Vilnius-Sightseeng Guided Tours

Tour № 1 – Šventaragis Valley

Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus & St. Vladislaus
Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanislaus & St. Vladislaus (inside, including the Chapel of St. Casimir, the Chapel of Deportees, the Gasztołd Chapel, the Royal Chapel, St. Wladislaw/Vladislaus/Ladislav Chapel, High alter, Memorial plague to the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas Magnus, the Sapieha Madona’s picture, etc)
Cathedral Basilica Bell Tower
Royal Palace of Lithuania (the Palace of Grand Dukes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania)
Upper Castle
Upper Castle’s West (Gediminas) Tower
Old Arsenal – Museum of Applied Art
New Arsenal – Lithuanian National Museum
Monument to King Mindaugas (1236-1263: Crowned King on July 6th, 1253)
Monument to Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas (1316-1341: the founder of Gediminian-Jagiellonian ruling dynasty)

Tour № 2 – Vilnius University & Monastery Quarter

Vilnius University – Historical Campus (est. 1579)
Vilnius University – the Bronze door of the Central Library
Vilnius University – Historical Campus (inside, including 12 university’s courtyards, Domus Philologiae, Smuglevičius Hall, White (Observatory) Hall, Lelewel Hall, Lithuanian Philology Centre, etc)
Vilnius University – Science Museum
St. Johns’ Church in the Great (Skarga) university’s Courtyard
St. Johns’ Church in the Great (Skarga) university’s Courtyard (inside, including Great alter, Altar of Maria of Loretto, Chapel of St. Anne, Altar of St. Victorino, Organ, several memorial plagues and frescos, etc)
St. Johns’ Church in the Great (Skarga) university’s Courtyard – Bell Tower
Dominican Street
University Street
St. John Street
Church of the Holy Cross and former Hospitaller Monastery
Monument to Laurinas Gucevičius (1753-1798)
Presidential Palace (Prezidentura)
Alumni (Alumnatas) Courtyard
Sanctuary of Divine Mercy
Church of the Holy Spirit and former Dominican Monastery
St. Ignatius Church and former Jesuit novitiate
Plaque for Righteous Among the Nations
Monument to Stanislaw Moniuszko (1819-1872)
St. Catherine’s Church and former Benedictine Monastery

Tour № 3 – From the Cathedral Basilica to Town Hall Square

Buildings of Pilies Street
House of the Signatories
Marija and Jurgis Šlapelis House Museum
Paraskeva Russian Orthodox Church
Pilies Street souvenir open market – What should you buy in Vilnius
Buildings of Didžioji (Great) Street
Vilnius Picture Gallery (Chodkiewicz Palace)
Stendhal House
Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church
Historical Town Hall
Buildings around the Square of Historical Town Hall
Former printing house of Francysk Skaryna (1486-1551) – the Magistrate House
Buildings of Savičiaus Street
Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis’ (1875-1911) Memorial Flat Museum
Church of Blessed Mary the Comforter and the Augustine Monastery
Kazys Varnelis’ (1917-2010) House Museum – Great and Small Guilds
Casimir Church
Buildings of Subačius Street
Bastion – an artillery fortification
Church of the Assumption and former Missionary Monastery

Tour № 4 – Quarter of Three Confessions

Buildings of Aušros Street
Radisson SAS Astorijos Hotel (former Italia hotel)
Building of National Philharmonic
Monument to Jonas Basanavičius (1851-1927) on the square in front of National Philharmonic
Memorial plaque to Ignacy Domeyko (1802-1889)
Baroque gate to Uniate Church of the Holy Trinity and former Basilian Monastery
Uniate Church of the Holy Trinity and former Basilian Monastery
Memorial plaque to Josaphat Kuncevic (St. Josaphat, 1580-1623)
Memorial plaque on the building of former Basilian Monastery where Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855) was imprisoned
Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit and monastery
Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit (inside, including the remains of the Three Vilnius Martyrs kept under a wooden canopy in front of the iconostasis)
Church of St. Teresa (of Ávila, Spain) and former Carmelite Monastery
Church of St. Teresa (of Ávila, Spain) (inside, including the church’s mural paintings, the Chapel of Pac’s family’s mausoleum, impressive, gently-curved church’s pulpit and the altar)
Chapel of the Gate of Dawn (Medininkų Gate)
The sacred picture of the Holy Virgin Mary in the Chapel of the Gate of Dawn (Medininkų Gate)
Votive objects in the Chapel of the Gate of Dawn (Medininkų Gate)
The Gate of Dawn (Medininkų Gate) from the southern side with a Renaissance composition of Vytis

