Visiting Trakai Castle from Vilnius Lithuania

Day trip to Trakai from Vilnius

As I had arranged to spend a few days in Vilnius (before heading to Riga) which is a there to the castle of trakai. little too much time for visiting this small city I decided to spend a day visiting Trakai Castle Vilnius.

Trakai is a beautiful historic city located 17 miles (28 kilometres) from Vilnius in Lithuania. The town dates back to 1337, though there were settlements in the area before that. There are 200 lakes in the region with 21 islands.  In Lake Galve there is a castle in the middle of the lake, it was built on one of the islands, Trakai Island Castle.  Construction started in the 14th century and was mostly completed by 1409.  During the wars in the 17th century, the castle was damaged and eventually fell into disrepair, it was then reconstructed and mostly finished in 1961.

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How to get to Trakai Castle from Vilnius

There are two options to do a trakai day trip, the first is to take an organised bus tour or you can get the bus from the local bus station to the town of Trakai and walk from there to the castle of trakai.

Vilnius to Trakai Bus Tours

If you are planning a trip to Vilnius and want to visit Trakai without the hassle of getting public transport and want a guide who can show you around and tell you the history of the castle then taking an organised tour to Trakai castle is the best option.

Your Trakai tour from Vilnius will pick you up at your hotel in Vilnius, then you will be taken by bus from Vilnius to Trakai Castle and then dropped off back at your hotel in Vilnius.

I use GetYourGuide when I am travelling as they have a lot of different options of tours and there is also free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour starts.

Trakai Island Castle from Vilnius by public transport

It is very easy to get to Trakai from Vilnius as there is a Vilnius Trakai bus.  It takes about 45 minutes from Vilnius bus station.  I went in the low season but there were still a few buses an hour.  During high season the bus to Trakai is a lot more frequent.

We arrived in Trakai bus station and followed the sign pointing to the tourist information.  It’s about a 1.5km – 2km walk and you can see the castle from the tourist information office.  There we got a map of the area showing the various footpaths and bike paths which is great if you have lots of time to enjoy Trakai.

Trakai Castle Opening Hours

Trakai Castle Opening Times – From May to September the Trakai Castle Lithuania is open daily from 10am to 7pm.

March, April & October Trakai Castle hours are from Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 6pm and November to February the Trakai island Castle opening hours are from Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 5pm.

Trakai Museum Island Prices

Trakai Island Castle Museum costs 8 Euro for entry.  On the last sunday of each month the Trakai Castle museum is free to all visitors.

Things to do in Trakai

Most people head to Trakai just to see Vilnius Trakai Castle, but if you don’t want to see Trakai Castle inside and pay the trakai castle price of 8 Euro, then you can just walk along the bridge up to the entrance of the castle and walk around the island that it sits on.

The views from the lake are stunning and it’s a great place to eat a picnic if you don’t want to dine in one of the restaurants along the shore front near Trakai town.

Visit Trakai Castle

The stone castle was constructed in the 14th century and finished in 1409.  It was built as a fortress and was never conquered by any invaiders.  At one point the curtain wall around it held 15 cannons.

In 1410 the castle became the home of the Grand Duke, at a time when Trakai was a busy city, visited by merchants, foreign messengers and many guests.

In the 16th century the castle lost its residential and military status and became a prison for noblemen, though it was burnt down around 1661.

In the 20th century resoration began of the castle and now it is how you see it today.

The Trakai museum holds many archaeological artifacts, manuscripts showcasing both Lithuania’s history and world history and the history of the castle and the town.

As the castle was burnt to the ground and restored the castle does not have any decorated rooms, but just the shell of the original rooms.

Boat tours on Lake Galve

By the entrance to the Castle on the Island, there are also options of boat tours around the lake which cost around 30 euro and last around 1 hour.  You get to see the castle up close from the lake as well as seeing some of the other islands on the lake.

Walk around Lake Galve

Walking along the shoreline was great, the views of the lake are amazing, we crossed a few bridges and got to the abandoned buildings we had seen from the castle, what a great view it was from there and the sun had started to come out.  There are many paths around the lake and it is also popular to cycle the 18km around the lake.  You can find a map with these paths at the tourist information centre.

Trakai Lake Swimming in Summer

On a hot summer’s day it is very popular to go to trakai swimming.  The lake isn’t too cold in summer so it’s great to go to one of the jettys, jump off and enjoy cooling down from the summer temperatures.

Skating in Winter

In winter the lake freezes over and it’s very popular for people to come done and skate on the lake.

Try the Local Dishes

Just a bit further down along the shore with views of the castle are quite a few little restaurants.  It’s great to sit here, see the amazing views and try some of the local dishes.

I tried the Cepelinai, which is a potato dumpling filled with meat, covered in a sauce.  I also tried a kibinas which is a pasty filled with meat, very much like a pasty we would get in the UK!!

Explore Trakai Town

The main street through Trakai is a great place to walk, the wooden houses here are beautiful.

We spent a day in Trakai but if you got there early you could easily do everything in half a day.  It’s a beautiful place and if you visit Vilnius then you shouldn’t miss it.

Want to read more on Lithuania, then check out Lonely Planet’s Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania Travel Guide paperback version here.

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