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Picturesque Driving Route in Vilnius City and Its Environs

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Picturesque Driving Route in Vilnius City and Its Environs Picturesque Driving Route in Vilnius City and its Environs General Information Capital of the Republic of Lithuania: Vilnius Official language: Lithuanian Local time: GMT + 2 hours Currency: Litas (1 EUR = 3.4528 LTL) Population of Vilnius: 554,409 Country Dialling Code: +370 Single Emergency Number: 112 Information Inquiry Service: 118 From Vilnius to… Warsaw – 450 km, Moscow – 930 km, Berlin – 1035 km, Paris – 1690 km, London – 1751 km Tourist Information Centres in Vilnius Vilniaus g. 22 Tel: +370 5 262 96 60 Fax: +370 5 262 81 69 E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] www.vilnius-tourism.lt Didžioji g. 31(Vilnius Town Hall) Tel: +370 5 262 64 70 Fax: +370 5 262 07 62 Geležinkelio g. 16 (Railway Station) Tel/Fax: +370 5 269 20 91 Konstitucijos pr. 3 (Vilnius City Municipal Government) Tel: +370 5 211 20 31. CONTENTS Vilnius by Car ........................................................................ 4 Information about Parking Lots ..................................................... 5 Picturesque Route ................................................................... 6 Useful Tips for Drivers ............................................................. 31 Accommodation .................................................................... 32 Catering ............................................................................. 34 Entertainment ...................................................................... 35 Conventional Signs – place of interest – scenic viewpoint – car parking lot – paid car parking lot – information stand 3 Vilnius by Car Vilnius spreads among cosy old town streets, stone-paved squares, and old buildings that remind us of different historical periods. The centre and the suburbs of the city offer a lot of green places where parks and hills invite peo- ple to stop by and relax in the ambience of nature. For its unique landscapes and architecture, Vilnius is regarded as one of the most beautiful capitals in the European Plain. Its old town proudly stands on the list of UNESCO WORLD Cultural Heritage REGISTER. Get to know Vilnius. If you are a tourist who prefers sightseeing by car, we offer you a picturesque route connecting all the most beautiful sites in Vilnius and its suburbs. If you follow this circular 80-kilometre route, you will visit all the most beautiful objects of cultural, historical, and architectural heritage located in the centre and suburbs of Vilnius. At the scenic viewpoints estab- lished along the route, you will be able to admire breathtaking panoramas. All the places of interest are easy to find and reach. Signs saying “Vaizdingas maršrutas” (“Picturesque Route”) and directional signs to places of interest will help drivers in their sightseeing. No matter which direction you choose — clockwise or counter clockwise — the signs will not let you get off the route because they stand on the both sides of the road. Information stands located in gas stations and scenic viewpoints on the outskirts of the city will provide you with a full map of the picturesque route and some other useful informa- tion. This travel guide includes some important information about the majority of the places of interest and scenic viewpoints. The information about parking lots, fuel stations, car repair services, and car rental offices may come in use- ful for those who travel by car. If you decide to stop and have a bite to eat, you will definitely find a place you like from the great assortment of eateries. Those who would like to stop off in Vilnius or its suburbs will find some infor- mation about hotels, shopping centres, and recreational facilities. We hope that this travel guide will help you better plan your unforgettable journey. Having visited all the most beautiful places in Vilnius, don’t forget to share your responses and experiences with other travellers on the website www.vilniusroute.lt. 4 PARKING LOTS Vilnius offers both paid and free parking lots. The payment for parking var- ies depending on the location in the city: the green zone costs 1 LTL per hour while yellow and red zones cost 2 LTL and 3 LTL per hour respectively. Free parking lots may be found near the majority of places of in- terest. The downtown of the city offers the following free parking lots: – Beside the Concert and Sports Centre (Olimpiečių g.); – Beside the Subačiaus scenic viewpoint (Subačiaus g. / Maironio g.); – Beside the Gates of Dawn (Aušros Vartų g. / Bazilijonų g.); – Beside the Tymo Quarter (Maironio g. / Aukštaičių g.). 5 PICTURESQUE ROUTE CATHEDRAL SQUARE Vilnius Cathedral Katedros a. 1 www.katedra.lt Opening hours: Monday–Sunday 7 a.m.