Bleisure (business + leisure) travel is picking up as companies worldwide devise strategies to retain employees while helping them improve their work-life balance. Simultaneously, the number of remote workers in Europe keeps rising, with nearly one in five Europeans now splitting their time between home and another location, while globally, an estimated 50 million professionals identify as digital nomads. During the wintertime, bleisure and remote work offer the chance to combine business trips with visits to various cold-weather or holiday attractions, such as Christmas markets.
As the European Christmas Capital 2025 and one of the leading Christmas destinations in Europe, Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, gives digital nomads the chance to explore holiday markets and activities without missing out on work. Lithuania has one of the fastest broadband speeds in the EU and is first globally for public Wi-Fi speed; therefore, remote work can be done anywhere in the city with holiday festivities all around.
“Spending a Christmas workation in Vilnius comes with unique advantages. Many cafés and coworking spaces embrace a warm holiday atmosphere that makes working feel more pleasant, while nature escapes, spa experiences, and historical sites are only minutes away”, Gintarė Verbickaitė, CEO at Unicorns Lithuania, an association that unites over 130 Lithuanian startups, tech companies, and the country’s unicorns, says. “For remote employees, popular options include Tech Zity, which provides several locations ranging from central urban offices to spaces on the outskirts surrounded by nature.”
Verbickaitė adds that during holidays, Lithuanian startups tend to maintain the same flexible approach they offer throughout the year. Employers are generally progressive and place strong emphasis on work–life balance, with many providing remote or hybrid work options, workation opportunities, and a range of additional benefits that support employee well-being.
At the same time, after the holidays, the city invites visitors to experience other winter attractions, such as hot saunas ranging from traditional ones at Pilaitė Mill’s Bathhouses surrounded by forests and featuring ancient spa traditions to a sauna at Vytautas Beats the Gong in a former century-old Lukiškės Prison or an elegant Baroque-style spa in a 17th-century Pacai Hotel.
Strong coworking culture mixed with winter allure
Being one of the fastest-growing startup ecosystems in the world, growing 22% year-on-year, and ranked the #1 tech city in the EU, Vilnius is wired for digital workers. Fast Wi-Fi is available not only in the city’s coworking hubs, but also in its hotels, cafes, and many public areas, including trains. Vilnius also offers convenient transport to and from the airport, with the city’s railway station just 7 minutes away by train.
Lauryna Girėnienė, Head of Talent Acquisition at one of the country’s unicorns, Nord Security, a leading provider of digital security and privacy solutions, believes the city’s urban infrastructure facilitates a remote work culture.
“Remote employees can stay in the compact city centre and choose from more than 20 coworking spaces and plenty of work-friendly cafés, all with fast Wi-Fi and easy transport connections. In Lithuania, December tends to be a bit softer: many offices slow down, teams wrap up projects before the holidays, and managers are often more flexible about letting people work from home, another city, or even another country as long as the job gets done and availability is agreed in advance,” Girėnienė comments.
Matas Cenys, Head of Product at Saily, a new eSIM product designed by Nord Security, adds that internet speed makes Vilnius especially friendly for workers on a bleisure or workation trip during the cold-weather season. “According to Saily’s Internet Connectivity Index, Lithuania ranks 8th out of 96 countries for affordability, quality, freedom, and cybersecurity. Vilnius won’t break the budget either. Compared with many other festive destinations, hotels, food, and even mulled wine are all fairly priced. Also, the airport is close to the city, most people speak English, and the time zone works perfectly for European teams, with an afternoon window for North American ones,” Cenys says.
The experts note that remote workers can choose from many coworking spaces in Vilnius, like Talent Garden in the Old Town or AltSpace and Workland around Gediminas Avenue. Tech Zity is also a popular choice with several locations, ranging from central urban offices to spaces surrounded by nature.
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