas.lt/?lang=eng Forum Cinemas Akropolis] - Ozo St. 25 - the one in a shopping mall

=== Shopping ===

Although Vilnius is not the capital of shopping, there are several places to do that:

* There are a lot of souvenir shops and little street market in the Old town. The typical Lithuanian souvenirs would
be amber, linen and mead, but the latter is available only in the shops where they sell alcohol.
* Shopping centers: the biggest in the city center are ''Europa'' (Konstitucijos 7a) and ''Gedimino 9'' (Gedimino
Av.9) and ''VCUP'' (Konstitucijos St. 16); a bit out of the city center, but still in Vilnius - ''Akropolis'' (Ozo
St. 25) and ''Panorama'' (Saltoniškių St. 9)
* The biggest grocery chain stores are ''Rimi'', ''Maxima'' and ''Iki'' - you'll see them everywhere.
* There are a lot of proprietary brand clothing shops in the Old town, especially in the area round the Town hall;)