‘Runseeing’ Old Town Vilnius

The “Old Town” of Vilnius is one of the largest surviving medieval villages in northern Europe, and thankfully for runners, modern infrastructure has resulted in a sidewalk on nearly every street. This combination makes Vilnius a fantastic place to “runsee,” or take in the local landmarks on your jog. We’ve mapped out a roughly 5 km journey that hits some of the best architecture, history, and views the city has to offer. Start out from the Gates of Dawn on Aušros vartai and head north past the National Philharmonic Society building and St. Casimir Church. Continue on Didžioji g. to Konstantino Sirvydo skveras and turn LEFT through the park to Universiteto g. Take a loop through the grounds of Vilnius University if you wish, then continue north to Vilnius Cathedral and Cathedral Square. Cut diagonally past the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania to the Old Arsenal. At 103, turn RIGHT, then immediately turn RIGHT again onto Trispalves al. Turn RIGHT onto the first path for a quick uphill climb to the great views from Gediminas Castle. Continue south through the park to Maironio g. and pass by the St. Anne and St. Bernard churches, cut through the park surrounding the Monument to Adam Mickiewicz, then cross over the bridge into Užupis. Follow the narrow Jono Meko skersvejis walkway to emerge on Užupio g., then turn RIGHT to reach the Bridge of Užupis and the Orthodox Cathedral. There are many routes back to the Gates of Dawn, but our favorite is to cut through the Kūdrų Park (great vistas!) and use Šv. Dvasios g. and M. Daukšos g. to return. 

Add-On/Longer Run: Interior streets of the old town