Recommended sightseeing / main attractions:

St. Stanislaus and St. Vladislav Cathedral Vilnius

Amber Museum - Gallery
Šv. Mykolo St. 8
find out more here

St. Stanislaus and St. Vladislav Cathedral
Katedros Sq. 1
find out more here

Church of St. Peter and St. Paul
Antakalnio St. 1

Ensemble of the Church of St. Anne and the Church of St. Francis and St. Bernardino
Maironio St. 8 - 1, 10
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Gates of Dawn
Aušros Vartų St. 12
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Gediminas’ Tower of the Upper Castl

Gediminas' Tower of the Upper Castle
Arsenalo St. 5
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Museum of Genocide Victims
Aukų St. 2A
find out more here

National Museum of Lithuania
Arsenalo St. 1, 3
find out more here

Presidential Palace
S. Daukanto Sq. 3
find out more here

Republic of Užupis
Užupio district, Užupio St.
In 1997, the residents of the area declared a Republic of Užupis, with its own flag, currency, president, constitution, and an army (numbering approximately 17 men). They celebrate this independence annually on Užupis Day, which falls on April 1st. More here

St Catherine's Church
Vilniaus St. 30
Find out more here

Stiklių, Žydų, Gaono Streets
Jewish Quarter streets: Stiklių (Glassblowers'), Žydų (Jews'), Gaono (Gaon's)

Television Tower
Sausio 13-osios St. 10

Town Hall
Didžioji St. 31
find out more here

Vilnius Picture Gallery
Didžioji St. 4
find out more here

Recommended places to eat:
The majority of restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars are concentrated in and around the Old Town. Vilnius has a staggering array of outstanding places to dine, offering the best in French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Irish, Indian, Russian, German and kosher food.
Pizzerias now outnumber Lithuanian restaurants, so do not be surprised to find a wide range of pizzas available at most restaurants.

Over the centuries Lithuanians have created a unique palette of dishes, influenced by the culture of various nationalities. A distinctive trait of Lithuanian cuisine is the preponderance of potato dishes. Soup is very popular in Lithuania. One of the most interesting Lithuanian soups is šaltibarščiai (cold beetroot soup), which is made from beets/beetroot, kefir (a fermented milk product), greens and boiled eggs. This dish is most popular when served on a hot summer day.

List of Restaurants and Cafes with Lithuanian Cuisine:

Basketball history of the area:
Basketball craze hit the country in 1937 when the Lithuanian men's national team won the European basketball championship. Lithuania repeated their success by capturing the title again in 1939. The Lithuanian women's team won the silver medal in 1938.

Arvidas Sabonis is said to be one of the best players of all times and a national hero in Lithuania

During the Soviet period basketball became one of the cornerstones of national identity. The Lithuanian basketball team Žalgiris won the Soviet Union's championship five times and every final, usually played against CSKA (Central Sports Club of Armed Forces), turned into a game that pitted Lithuania against the Soviet Union.

The pre-war traditions were kept alive with Lithuania's three successive bronze medals at the Olympics in 1992, 1996 and 2000, and the gold medal at the 2003 European championship (aftera long break of 64 years). However, the 2004 Olympics in Athens were a disappointing setback - the Lithuanian national team finished fourth, one step away from the podium. The Lithuanian team redeemed the loss three years later: it won a bronze medal in the 2007 European championship.

Lithuanias strongest basketball clubs are Zalgiris Kaunas and Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius. The team now known as Lietuvos Rytas began play as Statyba in 1964. Jonas Kazlauskas, Rimas Girskis, and then head coach Rimantas Endrijaitis led Statyba to win third place in the 1979 Soviet Union Championship. In 1997, the team was renamed to Lietuvos Rytas Statyba, then just Lietuvos Rytas as the club was bought by the Lithuanian newspaper Lietuvos Rytas.

The first success came in 2000, when the Vilnius side was led by the so called "big three" - Ramunas Siskauskas, Andrius Giedraitis and Eric Elliott. It was the first time in the history of the Lithuanian Basketball League that Zalgiris did not win the LKL title. Also, Rytas managed to reach the Saporta Cup semifinal.

One of the most significant years in the club's history was the season of 2008-2009. After winning the President's Cup, the Lithuanian Cup and the Eurocup the Vilnius team took the Baltic Basketball League (BBL) champions crown as well as they swept their deadly rivals Zalgiris Kaunas in the finals of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). It was the fourth time that Lietuvos Rytas was crowned Lithuanian champions.
Lietuvos Rytas has produced some of the most recognizable athletes of European basketball who have left to play in some of the best teams in Europe. It was such a basketball stars as Sarunas Jasikevicius, Arvydas Macijauskas, Ramunas Siskauskas and Robertas Javtokas.

Basketball is the most popular sport in Lithuania, with more than 70 000 people playing basketball, including more than 10 000 school children.

Lithuania hosted the U16 European Championship Men in 2009 and in 2011 it is going to open the doors to the EuroBasket 2011.

Siemens Arena

Siemens Arena

Lietuvos Rytas Aren

capacity: 11,000 seats
Ozo St. 14, LT-08200 Vilnius
Phone: +370 5 247 7576
Fax: +370 5 247 7578
E-mail: info@siemens-arena.com

Lietuvos Rytas Arena
capacity: 1,700 seats
Ozo St. 14a, LT-08200 Vilnius
Phone: +370 5 247 7551
Fax: +370 5 247 7526
E-mail: club@lrytas.lt

Ticket prices and where to buy:
Official ticketing company: TIKETA Ltd www.tiketa.lt
Official sales start: 13 May 2010.
I round Day ticket: from 10 LTL (3 Eur) - 27 LTL (8 Eur)
II round Day ticket: from 10 LTL(3 Eur) - 27 LTL (8 Eur)
III round Day ticket: from 10 LTL (3 Eur) - 45 LTL (13 Eur)
All games offer: from 105 LTL (31 Eur) - 131 LTL (38 Eur)

By plane:
Vilnius international airport, which operates more than 1,3 million passengers every year is located on a plateau in the south of Vilnius. It is only 7 km or 15 minutes drive by car from the centre of the capital. 14 airlines operateflights to destination throughout Europe.

Vilnius International Airport
Rodunios road 10, LT - 02189, Vilnius, Lithuania.
Tel.: +370 5 273 9305
Fax: +370 5 232 9122
E-mail: airport@vno.lt

Public transport:
Vilnius trolley buses and buses start running at 5 in the morning and stop at midnight. For bus timetables visit ww.vilniustransport.lt.

Tickets for trolley buses or buses cost 2 Litas if bought at newspaper kiosks and tickets cost 2.50 Litas if bought on the trolley/bus.

If you come to Vilnius for a short visit, you can buy a one-, three- or ten-day tickets (prices 13 Lt, 23 Lt and 46 Lt respectively). These tickets are available at the following "Lietuvos spauda" kiosks: Geležinkelio g.16 (near the Railway Station),
Sodų g. 22 (near the Bus Station),
Laisvės pr. 60 (near the Press Palace),
Gedimino pr. 2 (near the Cathedral)

A trip on a minibus costs 3-4 Litas, and you pay to the driver. The minibus stops at request, at any place in the street. To save time, drivers stop at your request only, so, remember to tell the driver in advance where you want to get off.  

Taxi

It is cheaper and safer to call a taxi by telephone.
A receptionist at every hotel will do that for you.
The taxi fare is from 1.50 to 3 Litas (from 0.50 to 1 Euro) per kilometre in the city.
Do not get surprised if you are charged a taxi fare (1 Euro) for getting on a taxi.
The short telephone numbers to call a taxi (no code required):