Regular walking tour of Soviet Vilnius
Recommended by 98% of travelers
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Vilnius, Lithuania
- 2 hours 30 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Get an overview of Soviet rule in Vilnius during this 2 to 2.5-hour walking tour of the Lithuanian capital. See highlights such as Lukiškių Square, the Gediminas Monument, and the former KGB headquarters while listening to your guide's commentary on what life was like there under Soviet rule. You'll also see famous Soviet-era buildings, including the former Palace of Concerts and Sport, Opera and Ballet Theatre, and the House of Scientists.
- Explore the streets and parks of Vilnius with a guide
- Learn all about the city’s Soviet-era history
- See top attractions such as the former KGB headquarters and the Palace of Concerts and Sport
- Gain insight into the city’s history and traditions
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Monument to Grand Duke GediminasKatedros a., 01143 Vilnius, Lithuania
Look for the guide with a yellow bag/ yellow sign in front of monument to Gediminas ( a man standing next to a horse) at the Cathedral square
End points
This activity ends in a different location. See details below:
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Itinerary
Meet your guide in front of the Gediminas Monument in Cathedral Square, located in the Old Town. Your tour will focus on the history of Vilnius, an area that developed during the Soviet period. Pass the Green Bridge, the Planetarium, Lukiskiu Square, and the former KGB headquarters. As you go, hear tales about KGB spies, and learn about the role that basketball played in Lithuania's independence and how Lithuania and Vilnius were incorporated into the USSR.
You'll also stop to see the most iconic Soviet-era buildings, such as the former Palace of Concerts and Sport, Opera and Ballet Theatre, and the House of Scientists.
Your tour will conclude in Kudirkos Square, a 5-minute walk from your original departure point.
You'll also stop to see the most iconic Soviet-era buildings, such as the former Palace of Concerts and Sport, Opera and Ballet Theatre, and the House of Scientists.
Your tour will conclude in Kudirkos Square, a 5-minute walk from your original departure point.
1
Vilnius With Locals Tours
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
2
Gediminas Monument
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Zaliasis Tiltas
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- This tour operates in all weather conditions; please dress appropriately
- There is a lot of walking involved, so please wear comfortable shoes
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 291 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Informative, eye opening and sometimes funny tour with Leve. And to think that it all happened within the last 40yrs.
Indre was an amazing guide. Her knowledge of Soviet influence on Lithuanian life is impressive. The only down side was that the tour only went two hours which included a fifteen minute restroom/snack break.
The walking tour focusing on Soviet history in Lithuania was incredibly informative and felt particularly timely given the current political climate. Strolling through Vilnius and taking in the architectural relics provided the perfect backdrop for stories of the past. Šarūnas was exceptionally knowledgeable and offered a balanced perspective, clearly highlighting the historical motivations behind the events of the time. If you visit Vilnius, I would strongly recommend to do this tour.
This was a very interesting tour. We learned things that would be next to impossible to learn on our own. The info about bone music will stay with me. Sarunas, our guide, was friendly, knowledgable, with a great sense of humour. Totally worth it!
Very knowledgeable and interesting guide, a real insight into the history and struggles of Lithuania and its people.
This tour provided a thorough interesting and multifaceted guide through the “new” Vilnius post Soviet occupation. Our wonderful tour guide provided a terrific experience regarding the architecture street:/public art, history and social situations during this time period. It was a pleasant and serious tour well worth your consideration.
Excellent information and guide. A lot of walking for number of sites visited. 30 minutes return walk after 2.5 hours was tiring for older people like us.
Our guide was amazing. She shared a lot of info and the tour was great despite the very cold weather. A must if it’s your first time in the city.
It was an eye opener to see the Jewish streets and learn about the history on the way. I love the knowledge from the guide and interaction with the guide and the other tour mates.
A wonderful tour with an excellent guide who opened up a new world for me — an experience I believe is essential for better understanding modern Lithuania.
The walk is led by a vert knowledgeable leader with direct experience of the subject and a passionate interest. He interacted well with a diverse group which only enhanced an already positive experience.
The walk is long and quite tiring.
A lot of walking and would have been helpful to know in advance how much walking we were going to have.
