ABCČD of Vilnius

Here is an alphabetical guide to Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania

A - Amadeus It’s a bar-nightclub situated right next to the Gate of Dawn. It has the best DJ’s, as well as live gigs and you can always pop in for a coffee and browse through their vinyl collection during the day.

Ą - Ąžuolas It’s an oak tree, the oldest one in Vilnius is in Bernardinų park.

B - Bažnyčia Saint Kotryna’s church. Well, it used to be a church, now it has been converted into a music hall. Pretty amazing.

C - Canteen if you get hungry while walking around the city, look for signs saying ”Valgykla”, they will lead you to the most amazing catering establishments that still serve food from the union times: cabbage rolls filled with meat, pickled fish and don’t forget to order a glass of buttermilk too!

Č - Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis He’s a Lithuanian painter, composer and writer. Lithuanians love him to the moon and back. You can find some of his musical compositions on Spotify and his paintings in the Lithuanian National Gallery of Art. He contributed to Symbolism and Art Nouveau and is considered one of the pioneers of abstract art in Europe.  

D - Druska Miltai Vanduo Head to this bakery for a life changing sourdough and their sweet cinnamon rolls. They are to die for!

E - Elska It’s a lovely cafe and a great place to spend the day working on your laptop.

Ę - no words ever start with “ę” in Lithuanian language. Sorry. 

Ė! - In case you need someone's attention, feel free to shout out “Ė!”. It might not be super polite, but it works.

F - Fabijoniškės HBO TV series “Chernobyl” has been filmed in a sleepy Vilnius neighbourhood called Fabijoniškės. It looks exactly like Pripyat. You can even spend a night here - a couple from Vilnius are renting out an apartment that takes you back toto USSR times. Look for it on Airbnb.

G - Gabija Grušaitė. She’s a 30-something Lithuanian writer. Her book “Cold East” is a must read if you want to better understand what it means to be young and grow up in Vilnius. We included an extract from the book in the magazine.

H - Halė It’s an old market hall where you can buy everything from traditional smoked meats to freshly cooked Thai food and oysters. Head there for a Sunday brunch or any-day lunch, except Mondays - it’s closed then.

I - Inkaras Since 1933, pretty much everyone had the same shoes and they were called “Inkariukai”. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the shoe factory in Kaunas went down too, followed by late paychecks, burning tires and hunger strikes. Now the brand has been revived and the old, much loved designs - slightly reinvented.

Į - Į muziejų Go to a museum! There are two museums
you must visit. Mo, which is a new modern art institution, and the Holocaust museum. They both are pretty different, yet they will give you context about the past and present of Lithuania.

Y - Young’s bar It’s situated in the main market hall - sip cocktails and dance to electro beats when the market shuts at night and the old ladies selling sour cream head home.

J - Jopšikmat It’s a nice swear word.

K - Kablys This place is a cool hostel / night club / brunch place / restaurant / event venue / concert hall. You get the idea, it’s great.

L - Loftas To further explore Vilnius nightlife, check out “Loftas”. It’s an industrial building turned into a music venue with a huge outdoor space for open air gigs.

M - Miglė It’s chocolate sweets made with potato crisps. Yap, not kidding. They are highly addictive and you can find them in every supermarket.

N - Nomeda It’s like a Lithuanian version of the Snickers bar. Its packaging is pretty legendary!

O - Opera The main opera house has a stunning interior design. It’s perfect for a date night. Oh, and don’t forget to order a hot chocolate during the intervals when you’re there.

P - Platforma An old outdoor train museum that no one ever visited has been converted to a party place. You can explore different bars, nightclubs, and restaurants located in train cabins.

R - Rose Hip It’s a hip vegan restaurant that serves smashing burgers and home-made kombucha. Enjoy a walk at the park afterwards, you can feed ducks there and if you are in the mood, hike up the Hill of Three Crosses right next to it for some great city views.

S - Sūrelis It’s a sweet milk curd snack with chocolate glazing usually eaten for breakfast. It’s super unique, you won’t find anything like it anywhere outside the Baltic states.

Š - Šanhajus or Shanghai It’s a very poor neighbourhood with wooden houses and no sewage system located right in the heart of the tech and banking district. On one side of the street there’s a skyscraper, on the other there’s a sad looking wooden hut with an old dog tied to it. It’s super central - take a stroll to properly soak up the weirdness of it all.

T - the TV tower It spins! Try to catch the sunset for beautiful bird’s-eye views and city panorama.

U - Upė It means “river.” If you’re in Vilnius in the summertime, hop on to a canoe and enjoy city views from a different perspective.

Ų - No word ever starts with “ų” in the Lithuanian language. Sorry.

Ū - Ūla Is a really beautiful Lithuanian name. It’s a river too.

V - Vingio parkas It’s a park right in the heart of Vilnius. Head there for a jog or a pleasant walk and a picnic.

Z - Zuikio Daržas. This one is not in Vilnius. It’s actually quite far away. That said, if you are visiting Lithuania, do plan to go to Nida. It’s (sort of) an island next to the Baltic Sea, and it’s the most magical and beautiful place. When you’re there, Zuikio Daržas is a place to hang out, eat pizza, and sleep in a hammock under the stars.

Ž - Žemaitė She was a writer and pretty much the Lithuanian Frida Kahlo.

Get your hands on the magazine and read more stories:

ILLUSTRATION: LINA VYŠNIAUSKAITĖ