Sensational Vilnius: Lukiškės Prison, Open-Air Cafes, and Other Top Summer Experiences in Lithuanian Capital

This summer, Vilnius redefines gastronomical, artistic, and leisure travel in a string of sensational activities, such as a midnight stroll in a former prison in the city centre or the smallest district, especially favored by the artistic community. Therefore, the following 7 summertime adventures in Vilnius are bound to put the city on the top of visitors’ bucket list.

Cultural life in Netflix-famous prison

“Lukiškės Prison 2.0.” One of this summer’s hit attractions in Vilnius is a century-old former prison and the shooting location for Netflix’s Stranger Things Season 4—Lukiškės Prison. Although the building complex stopped functioning as a prison in 2019, now it is inhabited by 250 artists, and has been repurposed for artistic and cultural events as “Lukiškės Prison 2.0” to host concerts, festivals, and exclusive tours.

The daytime tour highlights the prison’s history, architecture, and the daily life of inmates, including political prisoners. For instance, the prison held some of the famous 20^th century Lithuanian authors, and even Menachem Begin, Israel Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who was imprisoned in Lukiškės for a year in 1940. The nighttime tour displays the unseen side of the century-old buildings illuminated by the beam of a flashlight.

Gastro-explorations in Vilnius’ open-air cafes

Having officially reopened after the pandemic, Vilnius’ gastronomical scene is exploding with new food experiences, making Vilnius once again a giant open-air cafe like last year. The capital has been booming with over a hundred bars, cafes, and restaurants that have removed outdoors for the summer. Originated as a means to adhere to social distancing requirements yet continue safe socializing, now the open-air cafe model bids the passers-by to bask in the summer sunshine and take in the vibrating city life at their leisure in one of the many outside spots.

Even the traffic has been specifically closed down in the Old Town to reduce air pollution and allow more room for open-air cafes and restaurants, such as Senator’s Passage—a former currently-restored mansion with a medieval backyard, two fine-dining restaurants, an organic food market, and more.

Expedition to an independent bohemian district

Užupis Republic. Although the smallest district of Vilnius near the Vilnia River, Užupis is full of surprises: in 1997 the residents declared a so-called independence from the rest of the districts, forming a new bohemian district—the Užupis Republic. Formerly a neglected part of the town, the district has grown into a hub of artists, intellectuals, and entrepreneurs, and a true open-air gallery.

For instance, the district is distinguished for a number of art pieces: the Mermaid, which hypnotizes all visitors to never leave the district, the Angel, an 8.5-metre sculpture, blowing a horn to announce the artistic freedom of the district, the Cat, which stands on the fence and makes the fear go away, and others. Open-air cafe concept is also vibrant in Užupis with Residence Bar offering not only original cocktails, but also breathtaking panoramic views of the city.

New modern district with foodie-paradise atmosphere

Paupys District. The newest district in the city right next to Užupis, Paupys is a fresh addition to Vilnius’ Old Town charm. Seven well-known architectural studios are converting the district into a modern area for business and leisure. The district contains new residential housing, green spaces—fountains, squares, leisure zones—a business centre, equipped with offices, stores, sports facilities, gourmet market, and a boutique cinema.

For instance, the utterly new Paupys Market, located in the district, combines the ambience of one of the most verdurous parts of the Old Town with gastronomical experiences. The wilderness-inspired gastronomic hub has a number of restaurants, food halls, and a gourmet alley just to show that visitors do not have to get out of town to have a full-on picnic.

Digital “pOrtal” connecting two nations

Portal. Lublin, Poland, and Vilnius have joined their forces to build the world’s first teleportation device, or a tech-art sculpture “pOrtal.” While the world is yet to open fully, the “pOrtal” lets the residents and the visitors of both cities watch each other in real-time. A sci-fi design of the tech-art sculpture signifies a digital bridge towards unity in times of physical separation and brings both cities to a new and amazing futuristic world.

Art-infused tours in an urban open-air gallery

Baltic Triennial 14. The Endless Frontier. The Baltic Triennial 14 highlights the geopolitical race between Central and Eastern Europe in terms of values, esthetics, and everyday life. The exhibition also features the works of artists from Poland and other European countries, including Lithuanian architects, who have designed the Lithuanian pavilion in the 17^th Venice Architecture Biennale.

The artwork is spread out all over Vilnius, both in galleries and open-air spots, guiding the visitors across the most favored parts of the city. For instance, the displays are held in the Contemporary Art Centre, Rupert, an art incubator near the highly frequented Valakampiai Beach, and a “SODAS 2123,” a cultural hub in the Station District, among others.

To justify the open-air concept, Vilnius opens up its streets for one of the most famous art projects of the past year, Art Needs No Roof. A hundred art pieces will be exhibited in outdoor billboards throughout the city and approximately 300 works will be also available on the project website.

Sunset-watching in the skies

Hot-air balloons. Vilnius is famous for its fascination with hot-air balloons, hovering in its skyline any time of a day. Not only can residents and visitors enjoy a smooth ride over the city and the surrounding areas, some hot-air balloons even offer fine dining in a flying restaurant.

TV Tower Restaurant. Speaking of restaurants in the sky, one of the most famous landmarks in Vilnius and the highest building in the country (326.5 m above the ground), TV Tower has been favoured by fine dining connoisseurs and adrenaline enthusiasts. Even a world-famous B.A.S.E. jumper, Cedric Dumont, skydived off the Tower a decade ago. Now, visitors less inclined toward extreme sports, can enjoy the breathtaking views of the city in a restaurant, complete with a recently opened adjacent outdoor cafe set up 180 metres above the ground.

The new sensational, artistic, and adventurous experiences in Vilnius mark the new post-pandemic chapter in the capital’s cultural scene for tourists hungry for both gourmet food and new experiences. Visitors can reach Vilnius by cars, buses, and direct flights from Warsaw. More details about the activities above and other top experiences in Vilnius as well as additional particulars about the campaign in Polish are available here.