When reading the information it made it seem like we were actually going to go into the KGB museum instead of just walking past it, I mean, what good is that? We got to the meeting point and double check the guy who told us know that we are not going into the museum. We only had one day in Lithuania and really wanted to see this exhibit. Everything else he said we would cover we already covered that morning in the Jewish walking tour. I then asked him if he would kindly use his phone to call us a taxi and we would go on our own, we do not have International call our phone plan. He was very hesitant to do this until I reminded him that Viator already had our money and now his group load would be easier by two people. I offered to also give him a few USD For his efforts. At that point, he agreed to cause a taxi, and we went to the KGB museum on our own. He offered no apologies for the misunderstanding. We were very disappointed in the write up on your website and think it should be more specific.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry you did not join the tour itself, as you may have enjoyed many unique sites and stories along the way. This is why we would really like to know where you found the information you are referring to — if there is an unclear or misleading source, we want to fix it. This is the first time something like this has happened, and we strive to be as clear as possible in our descriptions.
We truly regret that your limited time in Vilnius was not as you hoped, and we appreciate your comments as they help us improve both our descriptions and communication with future guests.
Excellent full.of history. Great guide. Lots of information. Took us to areas we wouldn't have found on our own.
Be prepared to walk, listen and learn.
Our tour guide was quite good.
We followed up the next day with a tour of the old kgb headquarters where the your ended.
I love history and this guided tour gave me some wonderful information. Our guide Tadas, was very knowledgeable about Soviet occupancy here in Vilnius. This made the tour much more enjoyable, lots of walking so bring comfy shoes.
Very good tour and explanation of Vilnius during Soviet times. Got a much better appreciation for life and events then.
We had an interesting walk with Ieva. Despite the serious undertone, the atmosphere was light. It covered many sides of life under Soviet rule as well as the way to independence for Lithuania.
The tour was interesting and informative. The guide gave us a lot of insights and prospectives as a local. We recommend the tour.
This is a must for anyone interested in the history of lithuania and the soviet union. They guide was also very knowledgeable and friendly.
Great view of life in Lithuania as a Republic of the Soviet Union. The architecture and the stories of everyday life were very interesting.
Great tour and very informative - guide was able to deliver his information and respond to any questions confidently - a very enjoyable tour and recommended!
The tour lacks content. Apart from the, derelict and fenced off, palace of culture there is not a great deal to see. The tour lasts for just under 3 hours and there really isn’t enough to justify this time.
The information provided by the guide was repetitive and superficial. If you have any prior knowledge of the Cold War/ Soviet occupation of the Baltic states it is not an informative experience.
My high School-aged daughter and I loved this tour. We’re both history buffs, so it was right up our alley.
A fun experience, finding out lots of interesting facts and stories. Our guide, Tadas knew his stuff. The pace was good too.
This tour gave me a better understanding of life in Vilnius during its Soviet occupation. This was a great opportunity to better understand Soviet architecture beyond the typical brutalist buildings.
Having a tour guide who was local to Vilnius truly enriched this experience as he was able to provide stories from his family and their experience as well as historical facts.
Altogether, I was really happy with this tour.
Guide provided very clear descriptions of what life was really like in the Soviet years. His honest and direct observations provided a damning indictment on the true and horrific reality of life under Communism.
Indrie was a great guide. She was accessible and open to questions. It was eye-opening to learn about Vilnius during the Communist period and I followed up with a recommended visit to the KGB Museum (harrowing!)
Very educational tour covering interesting sites. The tour guide did a great job explaining the country’s history and describing life in Lithuania during USSR. Loved the stop at Skalvija cinema, unchanged since the Soviet times.
We were so pleased to join the tour, get out of the city and learn new things! And, we did. The tour is a "walk, stop, see the sight, share history, walk", very methodical. The hardest part for me was the guide wasn't even alive during the Soviet times. Not that someone younger cannot learn history and share it, but a part of the tour was how people lived during that time, what was life like and someone else from our tour ended up sharing their experience, which brought it to life much more. What I did appreciate was that we walked a great deal, covered ground and were shown places to go investigate more.
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Regular walking tour of Soviet Vilnius
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