Lovely isn't it? A lovelier castle than the restored red-brick Gothic Island Castle in Trakai is hard to find. Built on an island on Late Galve, it's connected by a foot bridge to the shore, and contains costumes, weapons and other relics from the 1400s. But not to hurry - take a few moments to let the amazing views of the castle sink in, and snap away on your camera.
Trakai is easily reachable from Vilnius, and thus an ideal day trip after a couple of days in the capital. Buses run frequently (trains less so) and cost 6 litas each way. Once you reach Trakai island, from the bus station it's roughly a twenty minute stroll on the main road to reach the castle. About midway is the helpful Trakai tourism office where you can get a map and get your questions answered.
After exploring the insides of the castle, you can also take a hour-long boat ride that goes around the lake. There is commentary in both Lithuanian and English, although it is somewhat intermittent. The boat ride itself felt a bit slow and I didn't see anything particularly exciting in the other surrounding islands. Regardless, an excursion to Trakai remains on the must-do list for every visitor to Lithuania.
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