Vilnius for a city break

Lying between Latvia, Poland and Belarus, Lithuania the Southern member of the Baltic Region only few years ago become a "hot" tourist spot.
Its capital city Vilnius, only for the first half of 2014 increased the number of guests by 14,4% compared to the same period in 2013.

The low cost flights from all over Europe as well as the economic accomodation bring Vilnius at the top of tourist preferences. Even for a city break Vilnius won't disappointed you. The small pedestrian roads, the squares with the large buildings, the existence of different kinds of art will travel you in a culture that you won't meet in other European travels.
We begin our tour from Gedeminas Avenue, which  connects the historical city centre, Cathedral Square with the Seimas Palace. The Cathedral of St. Stanislav and St. Vladislav is the most important place of worship for the country‘s Catholics. During your visit the Cathedral don't forget to take a look of beautiful Chappel of St. Casimir. Are you a church admirer. Then another church is waiting for you. The church of St. Anne is a masterpiece of the late Gothic period. St. Anne’s Church, which has survived to the present day without changing for over 500 years, has become a symbol of Vilnius.
If you think that you are enough of church why not changing "republic"? Uzupis Republic is a “republic” of artists. It has its own anthem, constitution, president, bishop, two churches, one of the oldest graveyards in Vilnius, seven bridges, and a guardian – the bronze angel of Užupis. You can visit several galleries and admire some exceptionnal masterpieces or you could just relax and have a coffee admiring a different way of life, that only artists could offer.
Leaving Vilnius you should deffinitely get some amber jewlleries. But why not seeing what is all about. The exhibition hall of Amber Museum-Gallery is located in the basement of the 15th century building. Visit the exhibition of modern art, where imaginative artists will drastically change your stereotyped attitude towards amber.
Whichever way you chose to approach Daukanto Square, a narrow street will suddenly broaden and blend into the square predominated by a Classical building from the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century: a former nobleman’s house and the present-day Office of the President. Next to the Presidential Palace you will see Vilnius University – one of the oldest university in the area, with 13 courtyards, library, St. John‘s church and the campanile.
Town Hall Square is very important place for the citizens from the 15th century. It is a traditional centre of trade and events in Vilnius (open air fairs, concerts, celebrations). Around the Town Hall you can see restaurants, galleries, shops.
If it's lunch or coffee time or even time for shopping you can choose between Stiklių street or Pilies
and Didžioji streets.  Pilies and Didžioji streets  connects the castle and the holy Gates of Dawn. Stiklių and the small streets around it were famous for a craft and trade centres. During World War II these streets were included in the medieval Jewish quarter, which was located west of Didžioji Street.
But a trip is not only walking and sightseeing. It's also about tasting the traditional cuisin and explore different kind of tastes. Over the centuries Lithuanians have created a unique palette of dishes, influenced by the culture of various nationalities. A distinctive trait of Lithuanian cuisine is the preponderance of potato dishes. The most impressive of these is cepelinai (‘Zeppelins’), large boiled potato dumplings (made from grated raw potato) with fillings of minced meat or cottage cheese.An important place in Lithuanian cuisine is occupied by small dumplings (called koldūnai or virtiniai) made from dough and with a filling of meat, mushrooms, berries or cottage cheese. An interesting variety of koldūnai is “tinginiai” (“lazy bones”) – half-moon shaped dumplings with a filling of freshly crushed blueberries.Soup is very popular in Lithuania. There is vegetable soup, meat soup, soup with chicken or other poultry or game, even beer soup. One of the most interesting Lithuanian soups is šaltibarščiai (cold beetroot soup), which is made from beets/beetroot, kefir (a fermented milk product), greens and boiled eggs. This dish is most popular when served on a hot summer day.
Traditional Lithuanian beverages are gira (non-alcoholic drink made from rye bread), kisielius (fruity cranberry drink), beer, various spirit drinks with fruit or herbal infusions and, of course, mead. In olden times Lithuanians made a large variety of gira drinks.