Soviet Times in Vilnius: Private Walking Tour with Local Expert and Lunch

Step back in time and explore the Soviet era in Vilnius with a private walking tour. Discover the city’s history, hear personal stories, and indulge in Soviet dishes. Uncover oddities, propaganda, and more!

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Town Hall (Rotuse) - Meet your Comrade guide on the steps into Vilnius Town Hall, next to the Tourism Information Office.
    Hear the introduction into historical context of USSR creation, stages of planned economy according the eras of Communist party leaders Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev.
  • Vokiečių gatvė - Beginning our walking tour at the beginning of Vokiečių (Germans) street and finding out how this once main but still narrow street (9 m wide) of Vilnius Old Town as was widened 4 times to meet the criteria of avenues of Soviet ideology. Entering the biggest backyard of the street to discover more of Stalin’s Soviet ideology – why all nations and people are equal but some are more equal than others and Cold War bomb shelters for those “more equals”.
  • Rūdninkų gatvė - Rudininkai Square – Here you will get introduced to painful history of Ghettos, Holocaust and deportations to Siberia. Find out what targets Soviets have reached by systematically deporting and relocating whole nations.
  • The Egg - Hear the story how Church was separated from the state and the belief in the Party substituted belief in God and how Lithuanians resisted this replacement and cancellation of Christmas celebration. Stay in constant “Wow!” listening about the culture of cues by grocery shops, lack of food and household products, reflected in the stories of personal experiences.
  • Šv. Stepono gatvė - While passing St. Stephen’s street observe the buildings and discover the principles of Soviet communal housing – its peculiarities and “culture”, decades-long cues to get the tiny apartment from the state and how we have raised our children and grandchildren while waiting.
  • Vilnius Šopeno gatvė - Lunch in Soviet-style café-canteen – now, Comrades, let’s have a lunch and experience Soviet service. Hear the stories of food chain in USSR.
    P.S. Food is edible and goes better with shot of vodka or pint of beer (in fact Soviet era dishes are quite delicious :)
  • Kablys - The Hook (former Palace of Railway Workers)
    Get hooked on the absurdities of Soviet regime - various “palaces”/public spaces where Homo Sovieticus had to spend his/her leisure time participating in various workshops and classes, watching Soviet movies and attending propaganda-filled meetings.
  • Loftas - We will continue strolling on Kaunas street, observing Soviet architecture and approaching industrial district where factories were producing mix of civil/military products.
    We unveil to you some secrets and classified facts.
  • Švitrigailos gatvė - Trolley bus ride – unforgettable experience first time in the life for many of you.
  • Vilniaus m. savivaldybes administracija, civilines metrikacijos skyrius - Palace of Marriages – another “palace” with its odd traditions and purpose to lead you not to the happiness but to regulated family life – for many - pure survival in order to advance in the cue for state housing. Find out why there was no sex in USSR.
  • Tauras Hill - Enjoy mesmerizing panoramic views to the City from Taurus Hill and discover another “palace” – The Palace of Unions, hear the stories about purpose and function of unions in Soviet Union. Observe the KGB eavesdrop free pub, KGB eavesdrop full hotel, TV Tower, Parliament. Find out more about Perestroika and Lithuania’s Way of Freedom, Singing Revolution and Declaration of Independence.
  • KGB Museum (Genocido Auku Muziejus) - We conclude our tour by this gloomy building with the darkest history and let you go to spend time on your own in one of most visited museums in Lithuania.
    Farewell Friends!
What's Included
  • Public transportation ticket included
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Tickets to KGB museum (6€ pp)
Additional Information

As it is a private tour you will get personal attention from a local expert guide. Discover history of the city and whole country along with personal stories of the life behind Iron Curtain while observing architecture and trying dishes from Soviet era in former Soviet style canteen (it will cost ~18 Eur/person to experience formerly cheap food/drink). Find out why kitchens in Soviet blocks were limited to 9 square meters in size, why canned green peas and mayonnaise were top products at that time and why only civil registration of marriage could guarantee the happiness in your marriage, how taxi drivers created new wedding traditions, and why there was no sex in the Soviet Union! Have 15 Eur on hands for a brunch in Soviet style canteen that will make you satiated and temporary happy. Learn about many oddities, quirky rules, misleading propaganda, state lies and real deprivation. Expect to get much more than from a regular join-in tour, get an unbiased advise and make a new friend.

Location
Vilnius Town Hall
Didžioji gatvė
Vilnius Town Hall is located in one of main squares of city's Old Town - easy reachable by foot from any hotel located in the city center .
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
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(4 Ratings)
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Jennysv5418eb
Sep 17, 2023
Informative and unique tour - Very good experience for our first trip to Lithuania visiting Vilnius. Victoria was an excellent friendly guide and educator with superb English skills. She handled all of our questions and spoke knowledgeably about Vilnius under communism and the many economic and social changes after the Soviet occupation. We savored the snacks she suggested we try at the cafe and enjoyed the entire conversational tour with her insights. We both came away with a deeper appreciation for the local history and I recommend this tour as an outstanding value for the price and time. Thank you, Victoria!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Donnief825
Aug 8, 2023
Great learning experience with a wonderful guide - This was an excellent tour that really helped us gain an understanding of such a big part of Lithuanian history and helped us orient to Vilnius. Our tour guide Victoria was very knowledgeable and friendly. We navigated the pouring rain, got soaked, and yet enjoyed every minute. Definitely a good tour for those interested in spending the day learning rather than just seeing things. It was one of the highlights of our trip!
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T4469nikevinv
Mar 15, 2023
Great time learning about Soviet Times in Lithuania! - We were very lucky to have this personal tour given by our great guide Viktorija! Very informative and fun! I would highly recommend Private Baltics for a tour, we did a Vilnius Old Town tour the day before which was excellent as well. We ended at the KGB museum and I very much recommend visiting there afterwards. While it's disturbing (the lower level prison) the history lesson is priceless and interesting.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Etnedal
Dec 2, 2022
Unigue personal history tour of Soviet times in Vilnius - We have already been on this tour several times before with different groups of our friends and family. This timethe tour was better than ever. The start of the tour was totally changed , as we were allowed to visit a Nuclear Bomb shelter in the industrial area of the town. We were a group of 6 friends, where 4 of us had worked with radioactive products for many years. So the background for the visit for us was really inrteresting. But the reality was even more touching and scary To realise what the population had feared during the cold war and to see the preparation they had made for a coming catastrophy was very relevant to the times we live through now. The rest of the tour was as good as it always is, with Vilija as a super guide, who is really telling us about her and her own family's life in the sixties and the seventies. We are priveliged to have the possibfility to get this information in such a personal way. We must also point out the pleasure of having lunch together in a typical worker¨s canteen from that time. (Probably looking a bit smarter now then before) Interesting with typical and good food. But we have to admit that we are not used to a shot of vodka for lunch. However none of us had any problem to down the glass!!!! Thank you Vilija!!!!! We will come back for the tour next time we are in Vilnius, a return has already been planned for next spring!
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October 2024
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