With kids · Vilnius · Lithuania
Vilnius with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: BigHead, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Vilnius is compact and relaxed with children, with traffic-free Old Town streets, riverside parks and playgrounds, and castles that feel like a fairy tale. Cobbles and hills make pushchairs hard work, and some museums are better suited to older children. Top picks: Bernardine Garden, Gediminas' Tower and Castle Hill and Vingis Park. Families usually base themselves in Žvėrynas.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Žvėrynas
- Rainy-day options
- 1
Best things to do with kids
Park · Old Town
1.Bernardine Garden
Between Castle Hill and the Vilnia river, the restored Bernardine Garden has a musical fountain, rose and botanical beds, chess tables, a playground and paths along the river. It is the most central place in the city for a picnic or a break from sightseeing.
Walk through it between Cathedral Square and Užupis, and let children play by the fountains on warm days.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Couples
Castle · Old Town
2.Gediminas' Tower and Castle Hill
The red-brick octagonal tower on Castle Hill is the surviving part of the Upper Castle of the Grand Dukes and flies the Lithuanian flag. A small museum inside covers the castle's history, and the platform at the top gives the classic view over the Old Town's spires and the Neris.
Go up in the late afternoon for the best light over the Old Town roofs.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Views
- History
- Photo spot
Park · Žvėrynas
3.Vingis Park
Vilnius's largest park fills a bend of the Neris west of the centre with pine woods, cycling and running paths, playgrounds and a large open-air stage used for concerts and the Song Festival. A footbridge links it to the Žvėrynas district.
Rent a bike and loop through the park and along the Neris riverside path back towards the centre.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Active
Viewpoint · Karoliniškės
4.Vilnius TV Tower
The 326-metre tower west of the centre was a site of the 13 January 1991 events, when Soviet troops seized it and 14 civilians were killed; a memorial stands at its foot. A lift rises to a revolving café at about 165 metres with views across the city and forests.
Read the small exhibition about 1991 at the base before going up, and choose a clear day for the view.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- History
- Kids
Museum · Šnipiškės
5.Energy and Technology Museum
Housed in the city's first power plant, built in 1903 on the bank of the Neris, this museum keeps the original turbines and boilers and adds hands-on displays on electricity, engines and transport, including vintage cars. It is one of the better rainy-day options for children.
Let children try the interactive exhibits after seeing the turbines and boilers.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Neighbourhood · Užupis
6.Užupis
The 'Republic of Užupis' was declared by local artists on 1 April 1997 and has its own flag, president and a constitution whose articles, such as 'Everyone has the right to be happy', are displayed on mirrored plaques in dozens of languages on Paupio street. The bronze Angel of Užupis stands on a column in the main square.
Look for the constitution plaques in your own language, then follow the Vilnia upstream past the riverside cafés.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Couples
- Iconic
- Photo spot
Rainy-day ideas
- Energy and Technology Museum — Let children try the interactive exhibits after seeing the turbines and boilers.
Where families should stay
$$ · Best for families, quiet stays and couples
Žvėrynas
Žvėrynas sits in a loop of the Neris, west of the centre, with 19th- and early 20th-century wooden villas, the Karaite kenesa and an Orthodox church on its streets. Across the river is Vingis Park, the city's largest. It is quiet and green, about 20–25 minutes' walk or a short bus ride from Cathedral Square.
- Good
- Quiet, green and residential; Riverside walks and parks; Good value apartments
- Watch out
- Few hotels; A walk or bus ride to the Old Town
- Nearby
- Vingis Park, Karaite kenesa, Neris riverside path
Family travel tips
- Trakai Island Castle, with its lake, boats and drawbridge, is the best day trip for children.
- The Bernardine Garden and Vingis Park have the most central playgrounds.
- Skip the basement of the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights with young children.
- Restaurants generally welcome children, and many have children's menus.
- Plan indoor options such as the Energy and Technology Museum for summer thunderstorms.
Day trips for families
- Trakai (About 35–40 minutes by train or bus) — Trakai's red-brick Island Castle, built in the 14th and 15th centuries, stands on Lake Galvė and holds a history museum.
- Kernavė (About 45 minutes by car) — The UNESCO-listed archaeological site of Kernavė, a medieval capital of Lithuania, has five grassy hill-fort mounds above the Neris valley and a museum of excavated finds.
- Europos Parkas (About 30 minutes by car) — An open-air museum of contemporary sculpture set in forest and meadows north of Vilnius, close to a point identified as the geographical centre of Europe.
When to go with children
The best months overall are May–September. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Vilnius good for kids?
Vilnius is compact and relaxed with children, with traffic-free Old Town streets, riverside parks and playgrounds, and castles that feel like a fairy tale. Cobbles and hills make pushchairs hard work, and some museums are better suited to older children.
+What can kids do in Vilnius?
Bernardine Garden, Gediminas' Tower and Castle Hill, Vingis Park, Vilnius TV Tower and Energy and Technology Museum.
+Where should families stay in Vilnius?
Žvėrynas: Leafy riverside district of wooden villas, a Karaite prayer house and Vingis Park nearby.