PERFECT STRANGER
RICHARD BROWN visits a city that’s home to a riveting mix of old and new... and a certain TV hit
JUST in case you’ve been living in the Upside Down, the TV series Stranger Things has become a global phenomenon, with its final season due for release next year, and already has a spin-off theatre show wowing crowds.
So when I was offered the chance to visit a city linked with the Netflix megahit, how could I refuse?
But no, it’s not Hawkins, Indiana on my itinerary, it’s Vilnius – the picturesque but under-appreciated capital of Lithuania.
A hidden gem of a place keen to make its name on the European city-break scene alongside Budapest, Prague and Vienna – and dispel some stereotypes along the way – Vilnius has plenty going for it… including Hollywood credentials.
Part of the city stood in as one of the most iconic filming locations of season four of Stranger Things, so in its honour, we give you ‘Eleven’ things to look forward to in Vilnius...
JAILHOUSE ROCK
Serving as a location for the Russian jail Jim Hopper finds himself in at the start of the latest series of Stranger Things, Vilnius’s Lukiskes Prison only stopped housing criminals in 2019 but has been revitalised since its closure.
Now a cultural centre, Lukiskes 2.0, as it’s known, offers a bar, restaurant, sauna, concert venue, music festival location and a base for 250 artists and musicians who use the site as studio space.
We visited a drummer who has made one of the studios home. They’re impressive spaces and it’s easy to forget you’re in a jail – at least until you spot the bars on the windows.
For the Netflix fans, there are some dark, foreboding corridors and a blood-stained washing machine where the Demogorgon mauls some innocent man.
AN OLD TOWN WITH NEW IDEAS
Any European city worth its salt needs a centre full of history, culture and intrigue – and Vilnius has it all, in spades. A UNESCO world heritage site, its Old Town is stunning, with cafés, churches and hidden courtyards, around every corner.
Everything is within walking distance and on a three-hour stroll around the Old Town, you see everything that makes Lithuania what it is, a mixture of old and new.
Catholic churches stand next to Russian Orthodox, elaborate Baroque palaces co-exist with Gothic buildings and the city’s medieval history blends with edgy artistic neighbourhood, Užupis.
The area is an enclave for artists and outsiders and in a jokey act of defiance, was declared an independent republic with its own constitution, in which “A dog has the right to be a dog.”
HISTORIC HOTEL
Nestled within the Old Town was our home for the week, Hotel PACAI. Dating back to 1677, the building was once a palace for one of the most powerful families in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and even as a chic five-star hotel, that history is ever-present. The service is exceptional, as good, I assume, as it would’ve been for a Royal Family in the 17th century.
And that sense of luxury extends to the breakfast, with a la carte and buffet options, a range of desserts and even bottles of prosecco in case you fancy a morning mimosa.
TRADITIONAL TREATS
If you associate Lithuania with stews, dumplings and potatoes, you’re not that far off. But it is another traditional dish that captures the hearts of most visitors. Pink soup – or saltibarsciai – is a cold dish made from beetroot and kefir. And once your brain adjusts to the overload of colour in front of you, it’s pretty delicious.
It’s now such a cultural sensation that Vilnius hosts Pink Soup Fest, a week of activities including the chance to slide down a hill into a giant bowl of soup…
MODERN MICHELIN-QUALITY MEALS
There’s a thriving gastronomy scene, with Lithuania set to get its first Michelin star this month. Augustin, in the Old Town, offers sharing plates of mostly vegetarian food to an incredible standard, while the theatre on show in the tasting menu at Amandus rivals anything I’ve experienced.
But for me, it was Nineteen18’s 10-course tasting menu that took the crown, with head chef Andrius Kubilius offering elevated versions of Lithuanian meals.
NIGHTLIFE FEVER
The city has a multitude of bars, microbreweries and cocktail venues, centred around Vilnius Street. We stumble into Alchemikas, a dimly lit gem of a bar with a choice of more than 100 cocktails.
Things get more experimental at Nick and Nora who serve favourites with a twist – a beetroot Manhattan, a Bloody Mary with Lithuanian horseradish schnapps, and my drink of choice, smoked bacon schnapps, honey and ginger.
LIFE ON THE LAKES
While Vilnius offers plenty for nature lovers, with two rivers and a
heap of hills, there is nowhere more picturesque than Trakai, a town surrounded by lakes a 30-minute drive out of the city. The sight of Trakai Castle, sat on its own island, is impressive no matter what the unpredictable Lithuanian weather.
Trakai is also home to a small ethnic group, the Karaim people, who were kind enough to show us how to make their famous delicacy, kibinai.
A bit like Cornish pasties, they look easy to make but are difficult to perfect, as our group’s misshapen monstrosities proved. But they still tasted spectacular.
LIVING THE HIGH LIFE
Taller than the Eiffel Tower? Tick. Revolving restaurant with incredible views, even in the rain? Tick and tick. The opportunity to sit on the edge of a platform 556ft up with only a harness saving you from imminent death? Let me stop you there.
While the weather saved me from having to confront how much of a
coward I truly am, the Edge Walk on Vilnius TV Tower has just the thing for adrenalin junkies. But there’s also something for those who like the finer things in life, with the addition of two apartments on the 67th floor of the tower. Decked out in silver and gold respectively and with panoramic windows over the city, they’re ideal for a romantic getaway.
ART OF GOLD
Nowhere is Vilnius’s unique relationship between old and new more evident than in its museum of modern art, the MO. It currently features an exhibition about sexuality and how attitudes have shifted from the repressive Soviet Union to the liberal society of Lithuania today.
A VERY GRAND PALACE
The Palace of the Grand Dukes is still being worked on and is ideal for history buffs. Tours start on the ground floor, surrounded by the ruins of the original palace, which was destroyed in the 17th century.
But what waits above you is even more remarkable – a full recreation of how the palace would have looked, capturing its grandeur as you walk through ballrooms and take in more than 50 Renaissance paintings donated by a local businessman.
LUXURY AT 38,000FT
On Finnair’s new and improved Business Class, on offer on Airbus A350 flights on the Heathrow to Helsinki leg, you get a spacious sofa seat which transforms into a bed. Your space feels private, allowing you to watch a film, eat the superb meal or simply watch the world go by.