Most first Europe trips from Gujarat follow the same well-worn line: Paris, Switzerland, maybe Rome. Lithuania sits quietly to the side of that route, and that is exactly its charm. Vilnius has one of the largest surviving baroque old towns in Europe — a UNESCO-listed tangle of ochre facades, courtyards and church domes that you can cross on foot in twenty minutes. Half an hour away, a red-brick castle stands on its own island in a lake at Trakai. And the whole thing runs at prices that will genuinely surprise anyone who has just costed out a week in Western Europe. If you are planning your first or fifth Schengen trip, this is a guide to doing Vilnius properly.
Why Vilnius is one of Europe's most affordable capitals
Lithuania uses the euro and sits inside the Schengen area, so the paperwork and the currency are the same as France or Germany — but the daily spend is not. Coffee, a sit-down meal, museum entry, a taxi across town: all of it tends to land noticeably below Western European levels, and often below what the same evening costs in central Prague or Vienna. For a family from Surat, that difference compounds fast across a week. It also means you can stay inside the Old Town rather than commuting in from a suburb, which changes the whole texture of the trip. Your visa route runs through the Lithuania Schengen visa from India process, and if you are unsure which embassy or consulate should handle your file, our note on choosing the right Schengen embassy to apply from in Gujarat walks through the main-destination rule.
Getting there from India, and the best time to go
There is no direct flight from India to Vilnius, so you will connect once — usually through a Gulf hub such as Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi onto a European carrier, or through a European hub like Istanbul, Warsaw, Frankfurt, Helsinki or Riga. From Surat that typically means a domestic hop to Mumbai, Ahmedabad or Delhi first, then one or two changes, with total journey times in the region of 14 to 20 hours depending on the connection. Our flight booking desk in Surat can compare those routings for you, including the Riga-and-onward options that sometimes price better than the obvious ones. On timing: June to August is the season most people want — long northern daylight that stretches past 9pm, lake swimming at Trakai, outdoor cafes in Cathedral Square, and comfortable 20-25C afternoons. September keeps most of that with fewer crowds. December brings a genuinely lovely Christmas market on the cathedral square, but be honest with yourself about the trade-off: daylight shrinks to roughly seven hours, temperatures sit around or below freezing, and you will need proper layered winter clothing, not a Surat-weight jacket. Families with young children or elderly parents are usually happier in summer.
Walking the baroque Old Town, Gediminas Tower and Uzupis
Vilnius Old Town rewards wandering more than list-ticking. Start at Cathedral Square, where the white neoclassical cathedral and its free-standing bell tower open onto a wide plaza, then climb (or take the funicular) up to Gediminas Tower — the last red-brick stump of the upper castle, with the best free view over the terracotta roofs and the Neris river. From there, drift south through Pilies Street into the lanes: the Gates of Dawn with its revered icon, the pink-and-white St Anne's Church, university courtyards, and small squares where you will find yourself stopping simply because the light is good. Across a footbridge over the little Vilnele river lies Uzupis, an artists' quarter that cheerfully declared itself an independent republic in 1997, complete with a tongue-in-cheek constitution mounted on wall plaques in dozens of languages, including one in Hindi. It is a joke with real affection behind it — galleries, murals, cafes and a mermaid statue in the riverbank wall. Allow an unhurried half-day for the Old Town and an hour or two for Uzupis.
Two day trips: Trakai's island castle and the Hill of Crosses
Trakai is the easy one, and the one nobody regrets. The 14th-15th century Gothic castle of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania stands on an island in Lake Galve, reached by a wooden footbridge, roughly 28 km west of Vilnius. Trains from Vilnius station take about 35 minutes and run several times a day, after which it is a pleasant 20-30 minute walk or a short local bus to the lakeside; by car or private transfer it is around 40 minutes door to door. Give yourself half a day at minimum. Inside there is a courtyard, a ducal hall and a small museum; outside, in summer, you can hire a rowing boat, paddle boat or take a short cruise on Galve, which is where the postcard views actually come from. Trakai is also the home of Lithuania's Karaim community — try their kibinai, a baked pastry sold all along the main street, including vegetable-filled versions. If you have a full day, you can pair Trakai with an afternoon back in Vilnius easily.
The Hill of Crosses near Siauliai is a different kind of visit and deserves to be approached differently. It is a low mound covered with well over a hundred thousand crosses — from tall carved wooden ones down to tiny rosaries hung on other crosses — left by pilgrims over roughly two centuries. Under Soviet rule the site was bulldozed more than once, and people rebuilt it, at real personal risk. It is a living place of Catholic pilgrimage, prayer and remembrance rather than a photo backdrop, and it is treated that way by the Lithuanians who go there. Dress modestly, keep your voice down, do not climb on or move the crosses, and be thoughtful about photographing people who are clearly praying. Many visitors bring a small cross to leave. Practically, Siauliai is about 200 km northwest of Vilnius — roughly 2.5 to 3 hours each way by road, or a train to Siauliai plus a taxi to the site. It is a long day and best done with a car or an organised transfer, and it is worth it if the history matters to you.
