Tyszkiewicz Palace

Karaim house in Trakai

Trakai is a town in Lithuania, approximately 20 km west of Vilnius, on the shores of some of the many lakes in the area.

Get in

Trains and buses from Vilnius take about 40 mins. There are ten trains a day but some long gaps between them; the last train back to Vilnius departs at 21:30. Buses are at least hourly, though the schedule is a bit hit-and-miss: buy tickets from the driver, for about €2 one way.

From the 1 bus station it's 3 km to the castle, a 20-min walk; ten mins more if you're coming from the train station.

Trakai is on Highway A16 (part of European Route E28) and therefore easy to reach by car. Best bet for parking is the free 2 parking lot at the northwest end of Varnikai village, 1 km to the castle via two footbridges over the lake.

Get around

The town is small enough for everything to be reached on foot, but there are also buses running from the bus station (where the buses from Vilnius also arrive/depart) to the castle.

See

• 1 Trakai Castle Museum, Kęstučio str. 4, ☏ +370 528 53 941, info@trakaimuziejus.lt. Mar Apr Oct: Tu-Su 10:00-18:00; May-Sep: daily 10:00-19:00; Nov-Feb: Tu-Su 09:00-17:00. Museum HQ near the main street, in a former Dominican Monastery, near Peninsula Castle. The museum has several affiliates. The Island Castle, a reconstructed residence of Lithuanian dukes in 14th century, is the most famous castle in Lithuania, probably a symbol of medieval Lithuania itself. Many concerts and plays in summer. Adult €7; student or senior €3.50; photo permit €1.50; Lithuanian guide €12; English, Russian or Polish guide €15. (updated Nov 2017)
• 2 Užutrakio estate, Užutrakio st. (Peninsula between Galvė and Skaistis lakes, north of Island Castle), tinp@seniejitrakai.lt. 
• 3 Trakai Kenesa. The kenesa (synagogue) of the local Karaite community.  

Do

• Cycling around Galvė lake.
• Sailing on the Galvė lake. There are numerous paddle boat rentals near the castle.
• On the way to the castle there are many motorboats that will take you on a 30 minutes ride around the lake for around 5 € per person.
• A lot of locals come here to have a quiet afternoon walk, and perhaps a romantic picnic around the lake.
• 1 Abandoned buildings east of the castle island. East from the castle near a yacht marina, you can see some building from communist era in desolated state. These are easily accessible, as there on fence around them. These building provide a good view at the castle and interesting place to explore. (updated Dec 2018)

Buy

Alongside the lake with the castle, there is a small boulevard with many kiosks. You can buy a wide range of souvenirs here, ranging from booklets to authentic Soviet military headware and of course amber jewelery.

There's also a small Iki supermaket a bit north of the bus station.

Eat

• Kybynlar, Karaimų str. 29, ☏ +370 528 55179. Karaitian cuisine restaurant. 
• Senoji kibininė, Karaimų str. 65, ☏ +370 528 55865, info@kibinas.lt. 11:00 - 23:00. Oldest working restaurant dedicated to famous Karaitian dish, the kybyn. Opened in 1979. 

Drink

Almost all restaurants will have local beers and some fancier ones even a full range of local, regional, and international beverages.

Sleep

• Apvalaus stalo klubas, Karaimu st. 53A, ☏ +370 528 55595.