This week our focus is on the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.
It’s a beautiful and green city, with a population of just over 600,000. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with amazing architecture spanning the centuries. It has two rivers, the main one, the Neris, runs right through the city, and can be walked along for pretty much the entire length through the city. If you do walk along the river, there are now boats that have been added to the local transport system. There are also views along the river, including the Stalo kalnas, a small hill that is the start of the Vilnius 100 long-distance trail. Broken up into 10 stages of varying length and difficulty, the Vilnius 100 circles the city.
It dips in and out of urban areas, but one of the joys of Vilnius is that within minutes, while you can occasionally see and hear the city, you’re in forests, walking along streams, and enjoying the serenity. The trail is also very easy to reach – there are bus stops close to many of the start and end points, and the trail is dotted with distinctive red markers to guide the way.
This week, we chatted with Anton Nikitin, chief sustainability officer at Vilnius City Municipality, about walking in the city, the Vilnius 100, and what the city is doing to ensure its green credentials stay that way.
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