Hotel Review: Artagonist Art Hotel, Vilnius, Lithuania

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Updated by Valery Collins February 23 2024

The Artagonist Art Hotel is a curious creature; just one in a long line of attractive old buildings in Vilnius’ well preserved Old Town, you’d probably walk straight by if you didn’t know it was there. But step through the door beneath the Art Deco sign, and everything changes. A garish graffiti art portrait of an undeniably handsome man stares down at you, and everywhere you go the art and imaginative use of space is intended to surprise.

Who For?

Vilnius is a quirky, offbeat location where medieval buildings stand cheek by jowel with those from the Soviet period. Artagonist appeals to those visitors who want a well-located, trendy base from which to explore the city, who perhaps want to make a good impression on a weekend away but without having to max out the credit card.

Facilities

With so much to see and do in Vilnius you’re unlikely to spend too much time at the hotel other than when you’re sleeping. If you do retreat here one evening to relax, however, there’s a large open seating area-cum-bar, and a more intimate lounge, both of which have engaging sculptures on the walls. Sit back with a glass of wine.

Accommodation

A Neo Gothic façade fronts a combination of buildings going back to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries and an old courtyard, now the reception area. The 34 rooms are showcases for the work of sixteen Lithuanian artists and the decorations include art installations, artwork, murals, and patches laid bare to expose the original sixteenth-century walls.

There are five categories of rooms. The standard room features a Queen-sized double bed and a Chemex coffee maker. A Superior Art Room is decorated by a top Lithuanian artist and has a glass bathroom. The Business Room is designed as a space for ideas. Also on offer are a junior suite with terrace and a suite with balcony. All the rooms have large-screen televisions, telephones, free WiFi and water is supplied with Binchotan white carbon, which acts as a water filter producing lovely, fresh water. The rooms are also designed to be smart rooms and electrics can be controlled on mobile phones.

Food and Drink

Artagonist doesn’t have a restaurant per se, but the staff lay on a huge spread of breakfast delights every morning in the atmospheric vaulted basements, the oldest part of the building. The breakfast is buffet style, with plenty of cold meats, salads, and cheeses, plus hot options, so you can fill up handsomely before a day exploring.

When it comes to dinner time, Vilnius’ best restaurants are all around you. It is well worth walking into Uzupis, however, as Sweet Root has the best menu in town.

Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fiis available throughout the hotel and is free for guests.

How much?

A standard double, room only, costs from € 123.55 per night when booked online.

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What’s nearby?

Artagonist is in the heart of Vilnius’ Old Town. Be sure to take a walking tour into weird and wonderful Uzupis, the self-declared independent country within the city, and to visit the Cathedral Basilica and the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, both of which are a few minutes’ walk from the hotel. For a slightly longer stretch of your legs, follow the old city walls which were built in the medieval period to defend Vilnius from attack.

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Travel Guide to Vilnius, Lithuania

I went to prison in Vilnius, Lithuanis, you can too

Getting there

Currently the only direct flights to Vilnius depart from Luton and Stansted airports with Wizz Air and from London City airport with LOT but there are several alternatives via airline hubs such as Swiss Air via Zurich and

Finnair via Helsinki. There are regular public bus services and trains from Vilnius Airport to the old town. There is also a special train running regularly from the airport to Vilnius railway station. Tickets can be purchased online, in the train and at the railway station.