Everywhere you look in Lithuania’s capital, Christmas trees abound — from small, plump ones, some standing right in the middle of cobbled streets, to towering giants that make you crane your neck to see the top.
On every street, shopfronts are festooned with tasteful decorations, while people amble by sipping glühwein or hot chocolate, snug as bugs in big coats and woolly hats. As snow begins to fall and ice skaters twirl around an outdoor rink in Town Hall Square, the scene is unbelievably pretty and festive — almost as if you’ve stepped inside a giant snow globe.
The ice rink in Town Hall Square, Vilnius
I spent three days in Vilnius, the European Christmas Capital 2025, lured by the promise of magnificent markets and prices far gentler than those found in heavyweight festive destinations such as Germany, Austria or Switzerland.
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My visit coincided with the city’s inaugural Vilnius Christmas Before Christmas, a city-wide day of celebration designed to rekindle the childhood magic of Christmas and make us feel five years old again.
And so, on the crisp morning of December 13, I found myself standing outside the Money Museum (www.pinigumuziejus.lt) alongside a local TV crew and curious onlookers as a choir sang, the city’s mayor made a speech, and a group of jubilant elves unveiled Vilnius’ special Christmas currency: a bright red pine cone. The cone could be used to buy festive treats and experiences across the city, adding a playful, fairy-tale twist to the celebrations.
Christmas currency in Vilnius (Mantas Gudzinevicius)
The initiative also includes a free Christmas card postal service, allowing visitors to send festive greetings to friends and loved ones abroad at no cost. There’s even a gingerbread-themed Christmas bus, which trundles through Vilnius’ most beautiful festive locations, while another special route features live Christmas choir performances.
In majestic Cathedral Square, it’s impossible not to feel as though you’ve stepped straight into a childhood Christmas storybook. The star attraction is the Christmas tree, regularly named among the most beautiful in Europe. Surrounding it, the Christmas market is a delight: wooden, fairy-lit chalets selling trinkets, gingerbread, strudel and kūčiukai — traditional Christmas Eve cookies made from sweet dough and poppy seeds — alongside steaming mugs of glühwein. A vintage Christmas carousel completes the scene.
The Christmas Carousel, Vilnius (Vytautas Dranginis 2025)
Vilnius Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the largest and best-preserved in Europe, filled with Baroque churches, hidden courtyards and winding streets. It’s a compact city, meaning almost everywhere you’d want to visit can be reached easily on foot.
A dessert in Augustin, Vilnius
Across the river lies Užupis, whose name means “beyond the river”. Long favoured by artists, the district is often compared to Montmartre in Paris thanks to its bohemian, anything-goes atmosphere. On April 1, 1997, Užupis declared itself an independent republic, complete with its own constitution — translated into more than 40 languages — and displayed proudly on plaques on a neighbourhood wall.
Lukiškės Prison in Vilnius, where scenes from Netflix’ Stranger Things were filmed, holds an Alternative Christmas Market
Wandering around Vilnius, it’s only a matter of time before you end up “in the clink”. Lukiškės Prison (www.govilnius.lt/visit-vilnius/places/lukiskes-prison-en), which operated as a jail from 1904 until 2019, has since been transformed into a cutting-edge cultural hub.
The Christmas market in Vilnius’ Cathedral Square
Today, the former prison complex is home to artists, musicians and creatives, hosts regular gigs (Fontaines D.C. have played here), and even served as a filming location for the Netflix hit Stranger Things. It also hosts an Alternative Christmas Market, selling everything from bee pollen and fiery chilli sauces to quirky teas and handmade pottery.
Baleboste, Vilnius, serves Lithuanian-Jewish meals
Unlike Lukiškės, my base was less prison cell and more palatial escape at the Hotel Pacai (www.hotelpacai.com), a superb five-star design hotel housed in a former 17th-century palace once belonging to the noble Pac family. Located in the heart of the Old Town, it blends grand Baroque heritage with contemporary minimalism —though when it comes to breakfast, restraint is happily abandoned.
Set in a tranquil courtyard, the hotel is perfectly located on Didzioj Street in central Vilnius. Trendy shops and cafés line the surrounding streets.
Christmas Eve dinner, Ertlio Namas, Vilnius
Much of the history of the building – down to the original exposed 17th-century brick walls – has been kept in tact. Despite the history, the feel is cool and modern. The bedrooms have high ceilings, Nespresso machines, white linen bedding and gorgeous marble bathrooms stocked with Molton Brown products.
My Christmas before Christmas began at Senatorių pasažas (The Senator’s Passage), a beautifully restored 17th-century courtyard now home to artisanal food producers, bakeries and two acclaimed farm-to-table restaurants. The passage glows with warm lights and a towering seven-metre Christmas tree, which I’m told took 15 people to install. Visitors gather around open fires, sipping mulled wine and chatting idly — it’s utterly magical.
Vilnius boasts an impressive food scene. My first dinner was at Lokys Restaurant (lokys.lt), set in a historic 15th-century building in the Old Town. It specialises in traditional Lithuanian cuisine and medieval recipes, including beaver (which I politely declined). The famous fried bread more than lived up to its reputation, while the drinks menu offered an excellent range of meads of varying potency. I even sampled a Lithuanian rhubarb wine, which was surprisingly delicious.
For fine dining, Vilnius more than holds its own. Augustin (augustin.lt), which has a Michelin mention, is inspired by the ethos of an Augustinian monastery and centres on sharing. Its modern, plant-led menu features seasonal vegetables, meat and fish served as small plates designed for the table.
We also enjoyed an unforgettable seven-course tasting menu at Demo (demoloftas.lt), one of only four Michelin-starred restaurants in Lithuania, which also holds a Michelin Green Star for its commitment to sustainability. The courses bear intriguingly poetic names—Broth of Tranquility, The Better Half, Roots, and more— setting the tone for a menu that is experimental and served with a sense of theatre.
One of my favourite meals was at Baleboste (cheftheviking.lt), named after the Yiddish word for a skilled and generous lady of the house. The restaurant celebrates Lithuanian-Jewish cuisine, serving dishes such as cabbage rolls, pastrami bagels and exquisite pastries. It’s cosy and convivial and one not to be missed.
We experienced a traditional Christmas Eve festive dinner at Ertlio Namas (ertlionamas.lt), where families share 12 symbolic dishes, including fish, grains, vegetables and poppy-seed recipes, each carrying its own meaning for the year ahead.
After eating, drinking, shopping and sightseeing your way around Vilnius, there’s no shortage of green space in which to unwind. An impressive 61 per cent of the city is made up of forests, parks and grassy meadows. Alternatively, you can relax in a sauna or enjoy a swim at Bokšto Spa (bokstospa.lt), a serene wellness retreat set within a beautifully restored historic complex in the Old Town.
Watch: Christmas in Vilnius 2025
The city’s slogan is “Vilnius – Unexpectedly Amazing”, and it more than lives up to the promise. Vilnians are warm and welcoming, prices are refreshingly affordable (a coffee costs around two euros), English is widely spoken, and there’s an abundance of things to see and do for visitors of all ages.
So did the Christmas before Christmas event make me feel like a five-year-old again? It certainly did. And that’s the magic of this beautiful city – it brings back a sense of wonder you didn’t realise you’d missed.
Factfile
Ryanair (ryanair.com) offers direct flights to Vilnius from Dublin. Travellers can also fly via Copenhagen with Scandinavian Airlines ( flysas.com).
Pacai Hotel: www.hotelpacai.com
For more information on Vilnius visit: Go Vilnius www.govilnius.lt #govilnius #vilnius #amazingvilnius