Vilniaus gatvė is Šiauliai's main pedestrian thoroughfare, one of the first such streets created in the Soviet Union when it was closed to traffic in 1975. It runs roughly east to west through the centre, lined with cafes, bookshops, the bicycle and photography museums, and a series of small public sculptures.
It is not a stunning street architecturally — much of the city was destroyed during the wars and rebuilt in modest Soviet brick — but it is pleasant to walk, especially on a summer evening. Most of the city's eating-out options are along it or one block off.