castle
Trakai Island Castle
A stunning Gothic island castle on Lake Galvė, the only island castle in Eastern Europe and a symbol of Lithuania.
23 km · about 25 min drive
EuropeLithuaniaVilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius, Lithuania · Europe
About Vilnius
Vilnius is worth a stop: 5 minutes from Karoliniškės, 23km from Trakai Island Castle.
Vilnius is in Lithuania, with about 540,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Karoliniškės, about 4 km away.
Vilnius ( VIL-nee-əs; Lithuanian: [ˈvʲɪlʲnʲʊs] ) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania and the most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated July 2026 population was 619,405, and the Vilnius urban area (which extends beyond the city limits) has an estimated population of 767,907.
Vilnius isRead more
notable for the architecture of its Old Town, considered one of Europe's largest and best-preserved old towns. The city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The architectural style known as Vilnian Baroque is named after the city, which is the easternmost Baroque city and the largest such city north of the Alps. The Renaissance and Baroque architecture of Vilnius was largely influenced by the Italian architecture as Italian descent architects, artists participated in designing and decorating it. The culture of Italy in Vilnius was significantly strengthened by the Italian princess Bona Sforza, who in 1517 married the Lithuanian Grand Duke Sigismund I the Old, and by their son Sigismund II Augustus.
The city has been the capital of Lithuania since at least 1323, when it was first mentioned as such in a letter of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas. Since the 13th century until the mid-17th century the Vilnius Castle Complex had served as the residence of the Lithuanian monarchs. Furthermore, the city was noted for its multicultural population during the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, with contemporary sources comparing it to Babylon. Before World War II and the Holocaust, Vilnius was one of Europe's most important Jewish centres, leading Napoleon to dub it "the Jerusalem of the North" when he passed through in 1812. The city's current demographics are additionally marked by the population exchange between Poland and Soviet Lithuania after World War II, before which Poles made up the majority of inhabitants. As of 2021, around two thirds of Vilnius' residents were Lithuanians.
Vilnius was a 2009 European Capital of Culture with Linz in Austria. In 2021, the city was named one of fDi's 25 Global Cities of the Future. Vilnius is a financial centre, ranked 76th globally and 29th in Europe on the Global Financial Centres Index. The city is an important center for the global fintech industry. It hosted the 2023 NATO Summit. In 2025 Vilnius was the European Green Capital. Vilnius is a member of Eurocities and the Union of Capitals of the European Union (UCEU).
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Vilnius?
Within an hour or so of Vilnius: Trakai Island Castle (23 km), Kernavė Archaeological Site (35 km).
Where is Vilnius?
Vilnius is in Vilnius, Lithuania, about 4 km from Karoliniškės.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 542,366
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Lithuania
- Region
- Vilnius
- Timezone
- Europe/Vilnius
- Coordinates
- 54.6892, 25.2798
Tags
Worth the detour from Vilnius
2 notable places within an hour's drive.
ancient ruins
Kernavė Archaeological Site
UNESCO-listed complex of five medieval hillforts above the Neris valley, Lithuania's first capital, with a car park and museum.
35 km · about 40 min drive
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