Private Tour
Soviet Times in Vilnius - Private Walking Tour with Lunch
Overview
Available languages
3 hours
Mobile ticket
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.
Additional Info
Public transportation options are available nearby
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Public transportation ticket
Soviet style lunch
Ticket to KGB Museum
What To Expect
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.
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”.
Options
Soviet Times in Vilnius - Private Walking Tour with Lunch
Reviews
4 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Informative and unique tour
jennysV5418EB,
Sep 17, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Very 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!
Great learning experience with a wonderful guide
donnief825,
Aug 8, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This 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!
Great time learning about Soviet Times in Lithuania!
T4469NIkevinv,
Mar 15, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We 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.
Unigue personal history tour of Soviet times in Vilnius
Etnedal,
Dec 2, 2022
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We 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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Operated by Private Baltics