–7 p.m. National Museum of Lithuania (New Arsenal) Arsenalo g. 1 Tel: +370 5 262 94 26 www.lnm.lt Opening hours: May–September, Tuesday–Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; Octo- ber–April, Wednesday–Sunday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Museum of Applied Art (Old Arsenal) Arsenalo g. 3A Tel: +370 5 262 80 80 www.ldm.lt Opening hours: Tuesday–Saturday 11 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–4 p.m. We recommend starting your acquaintance with Vilnius at Cathedral Square — at the heart of the capital and the whole country. Park your car next to the Museum of Applied Art (Arsenalo g.) or in a paid parking lot near Cathedral Square (Vrublevskio g.) and take a look around. The Cathedral and the Cathedral belfry are the highlights of the square. King Mindaugas built the original Cathedral in 1251 after his conversion to Christi- anity in the place of a pagan temple. The Cathedral was later rebuilt several times. The current classical Cathedral is the design of the famous Lithuanian architect Laurynas Stuoka-Gucevičius (end of 18th century) but its interior still reflects earlier architectural periods. 6 The Cathedral belfry (57 metres high) is a tower of the former defensive wall rebuilt in 1530. The reddish-brown paving stones in Cathedral Square mark the contour of the former city wall. The belfry was a starting point of the Baltic Chain, a 595-kilometre-long human chain that ran between Vilnius, Riga, and Tallinn and symbolized the solidarity of the Baltic States in their struggle for independence. People say that a paving stone named “Stebuklas” (“Miracle”) located between the Cathedral and the belfry makes your secret wishes come true. All you have to do is turn full-circle clockwise three times. Give it a try! The Cathedral leans against the rebuilt Royal Palace of Lithuania (16th centu- ry), which is a representative building of the former Lower Castle. Currently, the New Arsenal and the Old Arsenal that form a part of the castle house the National Museum of Lithuania and the Museum of Applied Art, which offer a huge number of interesting and unique exhibits. Cast a look upwards and your eyes will fall on the Gediminas Castle Tower. On the other side of the Vilnia River, a white monument, Three Crosses, stands high up the hill. The twist in the Vilnia River embraces Sereikiškių Park (for- merly, a garden of the castle, then a garden of a former Bernardine monas- tery, and later a botanical garden of Vilnius University). Cathedral Square is a popular place for various festive events and gatherings, and the belfry is a favourite meeting place in the city centre. GEDIMINAS CASTLE Gediminas Castle Tower Arsenalo g. 5 Tel: +370 5 261 74 53 www.lnm.lt Opening hours: May–September, Monday–Sunday 10 a.m.–7 p.m.; October–April, Tuesday–Sunday 10 a.m.–5 p.m. The castle tower named after Grand Duke Gediminas, the founding father of the city, is a symbol of the capital. It is said that the Vilnia River flowing at the foot of the castle hill gave the name to the city of Vilnius. 7 It is supposed that Vilnius was founded in 1323 when Grand Duke Gedimi- nas started sending invitations to craftsmen and merchants from the Western countries to come and settle in Vilnius. At that time, the core of the city consisted of three defensive castles — the Lower, the Upper, and the Crooked — and several small villages. The museum in Gediminas Castle Tower hosts an exhibition that includes re- constructed models of the 14th–16th century Vilnius castles and some arma- ment and iconographic material of the old Vilnius. The Lithuanian tricolour flag, which flutters on the top of the Castle Tower as a symbol of Lithuania’s M a independence (declared on February 16, 1918), was first raised on January 1, i r 1919. Every year at noon on January 1st, which is Lithuanian Flag Day, one o n tricolour is solemnly substituted with a new one. i o g . The panorama viewed from the roof of the Castle Tower attracts a lot of visi- > tors. The baroque Old Town (a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Register since U 1994) decorated by dozens of church towers spreads south while the down- ž u town area lays west. To the right of it, beyond the Neris River, you will see the p i skyscrapers of the new business centre. Kalnų Park, the Hill of Three Crosses, o and a chain of picturesque hills stretch out north and east. g . THE HILL OF THREE CROSSES Behind the Museum of Applied Art (Arsenalo g.), cross the bridge over the Vilnia River and park your car in a paid parking lot at the edge of Kalnų Park. Then climb the hill on foot. > The Hill of Three Crosses is another spectacular place offering one of the most . g beautiful panoramas in Vilnius. Legend has it that seven Franciscan monks o who were sent to spread Christianity in Lithuania were crucified on this hill i n by people seeking to preserve paganism after the official conversion of Lithu- o r i ania to Christianity in 1387. The Three Crosses designed by Antanas Vivulskis a M were erected in 1916. Unfortunately, the Soviets destroyed them in 1950.
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