Where to stay in Vilnius

The Old Town of Vilnius is one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in Northern Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 3.59 square kilometres of streets and quarters. Vilnius Cathedral stands just off Cathedral Square, and Pilies Street runs from the square to Town Hall Square. Užupis, across the Vilnia and largely inside the Old Town, takes its name from the river: "beyond the river". On 1 April 1997 it declared itself an independent republic, with its own constitution.

West of the cathedral, Gediminas Avenue is the main street of the city, lined with the government, parliament and ministries, the National Drama Theatre and the national library; the Naujamiestis eldership lies beside it. Žvėrynas, west of the Seimas, sits inside a bend of the Neris that encloses it on three sides, and kept many decorated wooden houses from its time as a resort. Across the Neris to the north, Šnipiškės holds the central business district, where skyscrapers rise among older wooden houses.

JUDU, the city's parking company, charges street parking in the central part of Vilnius and in the Old Town. The blue zone costs EUR 3.50 for the first hour and EUR 4 an hour from the second, every day around the clock. The red zone costs EUR 2.50 an hour, Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 22:00. The yellow zone costs EUR 1 an hour on weekdays from 08:00 to 20:00, the green zone EUR 0.50 an hour on weekdays from 08:00 to 18:00, and the white zone, in residents' yards that vote for it, EUR 0.20.

A fee paid for a dearer zone covers the cheaper ones: a blue zone ticket is valid in red, yellow and green. In summer, from 1 May to 30 September, a few yellow zone streets by the lakes and beaches, Karačiūnų, Žaliųjų Ežerų, Balžio and Vaidilutės, are also charged at weekends from 08:00 to 20:00.

JUDU shows the zone of each street only on its online map, and no city rule on driving into the Old Town could be read for this guide. Before booking, look up the address on the map and ask the host where guests park. GetCar's car rental page for Vilnius compares cars for the trip.

Vilnius levies a local fee for the use of its tourism and leisure infrastructure, known as the pillow fee, under council decision No. 1-1266 of 7 December 2017. Since an amendment of October 2023 it is EUR 2 per person for each night. People under 18 and older pupils with a valid pupil card pay nothing, and patients whose rehabilitation the Compulsory Health Insurance Fund pays and disabled people with a work capacity of 0 to 40 per cent are exempt.

The accommodation provider collects the fee, declares it to the city each month, and must tell guests about it when giving the price. Providers include hotels and other businesses under the Tourism Law and private hosts who let premises under a business certificate from the tax inspectorate. Rentals of a month or more pay no fee.

The blue zone charges every day, Sundays included, while the yellow and green zones are free at weekends outside the summer lake streets. A weekend arrival with a car parks without charge until Monday where the address falls in a yellow or green zone.

Non-EU travellers arriving from outside the Schengen area pass the EU Entry/Exit System, fully operational since 10 April 2026, at their first Schengen border. Compare prices on this page before booking.

A first visit on foot: the Old Town.

A short walk from the Old Town across the Vilnia: Užupis.

Business on Gediminas Avenue or a longer stay near the centre: Naujamiestis.

Wooden houses by the Neris, about 2 km from the cathedral: Žvėrynas.

A hotel in the business district across the river: Šnipiškės.