Vilnius with kids and dogs: the Gate of Dawn, Užupis and the Old Town in one day

You can see the best of Vilnius with kids and dogs in a single afternoon: the Gate of Dawn, Užupis, St Anne's Church, Cathedral Square and the Church of St Peter and St Paul all lie on a route you can walk. We did it on Sunday 2 August 2026, the second day of our campervan trip through Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. That morning we left Suwałki in Poland, drove 238 km and set up at Vilnius City Camping. From there we took the bus, together with our two golden retrievers.

Our whole trip, day by day, is in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia by campervan with kids.

By bus from the campsite

Vilnius City Camping is next to the Litexpo exhibition centre, about 6 km from the Old Town. We left the van at the campsite and took a bus into town, which got us to the railway station area in 18 minutes. From there we did everything on foot.

The dogs came on the bus with us. In Vilnius, dogs ride buses and trolleybuses for free, but a large dog should wear a muzzle and be on a lead no longer than half a metre. You also need to carry its vaccination record.

The Gate of Dawn

The Gate of Dawn is a short walk from the station, so that's where we started. It is the only one of the nine gates in the old city walls still standing. When the walls were pulled down around 1800, the gate was spared because the chapel above the archway holds a revered icon of the Virgin Mary. We took a family photo with the dogs in front of it.

The Republic of Užupis

From the Gate of Dawn we walked to Užupis. On 1 April 1997 this arty district declared itself an independent republic, complete with its own constitution. The text hangs on a wall on Paupio Street, on plaques in dozens of languages. One of them is in Polish, and our daughter and one of the dogs were reflected in it. One of the articles says that a dog has the right to be a dog.

Cepelinai for lunch

For lunch we had cepelinai, Lithuanian potato dumplings stuffed with meat. Meanwhile, the dogs lay under the table.

After lunch one of our daughters climbed onto a bronze pig sculpture we came across in one of the side streets.

St Anne's Church, Mickiewicz and Cathedral Square

Next we reached the red-brick Gothic Church of St Anne. The monument to the poet Adam Mickiewicz stands right next to it, so we stopped there for a photo.

About twenty minutes later we were at the Gediminas monument and on Cathedral Square. The white bell tower stands on its own in front of the cathedral with its row of columns.

The Church of St Peter and St Paul in Antakalnis

Our last stop was the Church of St Peter and St Paul in Antakalnis. Inside, the walls and ceilings are covered with around two thousand white stucco figures. Construction began in 1668, and the decoration took many more years to finish.

Back to the campsite

We caught the bus back just before half past six, and on the way to the campsite we sat down on a low wall for a short rest. We were back at about 19:15, had dinner and went to bed. In the evening the midges came out, as there's a river nearby, but inside Beza we were safe from them.

The next day we headed north to Dubingiai and Obuolių sala campsite.

Practical info

Checked in November 2026.

• Vilnius City Camping is at Laisvės pr. 5, on the grounds of the Litexpo exhibition centre. It is open from 1 June to 15 September.
• You can buy a public transport ticket by tapping a contactless card or phone on the reader on board. This gets you a 60-minute ticket for €1.25. One card can only buy one ticket, so every adult needs their own card or phone.
• A 30-minute ticket for €1.00 is available in the JUDU app. Drivers don't sell tickets.
• Dogs travel free. A large dog must wear a muzzle and be on a lead no longer than 0.5 m, and you must carry its vaccination record.
• Entry to the Gate of Dawn chapel is free.
• Our Old Town route, from the Gate of Dawn through Užupis, St Anne's and Cathedral Square to St Peter and St Paul, took about four hours including lunch.