Riga to Vilnius (T)

Posted on by admin

Vilnius

Navigating out of Riga for the second time in a day, we joined Latvia’s A7 and began to cover the 300 km south towards Vilnius. 70 km in, we crossed back into Lithuania for the final time. It wasn’t long before the van was navigating the tiny streets of Vilnius’ Old Town in search of a place to stay…

Lithuanian Border

After some rapid research, we settled on ‘Real House B&B’. It was clean, cheap, centrally located and included parking for van! Excited and back to full power after our night out in Riga, we set off in search of a good time… 

Navigating Vilnius’ Streets

Vilnius, like Tallinn and Riga, is teeming with historical sites. One of the first places we wanted to check out was The Vilnius Castle Complex and The Gediminas’ Tower. The first castle constructed on this site dates back to 1409 and the tower itself is regarded as an important historic symbol for the Lithuania.

The tower is a short walk form the Old Town and there’s loads to see along the way:

Wandering down from the Old Town to The Castle Complex

The Castle Complex

After a leisurely stroll in the afternoon sun, Katy and I soon reached the foot of the castle complex hill. Let the climb begin!

Views ascending The Castle Complex Hill

Views from the top of the Hill

After ascending the Castle Complex Hill, it’s possible to gain access to the The Gediminas’ Tower for a small fee. This is well worth it as the 360 view of Vilnius from the roof platform is spectacular. 

The Gediminas’ Tower

Views from the top of the tower

Aside from the historical sites and beautiful streets, the city also has a bustling nightlife. We sampled some of the local dishes at Grill Terrace (Potato Pancakes and Potato Dumplings) followed by a few cold pints of the local beer and cocktails at Nomads Cocktail Bar.
All in all, Vilnius didn’t disappoint. Like both Tallinn and Riga, we hope to return to this magnificent city in the future!

Katy enjoying Lithuania’s Potato Dumplings (and a cold one)

Finishing the T

With two fun nights in the Lithuanian capital ticked-off, we packed our bags, jumped in the van and commenced the final leg of the ‘T’. To complete the letter, I planned to drive deep into the Dieveniškės Historical Regional Park – right up to the Belarus-Lithuania border. 

The remaining distance to the Belarusian Border

77 km later, we found ourselves pulling over near the town of Krakūnai. With the Belarus border in sight, I stopped the GPS Tracker. 

After reviewing the log, I was relieved to see that we had achieved our objective… The T was complete! With 5 letters down and 5 to go, we were exactly halfway through our epic European Adventure… 

Border control in the distance 

5m from Belarus border fence and many km from a car wash!

5 down, 5 to go