Hotels in Trakai

Trakai: Island Castle, Lakes, and Karaite Heritage

Trakai, located 28 km west of Vilnius, sits on a peninsula between Lake Galvė and Lake Luka. The town is defined by Trakai Island Castle, a 14th-century red-brick Gothic fortress built by Grand Duke Kęstutis and completed under Vytautas the Great. The castle stands on its own island, connected to shore by wooden footbridges, and houses the Trakai History Museum. The surrounding lake district — more than 200 lakes in Trakai Historical National Park — draws visitors year-round for kayaking, sailing, and cycling the 8 km lakeshore trail.

Trakai is also home to Lithuania's Karaite community, a Turkic ethnic minority settled here by Vytautas around 1397. Karaimų gatvė (Karaite Street) preserves traditional wooden houses with three windows facing the street — one for God, one for the Grand Duke, one for the family — and several restaurants serve kibinai, the Karaite meat pastry that is the town's signature dish.

Practical Tips

• Getting there: Trakai is 35–40 minutes from Vilnius by train; services run roughly every hour from Vilnius railway station.
• Castle entry: The Island Castle charges a fee; book online in summer to avoid queues.
• Season: July and August bring the most visitors; late May and September offer cooler temperatures and shorter lines.
• Kibinai: Try them at one of the Karaite restaurants on Karaimų gatvė, open daily from late morning.