I find it hard to explain why did I like Vilnius so much. At first, I wasn’t even going to make this post. But when I published some of my pictures of Vilnius on Facebook, I received lovely feedback. I realized that many people share my opinion about the city.
People of Vilnius told me that I have captured the “poetic tranquillity” of Vilnius and “managed to depict the soul of this city perfectly”. They made me go further and make this blog post.
In this photo story, I will bring you around Vilnius at night. You will see some of Old Town, some of Uzupis district and more. Also, I will try to explain why Vilnius became one of my favorites in Baltics.
Short intro
I made it to Vilnius during my trip through Baltics. I stayed there during Christmas when most of the places were closed. As a result, I had some free time to wander around the streets with my camera.
The days were short, and skies were covered with clouds. Artificial lights filled the streets, killing all colors but orange. These made the atmosphere a bit surreal.
It started in Uzupis
We stayed right next to the Uzupis district, which is a tiny, self-proclaimed republic. Nearly 1000 of 7000 inhabitants of Uzupis are artists. It is full of street-art, artist studios, some pretty original cafeterias, and bars.
Most of the artistic expression is on the western side of the district, along the river, facing the old town. They have an “art incubator” there.
However, random pieces of art are all around Uzupis. We especially liked the inner yards. These aren’t the places where tourists normally go, which means that residents do it for themselves.
I believe, Uzupis has set the tone for the whole visit.
Old town and beyond
Uzupis taught me to look behind every corner. Even in the old town, I didn’t go, as usual, looking around and absorbing the atmosphere. I tried to look carefully to spot more of street art or more of unusual inner yards.
Many things in Vilnius looked a bit worn out, but that is what makes them cute. It very different from germ-free Scandinavia.
Of course, I didn’t see the whole Vilnius. But I loved it so far, there were not many billboards and no ugly modern architecture next to old architecture. Apart from the main streets, things are not polished to satisfy tourists, which gives it a bit of a home feeling. I think Vilnius is a kind of place, that you love for its imperfections.
You will be missed
I stayed in Downtown Forest Hostel (I am NOT sponsored by them). I think it is a lovely place and I wouldn’t experience Vilnius the same if I didn’t stay there. There is a 24-hours bar at the reception, where visitors and locals gather up. We ended up meeting Christmas there, stayed up until 5 AM.
Everything in Vilnius was closed due to Christmas and I promised myself to come back in summer.
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