Trakai (30 km west) is the most popular day trip from Vilnius. The medieval island castle — one of the most photogenic in the Baltics — sits on a lake surrounded by smaller islands and connected to the shore by wooden bridges. The castle museum covers the history of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy. Frequent buses from the Vilnius bus station make the journey in about 45 minutes. The town is also home to the Karaite minority, whose kibinai pastries are the snack to buy.
Europos Parkas (12 km north) is a 55-hectare open-air sculpture park at the geographic centre of Europe, founded by sculptor Gintaras Karosas in 1991. Over 100 works by international artists, including Sol LeWitt and Magdalena Abakanowicz, are set in woodland and meadow. Best reached by taxi; limited bus service also runs from the city.
Paneriai (Ponary) memorial (10 km southwest) is the massacre site where Germans and Lithuanian collaborators murdered 70,000–100,000 people during World War II, mostly Jews from Vilnius. Local trains from Vilnius station run to Paneriai station in about 15 minutes; the memorial is a ten-minute walk. Allow at least an hour.
Kaunas (90 km west) is Lithuania's second city and cultural capital, with an attractive interwar old town and a strong art scene centred on the National Čiurlionis Art Museum. Direct trains run hourly and take about 70 minutes; the journey is easy as a day trip or short overnight.