Tour № 5 – Jewish Quarter

Small and Large Vilnius Jewish Ghettos
Monument to the Vilna Gaon
Mark Antokolski (1840-1902) House
Former Mattityahu Strashun (1817-1885) Jewish Library
Vokiečių gatvė (German Street)
Contemporary Art Centre
„Barbara“ sculpture
Monument in remembrance of Vilnius Ghetto martyrs and fighters in 1941-1943
Church of St. Nicholas
A sculpture of Vilnius Patron Saint Christopher in the yard of the Church of St. Nicholas
Evangelical Lutheran Church
Amatų gildija (Artisan guild) open ceramic workshop and gallery
Former Vilnius ghetto theatre 1941-1943
Former Gothic façade at Karmelitų gatvę (Carmelite Street)
Closed courtyards with open galleries, characteristic of Old Town architecture
Church of All Saints and former Carmelite Monastery
A section of Vilnius historical defensive wall
The sculpture named „Egg“
Monument to Tzemach Shabad (1864-1935)
Choral Synagogue
Church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mary and former Franciscan Monastery
Sculpture of the Holy Virgin Mary (The White Mother of God)
Suzin’s built Baroque-style family mausoleum chapel
A monument to Jozef Montwiłł (1850-1911)

Tour № 6 – Bends of the River Vilnia

Adam Mickiewicz’s Memorial Flat Museum
Church of St. Anne
Church of St. Francis and St. Bernardine
Chapel of the Holy Steps
Monument to Adam Mickiewicz
Church of St. Michael the Archangel
Adam Mickiewitz’s House
Sereikiškių Park
Amber Museum
Russian Orthodox Church of the Blessed Mother of God
„Angel of Užupis“ sculpture
Constitution of the „Republic of Užupis“
Church of St. Bartholomew
Bernardinų Cemetery

Tour № 7 – City Centre

Three Crosses Monument on the Three Crosses Hill
Church of St. Peter and St. Paul
Petras Vileišis Estate
Tuskulėnų Park with columbarium
A building of Lithuanian Energy
A building of Lithuanian Theatre, Music and Film (A Small Radziwiłł Palace)
A Great Radziwiłł Palace
Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum
Sculpture or Roman Gary
A monument to Frank Zappa
Museum of Genocide Victims (former KGB Headquarters)
A plaque to Chiune Sugihara

All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic

Church of St. Archangel Raphael

The church is an elegant late Baroque monument built-in 1702-1730. It is made even more attractive by an asymmetrical monastery ensemble in 1713-1730The towers date from the mid-18th century. They end in rococo domes with lanterns Both the church and the monastery belonged to the Jesuit Order. The monastery was intended for the Jesuit monks with 10 years of service experience seeking to become professed Jesiuts, i.e., to make the last ceremonial vowes All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

Church of St. Anne

Church of St. Anne (left) and Bernardine Church (right). The church of St. Anne is a unique monument of red firebrick Gothic architecture in LithuaniaSt. Anne Church, designed in 1495-1500 by Benedikt Rejt, built up at the turn of the 15th century, and renovated in 1902-1909. 35 different kinds of brick were used help in creating the church. The façade was reinforced in 1960-1970St. Anne Church - a church which French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to put on his palm and carry it over to Paris. The Church of St. Anne is symmetrical, marked by graceful, pointed forms that continue upwardAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

Literatų Street

An idea to designate this small street a memorial site to writers began to be implemented in 2008Literatų Street No. 5: The Piasecki house built in the late 18th century. In 1823, having arrived from Kaunas, Adam Mickiewicz resided here at the invitation of the parents of his friend Kazimierz Piasecki. On the pediment of the entry arch a memorial plaque with a Polish inscription is set up; plaques with Lithuanian and Russian inscriptions are set below on both sides of the arch In the 19th century there were many bookshops on this street, hence its nameAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

