Cross a small bridge over the Vilnia River from Vilnius’s Old Town and technically, you leave the country. You’re now in the Republic of Užupis, Vilnius’s tiny, self-proclaimed republic with its own flag, constitution, currency and even at one point an army of about a dozen people (now retired). No government on earth recognises it but the people of Uzupis don’t seem to mind.
Užupis means “beyond the river” in Lithuanian and the name fits, it sits just across the Vilnia from the Old Town, separated by water but barely a five minute walk from Vilnius Cathedral.
Before the Holocaust, this was part of Vilnius’s vibrant Jewish quarter, in a city once nicknamed the “Jerusalem of the North.” The Nazi occupation and the genocide that followed devastated the community, and the neighbourhood fell into decades of disrepair under Soviet rule, by the late 20th century it had a reputation as a rough, almost derelict corner of the city.
That neglect is exactly what made it cheap enough for artists to move in after Lithuania regained independence in 1991. After the USSR fell, many plinths around Vilnius that had once held statues of Soviet figures now stood empty. In 1995, a group of local artists claimed one and put up a statue of Frank Zappa, a provocative musician who’d never set foot in Lithuania, as a tongue-in-cheek symbol of free thought. Two years later, on April 1, 1997, April Fool’s Day, deliberately, that same circle of artists declared their neighbourhood an independent republic. They gave it a president (the city’s former mayor), a cabinet, an anthem, a flag, and eventually a constitution.
The flag carries its own small piece of symbolism: a blue hand with a hole punched through the palm, supposedly so it can never be used to take a bribe. It’s never been clear whether any of this is serious, a joke, or both at once. Locals seem happy to leave the question open to interpretation.
Uzupis is one of the coolest neighbourhoods I’ve visited in Europe. Covered in murals, sculptures and cosy cafes, I recommend you spend an hour or two here wandering the bohemian streets, grabbing a coffee and learning about this eccentric corner of Vilnius.
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RELATED: 21 Best Things To Do In Vilnius, Lithuania →
Getting there
Walk. It’s a few minutes from Vilnius Cathedral across the Užupio bridge — there’s no need for transport.
Time needed
An hour or two covers the highlights; half a day if you want to wander into galleries and stop for coffee.
Best time of day
Morning or late afternoon, when it’s quieter and the light on the river is better for photos.
Don’t expect
ATMs, big shops, or chain anything — by design, Užupis has stayed low-key and resistant to over-commercialization, though cafés and small boutiques have multiplied as the area has gentrified.
How To Get To Uzupis
Uzupis is just a 15 minute walk from Vilnius Old Town.
There are a few bridges you can cross to enter the Republic of Uzupis but I recommend the official entrance, Uzupio Undinele. You will be greeted with the entrance sign, love lock bridge and you’re close to where you get your passport stamped: Užupio 1 postas – Border Control.
How To Pronounce Uzupis
“OO-ZOO-PIS”
Really it’s a piece of pis 😉
How Long To Spend In Uzupis
An hour or two is all you need to see Uzupis, but add more time if you plan to visit cafes, art galleries and restaurants. It’s one of those areas that you can aimlessly wander, and stumble upon somewhere that you stay for an hour or two.
Uzupis Constitutions
This is the heart of Uzupis, the guiding principles the neighbourhood was built on. The 41 rules were reportedly written in about three hours one afternoon in 1998, after one of the founders showed up at the other’s apartment complaining he had no hot water, which is why one of the earliest clauses guarantees everyone the right to hot water, heating and a tiled roof. From there the two of them kept going.
Today those articles are engraved on mirrored metal panels lining what’s known as the Avenue of Constitutions, translated into more than 50 languages including Lithuanian, English, Japanese, even Latin, which was added during a papal visit to the Baltics. Some entries read like a real bill of rights. Others are pure Užupis: the right to be lazy, a cat’s right to refuse affection except in emergencies, a dog’s right to simply be a dog. A read through this eccentric list is one of the funniest things to do in Uzupis.
Uzupis April 1st
If your trip lines up with April 1, go out of your way to be in Uzupis for it. This is Užupis Independence Day, and the neighbourhood plays it completely straight: a “border crossing” appears at the main bridge with mock customs officers stamping passports, beer flows from the public fountain from morning until night and the streets fill with music and performance art. It’s the best version of the joke, witnessed in person. Come on, beer from a public fountain, what’s not to love!
