Lithuania's capital once marketed itself with a cheeky campaign no tourism board would dare run today, and the joke landed: travellers are finally working out where Vilnius is. The city rewards a short visit surprisingly well — its baroque Old Town is UNESCO-listed, its food scene is growing fast, and you can cover the highlights in a single day.

Start high. Gediminas Tower, the last remnant of the Upper Castle on Gediminas Hill, doubles as a museum of the city's founding by Grand Duke Gediminas and a symbol of Lithuanian independence — the tricolour was first raised there in 1919 and again in 1988 during the push out of the Soviet Union. The rooftop view is the best in the city, and in warmer months you can go one better with a hot air balloon flight.

Back at street level, the neoclassical Vilnius Cathedral hides catacombs dating to the 13th century, while the late-Gothic Church of St Anne a short walk away is so lovely that Napoleon allegedly wanted to pocket it for Paris. Behind it sit the Bernardine Gardens, laid out by monks in the 15th century and now a quiet patch of ponds and planting beside the river.

Vilnius's oddest attraction is Užupis, a bohemian district across the Vilnelė River that declared itself an independent republic in 1997 — complete with a flag, a national day on April Fools', and mock embassies 'in cheese' and 'in rock music'. Its 41-point constitution, posted in around two dozen languages, guarantees everyone the right to love and care for a cat, while absolving the cat of any obligation to love you back.

Literary types should detour down Literatai Street, lined with plaques honouring more than 200 Lithuanian writers, a project launched ahead of the city's European Capital of Culture year. For something heavier, the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, inside the former KGB headquarters, documents Soviet repression — sobering but essential context for the independence story you'll have seen from Gediminas Tower.

Eat your way through it at Halės Market, the city's oldest, where pastries and soups share space with tacos and Korean food. Beigelistai does Vilnius-style bagels — the October special paired fig jam, camembert, walnuts and cream cheese — and Paupys Market is the modern pick, with potato pancakes and bao buns as standouts.

With more time, take the train towards Trakai Castle, a red-brick fortress on an island roughly 35 minutes away by rail plus a bus ride or 40-minute walk. Trains run infrequently, so check timetables first.

Vilnius works especially well as a bolt-on to a Baltic trip: it's about four hours by bus from Riga, and Vilnius International Airport — under six kilometres from the centre, with buses in 15-20 minutes or a train in under 10 — has direct flights from London, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome and Barcelona on airBaltic, Ryanair and Wizz Air.