I visited Europe’s cheapest city break destination – with £21 hotels and £2 pints that led to my wildest weekend ever

IF YOU want bang for your buck and an even better story to tell your friends, Europe’s cheapest, cheeriest, and quirkiest city might just be the one for you.

The Sun takes a look at what the city break had to offer – from £3.20 cocktails to glorious weather, which can all be experienced on a budget.

It might not be topping your travel bucket list (yet), but Lithuania has quietly scooped the title of happiest country for under-30s and its capital has been hailed Europe’s most affordable city break.

After arriving on a flight of less than three hours from the UK, a quick Google of what Vilnius has to offer also rustles up some rogue activities – naturally, I went on a mission to try them all.

2D cafes and £2 pints

I arrived at the city’s 2D cafe in 26C heat, unsure what to expect, and was baffled to find it was exactly as described. 

Painted entirely white and black around the edges the venue felt like stepping directly into a sketchpad.

It’s connected to the Museum of Illusions and serves up anything you’d want from a kid’s cartoon, including candy floss and cake pops. 

For those looking to get extra disorientated, it also serves beer.

Booze is startlingly cheap in Lithuania – so much so that my hostel owner said that Latvians travel all the way over just to drink.

If the elusive five-pound-pint in Britain sounds dreamy, the chain Gastrobar in Vilnius serves a pint for £2.06 or a cocktail for £3.26.

Slightly swankier venues bump the price up but rarely do drinks get above five euros. 

If you’re feeling adventurous, tiny rock and roll bar Who Hit John offers bacon and pickle shots or underground pad, Flow Bar, with Jesus-themed decor, provides “legal moonshine” from the cellar.

Completely by coincidence, or divine intervention, the venue was hosting free English-speaking comedy found myself spluttering on my moonshine all night.

Think pink cuisine

Nightlife had a big tick in my book so the next day, to nurse myself back to health from the £2 pints, I decided to immerse myself in the local cuisine at Etno Dvaras, a restaurant in an underground cave.

Cold pink beetroot broth didn’t quite do it for me, but soup-supporting locals convinced me I simply must be mad.

Later, I blindly ordered Cepelinai with Kugelis, which to my delight turned out to be potato dumplings and potato pudding. 

Feeling content with my carb consumption, I rolled back to my accommodation, Downtown Forest Hostel & Camping, where I was staying in a mixed dorm for £13 a night.

If bunking up isn’t your style you can book a private room at The House Black for £21 right in the Old Town or the Bali House Vilnius for £29 in the city centre. 

Arty things and risky swings

Still keen for a date with chaos, the next day I put Lithuania’s landscape to the test and went sightseeing.

I ended up in Uzupis – Vilnius’ famous artistic quarter and one of the world’s smallest self-declared micronations.

With their own currency, border control, president, and even army (rumoured to be 11 people), the bohemian neighbourhood of Uzupis is hands down one of the quirkiest.

The pint-sized republic declared itself independent on April Fool’s day in 1997 and has since become a rite of passage for budding artists and has even been visited by the Dalai Lama, who is an honorary citizen.

If you ask nicely you can even get your passport stamped at border control.

Next to the parliament’s pub, dare I say “barliament,” is a water swing that you can get to by wading through the Vilnia River – heads up, this isn’t for the faint-hearted and cost me my sunnies. 

Getting behind bars

History is woven into every cobbled street and there is a smattering of brutalist buildings throughout the city.

One of these is the ominous Palace of Culture and Sports – a huge abandoned building left to collect dust in the heart of Vilnius, acting as a snapshot of former communist-era Lithuania. 

A quick wander from here along the Neris River leads you to Lukiskes Prison 2.0.

Vilnius proves that the best adventures often come from the cities you least expect

The aptly named cellblock was closed and rebranded as a music venue in 2019.

There is no photography allowed inside the building but if you’re keen to catch a glimpse you can spot it in season four of Stranger Things.

While I didn’t catch an event, I managed to find my own party when I attended a Yiddish jam session in the basement of Spunka – a steampunk bar in the heart of the old town. 

At the impromptu gig just so happened to be Alan Bern, who flew in from Berlin, and is one of of the best accordion players in the world. 

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived in Vilnius but dancing until midnight to live folk music wasn’t originally on the cards – nor was how vibrant the small city’s nightlife was. 

For those who don’t like surprises, The Portobello is the city’s English-themed pub where you can split the G as well as the costs.

Whether you’re in the mood for sipping pints in prison, swinging into rivers in the name of art, or stumbling into top-notch musicians, Vilnius proves that the best adventures often come from the cities you least expect.