Šilinė: Find hotels and explore nature and culture

In Utena and the wider Utena area, you can also find cultural and nature attractions with a range of themes: city history, lakeshores, nature trails and regional visitor destinations.

Culture and history in Utena

The Utenos kraštotyros muziejus uses smart technologies to present the history and present-day life of Utena. It is located in one of the city’s oldest buildings and has an extensive collection of exhibits. Visitor offerings include exhibitions, educational activities and cultural events. The events programme may change. In this way, the museum combines exploring Utena’s past and present with a changing range of cultural events.

Utenio Square marks the area of old Utena. Its design includes an illuminated fountain, a glass gallery, benches and flowerbeds. The various elements give the square its own character: alongside its connection to the city’s history, it also offers places to relax. The square therefore offers a different way to experience Utena from the exhibitions at the museum.

The city’s history also includes a dark chapter: an open-air camp in the Šilinė forest held Jewish residents of Utena prisoner after 14 July 1941. This historical memory sits alongside the city’s cultural offerings, but tells a very different story about its past.

Lakeshores and nature trails

Lake Tauragnas is Lithuania’s deepest lake and lies in Aukštaitija National Park, near Utena. Its shores have paths and floating pontoons with viewing platforms, as well as opportunities for boating, playing volleyball and swimming. This brings together waterside walks and a range of leisure activities. If you are planning a particular activity, check the current conditions at the lakeshore before your visit. The wider landscape is also defined by lakes: Aukštaitija has more than 1,000 lakes.

The Ąžuolijos draustinio mokomasis gamtos takas is located in the wider Utena area. The educational trail is linear and about 1.6 kilometres long. An alternative route for the return journey is the 2.4-kilometre “Silence Trail”. The details therefore distinguish between both the length and layout: a linear educational trail and an alternative route for the return journey. The area is home to species that are very sensitive to human visitors, including species classified as endangered in Lithuania. Visitors are asked to behave responsibly, especially during the bird nesting season.

Regional routes and visitor destinations

Visitor routes in the Utena region include “Žavus Sudeikių kelias” and “Darnoje su gamta”; the latter can also be completed on foot. Another cycling route runs from Utena to Prieškario ūkininko sodyba in Sirutėnai, where a large collection of exhibits is on display. The routes therefore differ in their descriptions and possible modes of travel. Check current route conditions before setting out.

Another regional destination is Triušiukų slėnis, about 23 kilometres from Utena. More than 50 different rabbit breeds are presented there, along with peacocks, pheasants, ostriches, deer, fallow deer, nutria, alpacas and squirrels, among other animals. Visitors can pet and feed the rabbits and learn more about the individual breeds. This visitor destination thus has a different focus from the historical sites, the lake or the nature trails.

Discover more destinations: Videniškiai, Visaginas, Salakas, Girsteitiškis, Antalgė, Ignalina, Balninkai, Dubingių Seniūnija.

For the broader travel overview: Utena County.