But it’s crumbling in a good way. A nice, ‘let’s take a photo of that crumbling wall’ sort of way. It’s certainly a hidden gem that doesn’t get a great deal of publicity – but as this post intends to demonstrate – it should.

It’s the Old East again – a favourite of mine. When you land in Lithuania’s capital city you kind of step back in time twice. The first step back is the journey from the airport to the city centre. The outer zones of Vilnius are certainly not pretty – highly reminiscent of city’s the Soviet past. Drab, grey tower blocks overlook newer but equally unappealing freeze-block buildings.

After you pass through this layer of fairly recent history, you’ll be glad to clap eyes on some very attractive (but very crumbling) buildings. Once you settle into your bed and breakfast or hotel (of which there are some good ones) the first thing you’ll notice is how many churches there are dotted around the city. Every street seems to have several – so if you’re a church fan, Vilnius is the place for you.

In terms of history, Vilnius has a lot to offer. Gediminas Tower is definitely worth a look, as the last remaining part of Vilnius’ Upper Castle. The tower is an icon of the nation, featuring on Lithuania’s currency – the Litas – as well in various folk songs.

A proud country, Lithuania has embraced the free market ethos of the EU, expanding faster than any other European economy. Things have turned sour recently, however, as the country has been hard hit by the global financial crisis.

While the people can seem a little sullen, Vilnius does offer a great deal of history and culture to enjoy (don’t forget to check out the museum about Napoleon’s lost army which was dug up in 2002) – and so is well worth a visit. There’s also some great four cheese pizza action to be had down the main street.