Overview
| Tue 13 | Fly Graz 06:15 → Vilnius. Afternoon & evening: Old Town, history, dinner |
| Wed 14 | Civinity visit 09:00–15:45 · House Management + Billing system |
| Thu 15 | CityShift Conference 2026 · Tech Zity, Panerių g. 43 |
| Fri 16 | Free morning (Trakai or Old Town leftovers) · flight home ~17:00 |
Time zone: Lithuania is +1 h vs Slovenia (EEST, UTC+3). Your 06:15 Graz departure is local Graz time; the 17:00 Friday flight is Vilnius time.
Tuesday 13 Oct Arrival + discover Vilnius
06:15
Depart Graz (connection via hub). Arrival Vilnius around midday local time – check boarding pass.
~12:30Airport → centre: train to central station (~8 min, runs roughly hourly) or Bolt/taxi (~15 min, ~10–15 €). Drop bags at hotel.
13:30Lunch – try cepelinai or šaltibarščiai (pink cold beet soup). Good options: Etno Dvaras (Pilies g.), Lokys, Forto Dvaras.
14:30Gate of Dawn (Aušros vartai) – the only surviving city gate (16th c.), chapel with the miraculous Madonna painting. Start of the Old Town walk down Aušros Vartų → Didžioji → Pilies street.
15:00Town Hall Square and Vilnius University (founded 1579, one of the oldest in Central/Eastern Europe). Courtyards + St. John's Church; the bell tower (~68 m) has the best Old Town view.
16:00Užupis – self-declared "republic" (1997) of artists across the Vilnia river. Read the Constitution on Paupio street wall (also in Slovenian!), see the Angel of Užupis.
16:45Cathedral Square – Vilnius Cathedral, free-standing bell tower, the Stebuklas ("miracle") tile marking the end of the Baltic Way human chain. Walk up to Gediminas Tower (funicular or path) for sunset – sunset ~18:15.
18:30Optional quick visit: Palace of the Grand Dukes (open until 18:00 on most days – check) or save for Friday.
19:30Dinner – modern Lithuanian: Džiaugsmas, Amandus (fine dining) or relaxed Bernelių Užeiga. Try local beer (Švyturys, Volfas Engelman) or trauktinė herbal liqueur.
If you prefer serious history over sightseeing: swap Užupis for the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights (former KGB HQ, Aukų g. 2a, ~1.5 h, cells in the basement). Very powerful – closed Mon/Tue some seasons, check the website.
Free walking tour option: several operators run English Old Town tours starting ~12:00 or 15:00 at Town Hall – easy way to "learn" Vilnius with a local guide.
Wednesday 14 Oct Civinity – House Management & Billing
Location: Vilnius (most likely – exact address to be confirmed). Plan to arrive ~08:40.
09:00–11:50
Key processes, work organization and solutions used by the House Management team.
12:00–13:00Lunch break
13:00–14:30Presentation of the Billing system used in Lithuania – key functionalities and processes.
14:30–14:45Break
14:45–15:45Review of the day, key conclusions, next steps and agreed actions.
EveningRelaxed dinner and prep for the conference. If the Tuesday plan ran short, catch what you missed (e.g. Užupis or the KGB museum, usually open until 18:00).
Prep notes
- Contacts: Agnė Srėbalienė (Head of Customer Experience, Civinity), +370 615 22053 · Aljoša Sevčnikar (Imagine).
- Billing requirements were shared ahead – re-read before 13:00.
- Questions worth asking: billing cycle & meter reading flow, fund/reserve accounting per building, debt collection, resident portal/app, integration with heat/water suppliers, regulation differences vs Slovenia.
Thursday 15 Oct CityShift Conference 2026
Venue
Tech Zity Vilnius, Panerių g. 43, 03202 Vilnius – Naujamiestis, ~20 min walk / 5 min taxi from the Old Town, close to the central station.
TicketComplimentary (invited by Civinity). Personal QR pass arrives by email – have it on phone. Agenda: cityshift.eu
MorningArrive ~30 min before opening for registration & coffee.
DayPropTech / smart-city talks. Network with the Civinity team and Lithuanian proptech scene.
EveningConference networking, or dinner in Naujamiestis / Old Town. Last proper Lithuanian meal: try kibinai or šakotis dessert.
Friday 16 Oct Free morning + flight home ~17:00
Option A – Trakai Island Castle (recommended)
08:30
Check out, leave bag at hotel (or take it). Bus/train from central station to Trakai (~35–40 min) or Bolt (~30 min).
