Vilnius to Trakai Island Castle and Kaunas: Private day trip

Trakai Island Castle rises from the shimmering waters of Lake Galvė as Lithuania's most iconic medieval image — a red-brick Gothic fortress on its own island, connected to the shore by wooden bridges and perfectly reflected in the surrounding lake.

What to see

• The castle interior — restored to its 14th-century appearance, housing the Trakai History Museum with exhibits on the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, medieval armor, and amber collections
• The lake itself — canoe and kayak rentals allow exploration of the surrounding islands from the water
• The Karaite quarter in Trakai town — the community of Karaite people brought from Crimea by Grand Duke Vytautas in the 14th century; their wooden houses and kenessa prayer house are unique in Lithuania

What to eat

• Kibinai — crescent-shaped pastries filled with lamb and onion, the traditional Karaite dish sold in the wooden restaurants along the lakeshore

Kaunas is Lithuania's second city and, many Lithuanians would argue, its most authentically Lithuanian — a city of art deco architecture, a medieval old town at the confluence of two rivers, and a cultural energy that never quite surrendered to Soviet uniformity.

What to see

• Kaunas Castle — a 14th-century Gothic fortress at the confluence of the Nemunas and Neris rivers, the oldest surviving brick structure in Lithuania
• Laisvės alėja (Freedom Avenue) — a 1.6km pedestrianised boulevard lined with art deco buildings from the interwar period when Kaunas served as the temporary capital of independent Lithuania
• The Ninth Fort — a memorial to the approximately 30,000 Jews murdered here during the Nazi occupation; one of the most significant Holocaust memorial sites in the Baltic states

What to eat

• Cepelinai (zeppelin-shaped potato dumplings stuffed with meat and served with sour cream) at one of the old town restaurants