After Urban Treetops team visited Vilnius we concluded that this city is pretty cool. You may ask: What is so special about Vilnius? Well, let’s find out! First of all, Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, but it’s also a place were the past and future meets. Vilnius was established in the early 14th century and nowadays with more than 500 000 people is the second largest city in the Baltic States. The city is best known for its rich history and a promising future because of many new developments and young professionals that are choosing Vilnius as their home. Located in the southern part of the Baltic States it’s also one of the oldest cities in the Baltic States and it’s historically known for being the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. So would you like to live in one of the most interesting, culturally rich and fastest-growing cities in the Northern Europe?
The Past and History
If you have chosen Vilnius as your new home you need to know more about the past and future of the city. So let’s start with the grand history of Vilnius. We have made couple photos of architecture, city infrastructure and community activities around the Old town and Center neighborhoods in Vilnius.
After we visited this historic site we definitely felt the monumentality and grandeur. The Cathedral and the belfry were renovated in 2008 and now it looks spectacular.
In front of the entrance, a fantastic and breathtaking view overlooks the cathedral ceiling. It gives you a look into past of Lithuania’s former greatness.
Architecture and the planning of wide streets prove that Lithuanians love and care about its historical heritage. We felt the vibe of “royalty”.
One of the best places in Europe were to spend your Christmas holidays
Yes, you heard me correctly Vilnius is a super great place were to spend your Christmas holidays with your loved ones. The city even has two Christmas trees and both of them are looking awesome!
You can see many happy faces here at the Vilnius City Hall Square where a traditional Christmas tree has been placed. People are also enjoying International Christmas Charity Bazaar that has become a tradition.
Those Christmas lights light up the streets and hearts of residents and the guests of the city. We felt the Christmas vibe from the first steps in the Old Town neighborhood. Vilnius during Christmas holidays is a great place to be with your family, especially for kids.
Local residents and tourists are enjoying the weekend and Christmas vibes in the Old Town.
Christmas tree is truly spectacular! Also, you will be amazed by the decorations and all the lights in the Old Town.
Vilnius is known as a city with a great religious heritage. You will notice many Christian churches while you are walking around the city.
Gediminas Tower is the remaining part of the Upper Castle and a symbol of Lithuania. This is a huge tourist attraction place in Vilnius.
The flag of Lithuania has been graciously fluttering since the restoration of independence from the Soviet Union.
Nowadays The Gediminas hill is facing restoration works.
Here you can truly experience the history of Lithuania.
The royal symbols can be seen all around the city. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 13–15th centuries was a force to be reckoned with.
The Mindaugas Bridge was opened in 2003 and it crosses Neris River and connects Žirmūnai neighborhood with the Old Town of Vilnius.
Very beautiful, symbolic and detailed pre-war architecture.
The National Museum of Lithuania was established in 1952 and it encompasses significant structures and a huge collection of written materials and artifacts.
Nature comes into the city. Vilnia river is bringing good energy and perfectly fits into the landscape of Vilnius Old Town part.
The Vilnia river is one of the natural objects worth to see. It also gives a magic feeling to the city of Vilnius!
Maybe you thought to yourself: will I get a good coffee in Vilnius? No worries! Vilnius has many small coffee shops that are offering great quality coffee. Also, you can try one of the biggest coffee shop chains in the Baltic States called Caffeine.
You can find several great dining places in the Old Town where you can try out the traditional Lithuanian cuisine. The most famous dish is called Cepelinai, a potato-based dumpling dish characteristic of Lithuanian cuisine.
The mesmerizing architecture will make you feel like in good old days!
Entering into Old Town neighborhood where the streets are getting more narrower. In recent years the city government has introduced several new bicycle lanes.
So the conclusion: The past of Lithuania is spectacular. We at Urban Treetops enjoyed it enormously. The Old Town encompasses the best of the history of Lithuania. If you have chosen Vilnius as your new home try living in the Old Town. Especially, if you are a student and a lover of history!
The Future of the city
Vilnius has been one of the fastest growing and developing cities in Northern Europe. The city has witnessed a huge transformation in last decade which has helped to attract many new businesses and shared business centers. More and more young professionals are choosing Vilnius as their new home. Additionally, the cost of living is a plus to choose Vilnius instead of other Northern European cities. Inhabitants of Vilnius are happy and satisfied people, maybe that is because of the public wifi which works really well and you can access all the necessary information! Lithuania as a whole is moving towards the right direction.
First thing that comes to mind when you arrive in Vilnius is: This city is developing fast! Just look at this!
In the distance, you can already see many cranes that are adding new buildings and infrastructure objects to the city.
The business environment is constantly improving and has become an attractive place for foreign companies. Companies like booking.com, Barclays, Western Union and many more, has chosen Vilnius as their new home by opening shared service or global business centers.
Nowadays modern skyscrapers are complementing the panorama of Vilnius center. Therefore, we can say that this is the future of Vilnius – a city that is a modern and attractive place for businesses.
I would like to study in Vilnius because it’s a city of tomorrow.
Vilnius is also a city for students because of the high-level educational institutions. Many of the great Lithuanian academic institutions are located in Vilnius:
Vilnius University – The oldest and largest Lithuanian higher education institution. Since its establishment in the 16th century, Vilnius University, as an integral part of European science and culture has embodied the concept of a classical university and the unity of studies and research.
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University – an innovative Lithuanian University, educating highly qualified and creative specialists. The University is the leader among the institutions of technological science education, ensuring modern studies, orientated to the labor market.
So if you are thinking about educational options outside of your home country, why wouldn’t you evaluate Vilnius, Lithuania as an option? We at Urban Treetops would.
Neris river with its pedestrian promenade walkway and bicycle path. The river also is dividing Old Town and the new city center. Great place to walk by after a long work or school day. Or if you want to take your dog for a walk.
At daytime, Vilnius has completely different vibe than in night time. When there was sunlight we felt calm, cozy and fresh – these are the good vibes of Vilnius city.
If you are looking for housing options in Vilnius as foreign students be calm and don’t stress out. Do some proper search and you will find your rental home. Additionally, universities in Vilnius are offering accommodation dormitories.
We are predicting that in near future more new construction office buildings will complement the skyline of Vilnius.
If you want to see the skyline of Vilnius we are recommending to visit Skybar in Radisson Blu Lietuva Hotel building.
We also noticed that Vilnius has several green zones that the city residents can use for their leisure time. By the way, the city is located “between the mountains” making it even more beautiful. In fact, Vilnius is surrounded by beautiful nature, especially the forests and small mountains. Therefore, you can find great hiking places 20 minutes from the city. We are also recommending to visit Trakai castle, which is only 30 minutes from Vilnius. This place was awesome!
Infrastructure in Vilnius is getting much better. We saw more bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways being implemented in the city.
Public transportation in Vilnius is pretty convenient. One of the most popular public transportation ways in Vilnius is to use the trolley. You can find more information about public transportations by visiting Vilnius tourism info center.
Heading out of Vilnius and on our way to visit Trakai Castle. Vilnius was a success. We prepared Vilnius neighborhood guide just for your needs. Hopefully, you enjoyed it!
Schedule a Visit! Call or email Urban Treetops team to schedule a visit to see properties in Vilnius neighborhoods!