Vilnius
54°41′ N 25°17′ ECityPop. 619,405Lithuania
Vilnius suits travellers who come for the Christmas tree as much as the stalls, because the city redesigns the Cathedral Square tree every year. The Christmas town beside it closed on 28 December in the 2025 season, so plan Vilnius for the weeks before Christmas.
Who should base here
The Christmas Cities Network named Vilnius European Christmas Capital 2025, and the season opens with the tree lighting on Cathedral Square on the last Saturday of November. In 2025 the Kalėdų miestelis (Christmas town) ran beside the tree from 29 November to 28 December. The Vilniaus ledas rink on Town Hall Square stayed open until 1 February 2026, and a walk through the Old Town links the two squares.
Stay in Senamiestis (the Old Town) and both Christmas squares sit within an easy walk. A Christmas train ran through the Old Town streets from 29 November 2025 to 6 January 2026, and a free festive bus toured a Christmas route all December, which helps anyone who finds the cobbles hard going. Go Vilnius had not published the 2026 programme when we checked in October.
Worth knowing
- Go Vilnius, the city's tourism agency, publishes the season's programme on govilnius.lt.
- The €2 cup deposit that started in 2025 at the Christmas town and the rink comes back when you return the cup.
Quick answers about Vilnius
Is Vilnius a good place to stay?
The Christmas Cities Network named Vilnius European Christmas Capital 2025, and the season opens with the tree lighting on Cathedral Square on the last Saturday of November. In 2025 the Kalėdų miestelis (Christmas town) ran beside the tree from 29 November to 28 December. The Vilniaus ledas rink on Town Hall Square stayed open until 1 February 2026, and a walk through the Old Town links the two squares.