Menu
Menu
Vilnius and Copenhagen Showdown – The Quad Squad +
- By Michael Lakus
- No Comments
- Read Time: 6 min
The Copenhagen - Vilnius Loop
This trip could hold the record for least cumulative number of hours slept in a week period. Having about 3 days each in both Copenhagen and Vilnius, the Squad was all in to get the most out of each city. After scouting for some great direct flight deals to Copenhagen, Vilnius was a hop away, and the Squad trip was all but ready to go.
Here is a video wrap-up for some of Copenhagen and Vilnius . In hindsight, I wish we recorded some more, but when you travel with the Squad, the body can find itself in survival mode with only basic functions operational. Therefore, we did what we could here. Nevertheless, additional highlights are captured below.
Travel Logistics
For those interested, Norwegian Air has cheap, direct flight routes out of Orlando to major European hubs (minimize time in air, maximize time on ground). The 787 Dreamliner ain't bad either! From there, it's fairly straightforward to get to the place of your choice by train or plane. For example, the going rate for our route was $379 round trip.
Vilnius Recap
Even though we landed in Denmark, the trip really began in Vilnius. The city was not what I expected, but in a great way. First off, people take care of this place and it shows with how clean all the streets and stone alleys are. Secondly, the English language is spoken everywhere, which is a huge plus for a more central/eastern European country. Lastly, the city is easily navigable on foot, or in our case, on scooters!
The Squad hit the ground running in Vilnius with the first stop being the Airbnb. Our host, Daumantas, owns most of the AirBnb properties in VIlnius and his team is awesome. They basically provided us a rundown of all the spots they personally recommended, most of which we were able to check out. Below is a breakdown of our time in Vilnius. My favorites were the Amber Museum and Sugamour!
Vilnius - Categories
Things to do
Food & Drinks
Nightlife
Things to do
- Old Town – take a walk down the medieval stone streets and alleys. There is something for everyone.
- Vilnius Cathedral – the central area in Vilnius, or so it seems. A perfect check-in spot.
- Gediminas Castle – this sits on a hill behind the cathedral. It, no doubt, has the most picturesque views. Also, Gediminas was a badass ruler.
- Three Crosses – this is on a hill overlooking Gediminas Castle. Ideal sunset spot.
- Amber Museum – I learned a lot about amber, bought a piece with an insect trapped inside, and had an amber infused shot (turpentine-level potency).
- Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights – free museum where you can read and see a part of Lithuanian history that took place not that long ago.
- Užupis – an independent republic just east of main Vilnius deeply rooted with the arts scene. Make sure to get your passport stamped here!
- Walking Tour – take any. It was worth spending the morning getting a better understanding of Vilnius overall.
- Trakai – optional day trip outside the city to a lake with a castle. The Squad had mixed opinions on it. Personally, I think it’s a skip if you only have a few days.
Food & Drinks
- Caffeine Roasters – no joke, it’s on about every corner. Daumantas used to own it, too! Perfect macchiato.
- Cafe Montamarte – French brunch spot, nothing disappointed.
- Etno Dvares – all the Lithuanian Cuisine.
- Lokys – an old hunter’s restaurant where you can have unique dishes.
- Sugamour – go for the desserts. Period.
- Bambalynė – hang out spot with a huge beer selection.
- Bonus – order some fried cheese bread! No regrets.
Nightlife
- Look or ask for “The Triangle” of bars. It all starts here. From memory, Bardakas and Rumor (nightclub) were very popular.
Vilnius - Photos
Getting Around Vilnius
As mentioned, getting a scooter is probably the easiest and most inexpensive way to get around Vilnius. Simply download the app on your phone, scan at a scooter and go! It saved us so much time getting everywhere.
Copenhagen Recap
Our stay in Copenhagen was at two different hostel, both of which were doing numbers. I’m pretty sure our second hostel, Copenhagen Downtown, was a bar disguised as a hostel. It was rowdy and awesome. Anyways, similar to Vilnius, we took advantage of some scooters to get around the city. Copenhagen was the party city, so I’ll see what I can pull from memory.
The Squad did get split up a bit in Copenhagen, so I did not personally get to see or do everything listed here. Shout out to the Squad for filling in some of the blanks. By group consensus, if there is one thing to do in Copenhagen, it is to check out Reffen!
Copenhagen - Categories
Things to do
Food & Drinks
Nightlife
Things to do
- Little Mermaid statue – tribute to the short story by Hans Christian Andersen.
- Kastellet – well preserved pentagon-shaped fortress.
- The Round Tower – built primarily as an astronomical observatory, it’s a good spot to get above the city.
- Waterfront – personally, Copenhagen is better seen from the ground, scootin’ around, checking out the vibrant waterfront homes.
Food & Drinks
It’s tough to take an L on food choices, so here were the top 3.
- Reffen – old shipyard crates transformed into waterfront “food trucks” serving up local and international cuisine. There is live entertainment, plus craft beer. A must do!
- La Glace – by recommendation, for the dessert lovers! I can vouch for the raspberry/lemon cake.
- Café Sorgenfri – classic Danish Smørrebrød and Scandinavian dishes. Liver pate all day!
Nightlife
As with food choices, plenty of options here for whatever the mood is.
- The Dubliner Downtown – started off the night here for the pre-game. Cheaper selection and good specials.
- Café Det Elektriske Hjørne – balance between casual/upscale with indoor seating to hang out and BS… until someone orders pitchers and shots…
- The Old Irish Pub – two story pub with a large dance floor and balcony. Additionally, there are multiple separate rooms with live-music performers.
- Copenhagen Downtown Hostel – where the night inevitably ends. Decent specials, good old fashion drinking games and you get to meet people from all over the world.
Copenhagen - Photos
Cash Flow
Be prepared to ball out, or research ahead of time. Copenhagen is a relatively expensive city.
That does it for the wrap up. I hope you enjoyed the post, and stay tuned for the upcoming trips! There is definitely more in the works.
Recap of Places
Vilnius
- Old Town
- Gediminas Castle
- Three Crosses
- Amber Museum
- Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights
- Užupis
- Trakai
- Cafe Montamarte
- Etno Dvares
- Lokys
- Sugamour
Copenhagen
- Little Mermaid
- Kastellet
- The Round Tower
- Reffen
- La Glace
- Café Sorgenfri
- The Dubliner Downtown
- Café Det Elektriske Hjørne
- The Old Irish Pub
- Copenhagen Downtown Hostel
Want to share?
Want to share?
Michael Lakus
IT professional, athlete, musician, ponderer of many things... Born and raised in Florida, I began traveling internationally after college. I created this site primarily to remind myself of where I've been and to share my experiences on traveling with a quirky, stress-free, travel attitude.
All Posts »