The Russian Street in Vilnius

The Grand Duke of Lithuania Sigismund (1432-1440), who ruled briefly after the death of his brother Vytautas the Great (died in 1430), granted equal rights to the Russian Orthodox believers living in the capital-city of Vilnius - before long they came to constitute one half of the members of the city board and guild elders In the Middle Ages Vilnius (today Old Town) was increasingly multy-national as it was the case with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as well. The city was, in fact, divided into four quarters according to the ethnic and religious belonging of its citizens: the German Quarter, the Russian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter, and the Tartar Quarter. Each of these city quarters had the main street named according to the ethnic belonging of their inhabitantsThe Russian Street in Old Town of Vilnius ends with the Russian Orthodox Cathedral (Sobor) of the Dormition of the Holy Mother ...

Evangelical Lutheran Church

This is the first Evangelical Lutheran Church (Kirche) built-in Vilnius in 1555 on the initiative of the Chancellor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Nicholas Radziwiłł the Black. In front of the church, there is a monument erected to Martin Luther The church was rebuilt in 1662 and substantially reconstructed in 1738-1744. In 1944 it was closed down. In 1993 it was returned to the parishioners and renovatedThe church has a single nave and an original pentagonal shape. Its magnificent high altar was designed by German Protestant architect Jan (Johan) Krzysztof GlaubitzAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

National Martynas Mažvydas Library

Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania is a national cultural institution open to all users, active in the areas of dissemination of information, culture, science, and education, performing library activities and ensuring implementation of the national information policy falling within its competence The mission of the library is to be the Lithuanian space of knowledge-creating value for the public The vision of the library: to become an integral part of the state's information policy, culture, education, science, and economic progressAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

Chapel of St. Casimir (interior)

The silver cofin of St. Casimir is under a plaster canopy accompanied by relics. Under the cofin is a miraculous painting in a silver frame, with a silver statue with the saint's attributes placed on the cofin. The relief features a very rare depiction of a smiling Blessed Virgin Mary with Baby JesusIn the chapel there are eight silver-plated wooden Baroque statues of the Kings and Grand Dukes of Poland and Lithuania from the Gediminid and Jagiellon dynasties from the 17th centuryThree-Handed Image of St. Casimir c. 1520. This painting is considered to be miraculous. In 1743 the painting was put into a silver, gold-plated framing. St. Casimir is holding lilies and a rosary, which are his symbolsAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania (Inside)

One of the meeting rooms in the library for public lectures, book presentations and discussionsOne of the exibition hallsOne of the Reading RoomsAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

The Verkiai Palace

Of the two wings, only the east one is open to the public. It is used as a venue for art-exhibitions, usually for work by contemporary artistsThe east wing was given a tower in the mid-19th century. As viewing a show, visitors can admire its lavishly decorated rooms, with their elaborate woodwork and intricately painted walls and ceilingsThe most magnificent building is the eastern maintenance building, in which the interiors of the second half of the 18th century have been restoredAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2021

Jewish Quarter (II)

Monument to the Gaon of Vilnius Elijah ben Solomon Zalman (1720-1797) called "Jewish Saga". The monument is located on the place where he lived. The house was destroyed during WWII and it was not restored. Nearby the monument there is a memorial plaque in Lithuanian and Hebrew on a building at Žydų (Jewish) Street Antokolski Street in Vilnius Old Town's Jewish Quarter. In this street the famous 19th century sculptor Mark Antokolski lived in 1843-1862. It was here he created his first sculptors depicting the inhabitants of his native quarter, which later gained recognitionMėsinių Street in Vilnius Old Town. That was one of the longest and most important street in the Jewish QuarterAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

Vilnius University Est. 1579

The Old Campus in the Old town - Rectorate building. On April 1st, 1579 the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Stephen Bathory issues a royal charter recognizing the Jesuit College into a universityThe Old Campus in the Old town - Rector's Office and former Astronomical Observatory building (right) and the Central Library building (left) with the Central Library Courtyard in front of the buildingsThe History Facutly building (left) and the Central Library building (right) with the arched gates to Mikalojus Dukša Courtyard (left) and Mathias Casimir Sarbievius Courtyard (forward). The Old Campus of the university has 13 courtyardsAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