Food, where to stay, and what it costs in rupees
Lithuanian food is hearty and rooted in potatoes, rye bread, beetroot, mushrooms and dairy — which means vegetarians do better here than the reputation suggests. Cold beetroot soup (saltibarsciai), that startling shocking-pink bowl served with hot boiled potatoes, is a summer staple and naturally meat-free. Potato pancakes, mushroom-filled dumplings, curd cheese pastries and vegetarian kibinai are widely available, and Vilnius has a solid spread of Indian restaurants around the Old Town and Naujamiestis for the evening when the family wants dal and rice. Jain travellers should still brief the restaurant carefully; onion and garlic are default here. On where to stay, the Old Town itself is compact, safe and walkable and is worth the small premium; Uzupis and the area near the railway station are cheaper alternatives within walking distance, and our hotel booking team in Surat can hold rooms that suit a family rather than a couple. On money, treat these as approximate planning ranges and verify current rates before you book: return flights from India in the region of ₹55,000-₹95,000 depending on season and how far ahead you book; comfortable three- to four-star Old Town hotels roughly ₹5,000-₹11,000 a night; meals from around ₹400-₹700 at a casual place to ₹1,200-₹2,500 for a proper restaurant dinner; a Trakai day trip by train and local transport often under ₹1,500 per person, and a private Hill of Crosses day considerably more. Schengen rules also require medical cover of at least €30,000, so read our travel insurance guide for Indian travellers before you finalise a policy.
Three to four days in Vilnius, and a wider Baltic circuit
A workable shape: Day 1 — arrive, settle in, walk Cathedral Square, climb Gediminas Tower for sunset, dinner in the Old Town. Day 2 — the Old Town properly on foot, the Gates of Dawn, St Anne's and the university, then Uzupis in the late afternoon. Day 3 — Trakai, with a boat on Lake Galve and kibinai for lunch, back to Vilnius by evening. Day 4 (if you have it) — either the Hill of Crosses as a full day, or a slower morning at the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights before flying out. Because your visa is Schengen, Lithuania also slots neatly into a Baltic circuit: comfortable long-distance buses run Vilnius to Riga in about 4 hours and Riga to Tallinn in another 4.5, so three capitals in eight to ten days is very doable, and Tallinn can be paired with a ferry to Helsinki. That same visa opens more doors than people expect — see the countries Indians can visit on a Schengen visa before you plan the add-ons. Two admin points worth knowing: the EU has rolled out Europe's EES biometric border system, which changes what happens at your first entry point, and if a previous application has gone against you, our breakdown of Schengen refusal reasons and how to reapply is the place to start rather than simply refiling the same file.
Frequently asked questions
Do Indian passport holders need a visa for Lithuania? Yes — Lithuania is in the Schengen area, so you need a Schengen short-stay visa, which allows up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole zone. If Lithuania is your main destination or your first point of entry, the Lithuanian mission normally handles the application. Documentation is the usual Schengen set: confirmed flights and hotels, bank statements, ITR, employment or business proof, and insurance. If you are still working out which category applies to your trip, our explainer on visa types for Indian travellers is a useful starting point, and the visa consultants in our Surat office can review your file before submission.
How many days do I need for Vilnius? Three full days covers Vilnius plus Trakai comfortably. Four lets you add the Hill of Crosses or a slower pace. Fewer than two and you are only skimming the Old Town. If you are flying all the way from India, most travellers pair Lithuania with Latvia and Estonia, or with a Poland or Finland leg, to make the long-haul worth it.
Is Vilnius safe and easy for first-time travellers, including families? Broadly, yes. It is a small, calm capital with low crime, walkable distances and English widely spoken by younger people and in hospitality. Normal city sense applies around the station area at night. Winter is the real difficulty rather than safety — ice underfoot and short daylight make it harder with small children or older parents, which is another reason we usually steer first-timers towards May to September.
Vilnius is the kind of city people come back from surprised — quieter than they expected, prettier than the photos, and far kinder to the budget. If you would like us to put a Lithuania trip together with flights, Old Town stays, a Trakai day and the Schengen file handled properly, talk to the Explera Vacations team or browse our Europe tour packages from Surat. We will build it around your dates, your food preferences and your budget — and tell you honestly what it will cost.