About a dozen ministers oversee the republic day to day, and the “parliament building” doubles as the local café and pub with meetings over a drink rather than across a formal table. Titles are casual by design: you can call yourself Minister of Frisbee if your neighbours recognize you as such. It’s a loose system, but it’s held for decades, run largely by the same people since 1997. I think I’d be the Minister of Margarita’s.
That informality hasn’t stopped the neighbourhood from changing. Užupis is now the second most expensive part of Vilnius to live in, after Old Town itself, a sign of just how thoroughly gentrification has followed the artists in.
What To Do In Uzupis
1. Find The Many Sculptures
Užupis doesn’t do public art the way other neighbourhoods do, there’s no grand plan, no committee, no explanatory plaques, no long delays for approvals by some man in a suit. Sculptures appear on corners and along the riverbank because someone decided they should be there. Here are some of the ones worth seeking out.
- Meet the Užupis Mermaid: tucked into a niche along the riverbank near the bridge, this bronze figure marks the unofficial entrance to the republic. She took an unplanned swim during a flood in 2004 but was recovered and put back in place. Local legend says if you lock eyes with her as you cross, you’ll never want to leave — and after an afternoon here, it’s easy to believe it.
- Visit the iron pig: small, deliberately absurd cast-iron pig sculpture sits near the Angel of Užupis square, with no explanation offered and none really needed. It’s one of those Užupis touches that exists purely because someone thought it should.
- Find the Frank Zappa bust: before there was a republic, there was this — a bust of Frank Zappa, a musician who never once set foot in Lithuania, put up by local artists in 1995 as a test of how far free thought could go after decades of Soviet rule. It worked: two years later, the same circle of artists declared Užupis independent. Worth tracking down as much for the story behind it as the statue itself.
- Spot the egg: scattered around the neighbourhood is a metal egg sculpture, tied to the origin story of the Angel of Užupis — when the sculptor couldn’t finish the angel in time for its unveiling, an egg was put in its place and locals were told the angel would hatch when it was ready. No further explanation is given, which is very on-brand for Užupis.
2. Visit The Angel of Užupis
In the main square of Uzupis stands a statue of Archangel Gabriel, trumpet raised overhead, unveiled the same year as the Mermaid as a symbol of renewal after the neighbourhood’s rough Soviet-era decades.
It’s the unofficial emblem of the republic and locals use it the way you’d use a clock tower. Worth circling back to at different times of day, since it photographs differently in morning light versus the golden hour glow of late afternoon.
3. The love-lock bridges
The bridges crossing the Vilnia into the Republic of Uzupis are draped in padlocks left behind by couples, Paris Pont des Arts–style, with small hand drawn installations worked in among the metal.
If you’re feeling sentimental, bring your own lock, there isn’t a place to purchase one nearby, so pick it up before you cross the river.
4. Ride Destiny’s Swing
Near the bridge and the mermaid’s niche, a swing hangs over the river, local tradition has it that swinging out over the water here is a small test of fate. It’s easy to walk straight past if you’re not looking for it, so keep an eye on the riverbank as you cross.
Some people even wade through the river in the warmer months to get the perfect photo.
5. Sit with the dead at Bernardine Cemetery.
One of Vilnius’s oldest cemeteries, tucked into the hills above Uzupis and almost entirely ignored by tourists. It’s atmospheric rather than morbid with mossy headstones, old trees, total quiet just minutes from the bustle of the bridge.
Founded in 1810, renowned artists, esteemed scholars, and influential community leaders are laid the rest here, these are people who have shaped Vilnius’ rich heritage in the 19th and 20th Century.
A good spot if Užupis’s whimsy starts to feel like a bit much and you want ten minutes of stillness. If you’re visiting in Spring the purple siberian squill flower will be in full bloom.
6. The Tibetan Square
A small park named in solidarity with Tibet, marked by a bright blue mural on a transformer box and prayer flags. Inaugurated in 2010 by Thubthen Samdup – a representative of the Dalai Lama, who was made an honorary citizen of Užupis and has visited more than once. A gesture Beijing has not exactly appreciated, which only adds to the neighborhood’s habit of poking fun at things much bigger than itself.
It’s often used as a place for cultural events, you might even spot a few ice sculptures in winter.
