Last year, Vilnius welcomed a total of almost 1.177 million tourists. Foreign tourists accounted for 72 percent of all guests in the capital – their number, compared to 2024, grew by 1.8 percent and reached 848 thousand, while the whole country received 1.62 million foreign guests. Counting all tourists, their total number was 4.9 percent lower than the year before last – this change was due to a 19.6 percent decrease in the number of local tourists. However, the most important growth indicators – the number of overnight stays and the length of stay – increased significantly.
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A particularly significant breakthrough in 2025 was recorded in the number of overnight stays. Foreign tourists visiting Vilnius last year booked more than 2.15 million overnight stays in the city – as much as 39.4 percent more than in 2024. The average length of stay in Vilnius increased from 1.85 to 2.41 days.
“Last year, we saw a clear trend – foreign guests spent much more time in Vilnius, which is most important for the city. A longer stay means that tourists spend more in hotels, restaurants, cultural and entertainment venues, which directly contributes to the city’s economic growth,” says Vilma Daubarienė, Head of the Tourism Department at Go Vilnius, the Vilnius City Tourism and Business Development Agency.
As the length of foreign tourists’ stay in Vilnius increased, so did the amount of money they spent in the Lithuanian capital. Last year, the average travel expenses per tourist amounted to 393 euros, and the economic benefit to the city reached 833 million euros.
Targeted work yields results
Most foreign tourists came to Vilnius in 2025 from Poland (104 thousand, +3.9 percent), Germany (almost 85 thousand, +3.2 percent), and Latvia (62.5 thousand, +10.8 percent).
A significant increase was also recorded in other inbound tourism markets. Among them, Spain (+28.4 percent), Finland (+35 percent), and Italy (+10.3 percent) stood out. The number of tourists from Israel more than doubled – from 9.52 thousand the year before last to almost 19.2 thousand last year.
“We see that Vilnius is increasingly entering the radar of travelers looking for authentic and high-quality European city experiences. Guests are attracted by a compact, easy-to-explore city, a rich cultural and event program, a strengthening gastronomy scene, and the opportunity to experience a lot during one stay. The growing length of stay shows that Vilnius manages to interest travelers not only to visit but also to stay longer,” notes V. Daubarienė.
According to her, the growing popularity of Vilnius among foreign travelers is also due to world-renowned events, such as the cold beet soup festival “Vilnius Pink Soup Fest”, the Vilnius Marathon, or Vilnius Days, which attract tens of thousands of visitors.
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“These results are contributed by consistent work in strengthening Vilnius’s awareness in international markets, expanding the city’s accessibility, and creating reasons to visit throughout all seasons. Good connectivity, international events, and targeted marketing help ensure that Vilnius remains one of the most attractive cities to travel to in the region,” says the Head of the Tourism Department at Go Vilnius.
Positive trends – this year too
Positive tourism trends maintain momentum this year as well. Preliminary data for the first half of 2026 show that the number of overnight stays by foreign tourists in Vilnius has already reached 768.6 thousand, and the average length of stay remains high – reaching 2.26 days.
The results of the Vilnius Tourism Information Center (TIC) also indicate growing traveler interest in the capital and the need to explore the city more deeply. In the first half of this year, it was visited by 32,952 visitors – 7.6 percent more than in the same period last year. This number does not include inquiries received by phone and email.
Most visitors to the capital’s TIC this year came from Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Spain, the USA, and the United Kingdom. Compared to the same period last year, the number of guests from Spain increased by 18 percent, from Germany by 11 percent, from the USA by 10 percent, from Poland by 7 percent, and from the United Kingdom by 6 percent.
The largest tourist flow is recorded on weekends, and the most active periods coincide with major city events and festivals. The cold beet soup festival “Vilnius Pink Soup Fest”, which attracts a large number of visitors to Vilnius annually and this year lasted for three days, was also reflected in TIC statistics – over 3 thousand guests visited during the festive weekend.
The growing desire to conveniently explore the city is also shown by the popularity of the city’s cognitive services. In the first half of 2026, sales of the “Vilnius Pass” traveler card grew by 18 percent. This service is most actively used by tourists aged 26–45 from Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the USA, and the most popular attractions they visit remain the Palace of the Grand Dukes, Gediminas Castle Tower, the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, and the Cathedral Bell Tower.
“Seeing the numbers for the first half of this year, we have no doubt that Vilnius is successfully solidifying its image as an authentic, attractive, experience-rich, and convenient European capital. The desire of foreign travelers to explore heritage and cultural sites and to enjoy city life longer allows us to predict that the rest of the year will be no less active for the capital’s hospitality sector,” states V. Daubarienė.
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