Vilnius

Shopping at a market is a great way to experience local culture. Bring your bag and fill it with fresh local vegetables and fruit. Try some local cheese and taste gourmet products from farms all over the world: olives, olive oil, spices, fish, meat, coffee and other products from small farmers, organic farms and responsible producers.

This historical mansion in the heart of Vilnius Old Town is now a haven for sustainability and slow-living philosophy. Dine in a farm-to-table restaurant, shop for meat, cheese and vegetables from the local Farmers Circle organic farm, get a freshly baked pastry with your morning coffee and don’t rush. If you’re interested in a more thorough experience, you can always visit the Farmers Circle, which is less than 100km away from Vilnius.

Order fresh vegetables directly from this organic farm. Grown by a family using hand tools and lots of love, their vegetables are the best you can get. Plus, they can be delivered all year round to you plastic-free, either weekly or bi-weekly. You’ll also join a community of friends that is passionate about good food, nature and simple living.

Childhood is pure; let’s keep it this way. Clothing, furniture, interior details and other perfect gifts for little ones are made of sustainable materials: recycled plastic, FSC, OEKO-TEX certified and GOTS-compliant materials. Raising children can be fun and environmentally friendly.

They say one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, which is especially true at this cosy shop. Leave some things you don’t need or get into a thrifty mood. Look for clothes, shoes, household items, interior details, books and other smaller items waiting for a new home. Participate in the open workshops to experience the joy of reusing and crafting.

Drop by this cafe housed in an environmentally friendly educational community centre. Freshly prepared breakfast, lunch or coffee breaks will enrich your day. It’s an authentic local experience whenever you visit. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, there’s fresh bread and pastries, and on Fridays, you’ll find a farmers market. See creativity blooming in the hydroponic garden and join the educational programs on sustainability and zero-waste.

Vilnius’ streets are especially friendly to visitors who like to get about on foot. The shops, restaurants, and landmarks are situated within walkable distances.
Sustainable explorations of the city start after landing at the airport. Since it is only 20 minutes away from the city centre, there is no need to add to the traffic emissions. Travellers that are keen on faster means of getting around, can hop on electric scooters or use a car-sharing system. Vilnius has collaborated with businesses to establish a Shared Mobility Hub that promotes car-sharing services, reduces the number of vehicles in the streets, and urges the city’s residents and visitors to commute more sustainably.
Soon the city will introduce new environmentally friendly means of transport – hydrogen-powered public buses that will circulate the streets and contribute to reaching Vilnius’ climate neutrality goals.

The deposit system has been operating in Lithuania since 2016. The non-profit organisation PI “Užstato Sistemos Administratorius” (USAD) is established by Lithuanian beverage producers, importers and sellers, which manages the system activities in the country. USAD collects 9 out of 10 beverage cans, one-way glass and plastic bottles, marked with the deposit system mark, placed on the market each year. According to the public opinion, the system contributes to the clean-up of the environment, helps to reduce the amount of litter found in forests, lakes and other natural sites.

The scheme works like this: when purchasing beverage packaging with a special symbol, a 0,10€ deposit fee is charged. After returning your used bottles or cans by putting them into special machines installed in supermarkets, the 0,10€ is paid back to you after scanning the receipt at the cash register. The returned bottles and cans go directly to recycling centres.

The Green Wave is sweeping through Vilnius as the capital’s Municipality has set an ambitious goal, within the next two years, to make all the city’s streets greener and much cosier. More than 100,000 trees, 10 million bushes and 300,000 climbing vines will be planted in Vilnius within that period of time. The Municipality administration calls all the residents of the city, the municipalities, entities and organisations to join this ambitious campaign.

“Residents of Vilnius are proud and its guests admire green Vilnius, but many streets are still not as green as they could be. Only by uniting the efforts of the municipality and Vilnius residents can we turn our streets green. And together we need to allow nature to do more. We want it green behind the window and on the streets, so let us plant acacias, lindens, vines, and ivies. Let us plant the plants that grow well in Vilnius,” says Remigijus Šimašius, the Mayor of Vilnius.

Scenic routes coiling around Vilnius offer different ways to discover the city sustainably.

The 15th-century Bernardine Gardens right in the centre of the city are especially enchanting during the holidays when the area is decked in decorations and lights to make it a cosy hangout spot. All of Vilnius radiates the soft glow of the Christmas lights in the weeks leading up to the holidays, and roaming its decorated streets might be the sustainable activity visitors are yearning for.