5 hoursTrakai Castle & Karaim QuarterLithuania's most photographed island castle, reached by a wooden footbridge over Lake Galvė. The Karaim community has been cooking kibinai pies on the same street since the 14th century.From $205(≈ €175)Read the trip ← Day trips · Lithuania
Day trips from Vilnius.
Trakai is half an hour away, Kaunas an hour, the Hill of Crosses a long but easy drive. Here is every day we run from Vilnius, what you can do on your own, and when to go.
How long
Vilnius
Lithuania10 5 hoursTrakai Castle & Karaim QuarterLithuania's most photographed island castle, reached by a wooden footbridge over Lake Galvė. The Karaim community has been cooking kibinai pies on the same street since the 14th century.From $205(≈ €175)Read the trip 
6 hoursKernavė, the First CapitalFive hill forts above the Neris river: the medieval first capital of Lithuania. UNESCO since 2004, and almost no other visitors after lunchtime.From $205(≈ €175)Read the trip Vilnius sits in the south-east of Lithuania, which puts the country's most visited places within a day: Trakai and its island castle half an hour west, Kernavė, the first capital, forty minutes north, and Kaunas an hour down the motorway. The Hill of Crosses and the Curonian Spit are further, and those days are long.
Every trip on this page is private: your own guide, and your own car and driver where the day leaves the city. Pickup is from your hotel, the start time is yours, and you can add a stop on the way.
Doing it without a tour.
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Trakai | Train from Vilnius station, or bus | about 35 to 45 minutes |
| Kaunas | Train, non-stop express since March 2026 | about 1 hour |
| Kernavė | Bus, a few departures a day | about 1 hour |
| Hill of Crosses | Train to Šiauliai, then bus or taxi for the last 12 km | about 3 hours |
| Curonian Spit | Train to Klaipėda, ferry, bus to Nida | 5 hours or more: not a day trip |
Trakai and Kaunas are easy by train and cost a few euros. The Hill of Crosses and the Curonian Spit are where a car changes the day.
Every month works, differently.
May to September is the long season: Trakai's lakes are at their best, and the Curonian Spit is warm enough for the beach. July and August weekends are the busiest days at the castle, so a weekday morning start is worth it.
In winter the days are short, about seven hours of light in December, so the long trips start at dawn. Trakai under snow, with the lake frozen in a cold January, is one of the best days of the year.
- What is the best day trip from Vilnius?
- Trakai, for most first visits. The island castle, the Karaim street and a kibinai lunch fit in five hours, and you are back in Vilnius by mid-afternoon. Kaunas comes second, and the Hill of Crosses is the one people remember.
- Can I do a day trip from Vilnius without a car?
- Yes, to Trakai and Kaunas. Both are on the railway, Trakai about 35 minutes away and Kaunas about an hour on the express. Kernavė is possible by bus with care. The Hill of Crosses and the Curonian Spit really need a car.
- How far is the Hill of Crosses from Vilnius?
- About 220 km, roughly two and a half to three hours each way by car. Our day takes about nine hours with stops, and the Hill itself needs an hour.
- Can I combine two places in one day?
- Yes. Trakai pairs with Užutrakis manor or the Paneriai memorial, and Kaunas with the Rumšiškės open-air museum, which is on the road between the two cities.
- Are the day trips private?
- Yes. Every trip is only your party, with your own guide, and your own car and driver where the day leaves the city. There are no shared coaches.