I wanted to write a few words about Trakai castle for a while now. There is no secret that I like castles and when we traveled to Lithuania we decided that we couldn’t miss seeing this one.
We drove mostly on the highway after we left Vilnius. We parked the car in the village, in somebody’s yard turned parking lot. This practice is very common around. Tourism brought an increase of local economy. Many new small businesses are flourishing in the village.
Into the Trakai Castle
We arrived in the morning but we were not the first to arrive. There were quite a few people who arrived before us. Initially we thought to buy just the standard tickets but upon reflection we decided to ask for a private guide in English. And I still think that those were money well spent.
View outside Trakai Castle 
Courtyard Trakai Castle 
Courtyard Trakai Castle
We really liked our guide because she knew well the subject and she knew a lot of stories and facts about the castle. She mentioned how proud Lithuanians are of their history connected to Trakai castle and how important is for them to have the castle renovated.
We were able to admire a few treasures in the castle. From monedas to paintings and coat of arms.
The castle is still undergoing reconstructions but the amount of work that has already been done is great. The most common feature of Trakai castle is the Gothic brick.
Our observations at Trakai Castle
As I mentioned we arrived there in the morning still there were quite a few tourists already. We didn’t remark any particular schedule with respect to number of tourists on the premise at a particular time. That means that it can get crowded.
We visited the castle with our little boy but we didn’t take any stroller with us because it is not practical. Firstly there are a lot of stairs and secondly there is not much space to maneuver a stroller. We used our beloved “manduca”and we managed the tour very well. Little F was not overly interested in artifacts but there were a few things that caught his attention.
However we didn’t plan a long stay, just enough to keep it fun and bearable for all of us. 🙂 The fact that we had the guide with us was also very helpful in enjoying the visit.
When was the last time you visit a castle? And where?
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Vilnius family trip, vacation on the road