Lithuania: Trakai

Trakai is a small lake town about 30 km west of Vilnius. It was once the capital of Lithuania and home to the Grand Dukes who ruled over the country. Not only is Trakai a scenic place, it also boasts of the only castle in East Europe that is surrounded by a lake. 

  

Travelling along the lake shore road you can see rows of colorful wooden houses almost all of which have three windows on the facade facing the street. These are typical homes of the Karaim community, a Turkic speaking ethnic group that have lived in Trakai for a long time.                                                                           

Trakai is surrounded by beautiful lakes and boasts of picturesque landscapes but it is most famous for its island castle that can be viewed from the mainland lake shore.

A 300 meter bridge links the lake shore to the island on which the castle stands. There are a total of 21 islands on Lake Galve but only one that has a castle on it. 

This 14th century castle was destroyed but have been restructured and is now a museum that displays a host of interesting archeological artifacts, religious objects, coins, and relics excavated from the castle ground. Entrance into the castle requires a fee.

Visitors can circumnavigate the exterior part of the castle for free though. 

The panorama from most part of the castle ground is enchanting and is one that depicts serenity in the midst of natural beauty.

There are a lot other activities in store for visitors to Trakai. The mainland lake shore is lined with restaurants, food kiosks, souvenir shops etc. Visitors can also indulge in a number of recreational activities like yachting, water biking and boating.

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