Vilnius Cathedral Bell Tower

The Vilnius Cathedral Bell Tower is a free-standing tower on Katedros aikste (Cathedral Square) in Vilnius Old Town, Lithuania, separated from the cathedral by a few metres. Its lower levels were originally part of the city's defensive wall in the 13th to 14th centuries, and the tower was raised into a bell tower in the 16th century. The upper storeys were rebuilt in Baroque and then neoclassical style, giving the tower its present appearance of a square base topped by an octagonal section and a clock. The clock, installed in the 19th century, and the set of bells, some of them centuries old, remain central to the sound of the square. Visitors pay a small entrance fee, climb a series of narrow wooden and stone staircases, and pass floors displaying the clock mechanism and old bells, before reaching the viewing level near the top. From there the views look over the cathedral roof, Cathedral Square, Gediminas Hill and the red tile roofs of the Old Town. The climb is short, but the staircases are steep and narrow, so the visit takes roughly 30 minutes including time at the top. The best vantage points are the side facing the square, for the cathedral and the Palace of the Grand Dukes, and the side facing the hill, for Gediminas Tower. Photography is easiest through the open window frames on clear afternoons when the light is warm. Crowds are usually small because only a limited number of visitors fit on the stairs at once, but queues can form in summer around midday. Mornings tend to be quieter and are a pleasant time to combine the tower with the cathedral visit. The tower is closed on Sundays and may close in bad weather or during repairs, so checking the current schedule before a visit is wise.