09:30Red-brick Island Castle on Lake Galvė – former seat of Grand Duke Vytautas (opens 10:00). Karaim street with wooden houses.
12:00Lunch: kibinai (Karaim pastries) at Kybynlar or Senoji Kibininė.
13:00Back to Vilnius, pick up bag.
14:30To the airport (train ~8 min from station / taxi 15 min). Airport is small but be there ~2 h before.
Option B – Stay in Vilnius
Palace of the Grand Dukes (opens 10:00), KGB museum, Hill of Three Crosses viewpoint, Halės market for snacks and gifts (amber, linen, šakotis, Rūta chocolate). Leave for the airport ~14:30.
Lithuania 101 What to know before you go
Basics: ~2.9 M people · capital Vilnius (~600k) · currency euro (since 2015) · EU & NATO since 2004 · language Lithuanian – one of the oldest living Indo-European languages, close to Sanskrit in structure.
Timeline
| 1253 | Mindaugas crowned – the only King of Lithuania. |
| 1323 | Grand Duke Gediminas first mentions Vilnius in letters; legend of the Iron Wolf dream founds the city. |
| 1387 | Lithuania the last pagan country in Europe to accept Christianity. |
| 1410 | Battle of Grunwald – Lithuania & Poland defeat the Teutonic Knights. Grand Duchy stretches from the Baltic to the Black Sea. |
| 1569 | Union of Lublin – Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. |
| 1795 | Partitions – Lithuania annexed by the Russian Empire. Book-smuggling era (Latin-script press banned 1864–1904). |
| 1918 | 16 February – independence declared (national holiday). Vilnius held by Poland 1920–39, Kaunas was the "temporary capital". |
| 1940–90 | Soviet occupation, Nazi occupation 1941–44 – Holocaust destroyed "Jerusalem of the North" (Vilnius had ~40% Jewish population). Mass deportations to Siberia; partisan resistance until 1953. |
| 1989 | Baltic Way – 2 million people hold hands from Vilnius to Tallinn (23 Aug). |
| 1990 | 11 March – first Soviet republic to declare independence. |
| 1991 | 13 January – Soviet troops storm the TV tower, 14 civilians killed; Lithuania holds. |
| 2004+ | EU & NATO; today a tech/fintech hub (Revolut licence, Vinted, Nord Security). |
Fun facts / small talk
- Basketball is the "second religion" – mention Šarūnas Marčiulionis or Žalgiris Kaunas and you have a friend.
- Vilnius Old Town is one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in Northern Europe (UNESCO, 1994).
- The geographical centre of Europe (by one calculation) is ~25 km north of Vilnius.
- Hot-air balloon flights over the Old Town are allowed – Vilnius is one of few capitals permitting it.
- Lithuanian and Latvian are the only surviving Baltic languages.
- Lithuanians are reserved at first – direct, punctual, fond of good preparation. Meetings start on time.
Phrases
| Labas | Hello (la-bas) |
| Laba diena | Good day (formal) |
| Ačiū | Thank you (AH-choo) |
| Prašau | Please / you're welcome |
| Taip / Ne | Yes / No |
| Atsiprašau | Excuse me / sorry |
| Į sveikatą! | Cheers! (ee sway-KAH-tah) |
| Viso gero | Goodbye |
| Skanu! | Delicious! |
English is widely spoken, especially among under-45s. Older people often speak Russian or Polish.
Food to try
- Cepelinai – potato dumplings with meat, sour cream & bacon sauce. Heavy, national dish.
- Šaltibarščiai – bright pink cold beetroot soup with kefir, served with hot potatoes.
- Kibinai – Karaim pastries from Trakai.
- Kepta duona – fried rye bread with garlic & cheese sauce – the beer snack.
- Šakotis – "tree cake" baked on a spit; good gift.
- Juoda duona – dark rye bread; Kastinys butter spread.
Practical
- Transport: Bolt is cheap and everywhere. Public transport: tap a bank card or use the Trafi/Judu app.
- Weather mid-October: 4–11 °C, often grey/wet, daylight ~07:40–18:15. Bring a warm jacket, umbrella and good walking shoes (cobblestones).
- Money: euro, cards accepted everywhere. Tipping ~10% in restaurants.
- Power: same plugs as Slovenia (Type F). EU roaming applies.
- Emergency: 112.
- Airport: Vilnius (VNO) is ~6 km south of the centre.