7. Art Galleries
Around 15% of Užupis’s roughly 7,000 residents are artists, this is by some estimates the highest concentration anywhere in the world. And it shows.
Courtyards throughout the neighbourhood hide small galleries and working studios; the Užupis Art Incubator is the best starting point if you want to see artists mid-process rather than just finished work hanging on a wall. Don’t be shy about pushing open a door that looks half-open, that’s usually an invitation, not an accident.
- Užupio 1 postas – Border Control: souvenir shop and a place to get your passport stamped.
- AZRA Gallery: local amber workshop. you can find some unique pieces here.
- Baltic Shamans: handmade jewellery, vintage clothes, charms, and incense.
- Art Gallery Paveikslai: beautiful artwork, can deliver internationally via their website.
- Porsche Garage 9:11: 8 – 9 rare Porsche 9:11 on display. Option for a dinner inside the gallery, where you’ll hear stories all about these cars with racer Aurelijus Rusteika. Dinner is from the popular French restaurant “Le Mans”.
- Tartle: art museum displaying a private collection with rare pieces from Lithuanian artists. By appointment only.
8. Cozy Up In A Cafe
Užupis has a café for every mood, which is impressive for a neighborhood this small.
Coffee1 on Užupio Street is the neighborhood staple with two floors, a crackling fireplace downstairs, well-made coffee in big cups and a cabinet full of handmade chocolates and cheesecake.
Užupio Kavinė is the one to go to for atmosphere over coffee, it flies the Republic of Užupis flag above the door, sits right by the river, and quietly doubles as the republic’s unofficial parliament building. “Ministers” have been known to hold meetings here over a beer. Go for the river views and stay for the stories.
Yugen Tea is for the Japanese tea aficionados. Experience some of the best matcha in Vilnius here, flavours are as unique as the neighbourhood find drinks like the Hojicha Latte with chilli and honey, Cherry Blossom Latte, Sakura Smoked Black Tea. You can also get a range of pure matcha with no extra flavours, along with green and roasted teas.
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Is Uzupis Worth Visiting?
Yes, easily. It’s one of the only neighborhoods in Europe with a genuine sense of humor about itself, and it’s small enough to see properly in an afternoon without derailing the rest of your Vilnius itinerary. Pair it with a coffee stop and you’ve got one of the most memorable few hours of a Baltic city trip.
Is Uzupis A Good Place To Stay?
Užupis is a lovely place to base yourself if you want to wake up in the most characterful corner of Vilnius, cobbled streets, the sound of the river, zero chain hotels in sight. You won’t find a big hotel here and honestly, one would ruin it. What you will find are a handful of guesthouses and self-catering apartments, mostly small, mostly charming, and almost all cheaper than equivalent options in the Old Town despite being a five minute walk from it. If you’re the kind of traveller who’d rather have a quiet courtyard than a hotel lobby, Užupis is worth serious consideration.
Where To Stay In Uzupis
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Where To Eat In Uzupis
For such a small neighbourhood, Uzupis has a large number of restaurants that cater to every kind of diner.
- Le Travi – cosy 1 Michelin star Italian. Small menu that changes every few days. Very popular so a reservation is advised. Expect fresh focaccia, gnocchi and ravioli.
- Amandus – fine dining restaurant offering a 10 course tasting menu from €100 per person. Check the menu here to see what they are offering when you visit.
- One for All – many different cuisines on offer but they stand out with their traditional Lithuanian dishes, large portions and a good price. The cepelinai are a must try.
- Vynas ir čeburekai – this place is all about the Czebureki, a traditional pastry stuffed with tasty fillings. It’s served inflated like a balloon to your table, poke it to let the air out and reach the juicy filling. Traditional filling is mince meat but these guys offer a wide range of flavours like chicken and garlic, 4 cheeses and cottage cheese.
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How Become A Citizen Of Užupis?
All that is required for you to become a citizen of the Republic of Uzupis is that you read their constitution and decide that you want to become a citizen. Just declare to the void “I am a citizen of Uzupis”, and it will be “official”.
Unfortunately you don’t get documents, the citizenship just exists in your heart. For the real stuff you’ll need Lithuanian citizenship.
Uzupis Map
There are prettier neighbourhoods in Europe, and there are trendier ones too. But nowhere else manages to combine satire, history, art and genuine community spirit quite like Užupis. Even if you only have one day in Vilnius, I’d make time to cross that little bridge.
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