Aelfgifu Travels

Hi Aelf Crew,

Today we touch on my time in Lithuania. I went on a trip to the Baltic states for two weeks so only had time to touch on a few places in each country, but I thought helpful to share what I did in case you were considering a trip! Individual posts from Latvia and Estonia to follow, so keep an eye on your inboxes!

I went to Vilnius in December to see the Christmas lights and markets. My mother has started a passion in me to travel to Christmas Markets around Europe, and I can confirm that the Vilnius markets were up there in my favourites due to the decorations, lights and extreme cold (which to me adds to the Christmas feel)!

I booked a tour that I found via Viator called ‘Three Capitals of Lithuania: Trakai, Kernave, Vilnius’. I could not recommend this tour enough: my guide was friendly, knowledgeable and took me to some great locations off the beaten track. I attach the link here: https://www.viator.com/tours/Vilnius/Three-capitals-of-Lithuania-Trakai-Kernave-Vilnius/d5479-8255P5

My guide even picked me up from the airport to start the tour – this is taking ‘hassle-free transport’ to a new level! It was just me on the tour – which was not intentional but due to the time of year and lack of tourists given the weather. We saw the UNESCO-listed Vilnius Old Town, ancient hill forts of Kernave and the island castle of Trakai.

I also tried some traditional authentic food called kibinai – pastries filled with mutton and onion, mostly associated with the city of Trakai. These were comparable to a Cornish pasty from an English stand point!

I stayed in Jimmy Jumps House/Hostel and I can confidently say this is the best hostel I’ve ever stayed in. I can see why it was voted Lithuania’s #1 hostel in 2024, 2012 and 2011.

Not only was it in a great location in the Old Town, they had an in-house bar with a cocktail made from freshly fallen snow collected from the roof – perhaps not super hygienic but I was too excited by the prospect to worry!

They had recommended tours on display too, and I went for the afternoon to the shooting range to shoot a Glock 17 and AK-47. I am familiar with shotguns so the AK47 was a lot more accurate than my shot with the glock – I couldn’t believe the recoil on this small gun – so much so I almost hit myself in the face with it! This wasn’t as cheap as I would’ve expected, with 20 shots being 65€ (2022 prices). There are group discounts, so can become cheaper and if that’s your kind of afternoon, then I would recommend.

A note on the temperature: in December, the average highest daily temperature is 0° C with the lowest being around -4° C. For me, it was absolutely freezing, with snow everywhere. As long as you are prepared and wrap up warm, no issues here!

I would highly recommend this city. I appreciate there is even more for me to discover within Lithuania and it’s somewhere I would definitely return to.

No silly mistakes to learn from me today, just a genuine recommendation. What a pleasant change!

Do let me know below if you have explored further in Lithuania and share where you would recommend!

This weather is snow joke,

Aelfgifu