Church of St. Jacob and Philip (1)

The church was built on the north side of the Lukiškių Square in 1624. However, the present building dates from the late 17th-18th cent.It is a single-nave Baroque church with cylindrical vaults. An image of the miraculous painting of the 18th century high altar occupies the niche above the porticoThe niches hold wooden 18th cent. statues of St. Hyacinth and St. Dominic. During the Soviet times there were designs to demolish the church but it did not ever happenAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

Dominican Church of the Holy Spirit (Interior)

The organ, made by famous German master Adam G. Casparini in 1776, is one of the most valuable cultural monuments of Lithuania. The organ itself is the only surviving original 18th-century instrument in LithuaniaThe church has many Baroque frescoes. In the cupola, there is a multi-figural composition "Apotheosis of the Holy Spirit" (neo-Baroque, 19th century)The altars and the pulpit are lavishly decorated with round and relief sculptures and ornamentation All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

Šiltadaržio St. in Vilnius

Šiltadaržio St. is ending at Bernardinų St.Art Printing House Culture Center with the Theater in the streetIn the streeet, there is a Toy Museum and other cultural atractionsAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

Church of St. Stephen

St. Lazarus' almshouse operated in this church, plague and famine victims were buried there. In 1715, the church and the monastery were given to the brethren of St. Rochus who tended to sick people, and in 1752 - to the sisters of MaryIn a cemetery at the church many outstanding people were buried, among others architect Laurynas Stuoka-Gucevičius. A memorial plaque to him is set up on the south façade of the church. However, later the cemetery was turned into a storage site of construction materialsThe church was severely damaged during a fire in 1794. The church was reconstructed and slightly transformed in 1801-1806. In 1864, the convent was closed down, and the buildings converted into a prisonAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

The Adam Mickiewicz Museum

In this house, belonging at the time to a university professor, Adam Mickiewicz stayed for a short period in 1822 and completed the poem "Gražina"It is small museum of three rooms but it is currently being expended. Among the exhibits are several portraits of Adam Mickiewicz and some period furniture, including a table and chair from Kaunas and a chair from Paris that the poet himself usedThe exhibition includes among the many volumes of his work in foreign languages, for instance, a Persian translation of his "Sonnets from the Crimea" All photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020

The House of Signatories (Karol Sztral’s House)

A museum operates today in the House of Signatories, along with a memorial hall where the act of Lithuania's independence was signed on February 16th, 1918 when Lithuania was under the German occupation and administration during WWI (1915-1918)The first floor of the house with statues symbolizing agriculture and fishing is very decorative. Niches on the second floor hold two male bustsHaving acquired this house in the late 19th century, Karol Sztral reconstructed it according to architect Aleksei Polozov's project in the style of HistoricismAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

The Observatory Courtyard of the Vilnius University

One of the Latin inscriptions: "This house is that of Urania: be gone profane worries! Here the humble Earth is scorned: from here one rises to the stars"Here it was a Jesuit pharmacy. Medical herbs were grown in the courtyardThe buildings of the Observatory Courtyard are the oldest in the university ensembleAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2018

Vilnius Old Town Hall

The Town Hall hosted a court, archive, weapons depository, as well as a prison for artisans that had broken the law. Burgomasters also held meetings in the Town Hall, as did the Council of Merchants Since 1991, Vilnius Old Town Hall once again is functioning as a place for holding important events like art exhibitions, concerts, conferences, meetings, etcIn the Middle Ages, the Town Hall Square was a place where physical punishment was carried out. There were gallows and a scaffold nearby, where executions were carried outAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2019

Traditional Wooden Houses in Žvėrynas

One of the focal touristic attractions in the Žvėrynas district of Vilnius is the traditional type of the wooden houses coloured in different coloursŽvėrynas means "menagerie" or "beastland". In the 19th century a forest grew in this areaSince 1893, the process of urbanization of the district of Žvėrynas started with the building of wooden and brick villas and summerhouses. Today, this district of Vilnius is a prestigiuos residential part of the capitalAll photos are copyrighted by Vladislav B. Sotirovic© Vladislav B. Sotirovic 2020