Jewish Vilnius Tour
This is popular! 113 travellers have booked this experience. |
12 EUR
Get acquainted with the community that earned Vilnius the nickname “the Jerusalem of Lithuania” and learn about the times that changed the face of the city forever.
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Available in
- English
Highlights
- Walk the streets of the former Jewish quarter
- Explore areas that were Jewish ghettos during World War II
- Get acquainted with litvaks – Lithuanian Jews
Description
Vilnius’ streets were once full of little shops with Yiddish and Polish names. There were more than 100 synagogues and houses of worship. Thousands of Jews wandered the narrow streets of their beloved city. There was a rivalry between Jewish and Catholic merchants and craftsmen. These are just some of the things you won’t see today, but were a big part of Vilnius, or Wilno, or Vilna…
We invite you to go back in time and remember the Jewish world that existed. Wander around the streets bearing traces of the community that earned Vilnius the nickname “the Jerusalem of Lithuania”.
Get acquainted with a Litvak (Lithuanian Jew) who was known for his love of learning, as well as some famous personalities including a Jewish doctor whom children adored, a Jewish genius who could only sleep for two hours a day and a stubborn Litvak who preferred studying more than socialising.
Visit the only synagogue that’s still in use today. Learn more about the time that had such disastrous consequences for Vilnius’ Jewish inhabitants and find out what happened to them while walking the streets of former Jewish ghettos.
Read moreWhat’s included & not included
- NB! Entrance to the synagogue - additional 1 EUR!
Meeting point
Left side of the stairs of Vilnius Town Hall (Didzioji g. 31) (On the stairs of Vilnius Town Hall)
Pickup options are available for private tour bookings.
Reviews from travellers (37)
Thankyou !!!!
she was also very relaxed and generous in allowing us to take part in the conversation
highly recommended
I had been reading in advance about the time in history when Vilnius was known as the Jerusalem of East Europe. Milda gave us a very good introduction to this period, and how the Jewish community in town lived through the centuries up until the begining of the Second World War. On our wals she took us into small, hidden courtyards to show us how family life had been and the dwellings of famous religious persons and artists.
Then the tour took on a much more dark atmosphere, as we walked through the areas of the town where the small and the large gettho had been located during the war. Not much remains of the buildings now, but wherever it was something to see, she pointed it out for us. It would have been impossible to find these remains without a local guide. The tour ended with a very interesting visit to the only fuctioning synagogue in Vilnius.
I can really reccommend this walking tour, as it gave a very good insight in both the glorious and the dark side of the Jewish history in Vilnius. Our guide Milda was absolutely excellent, and for a Norwegian it came as an extra bonus that she spoke Norwegian fluently! (The guiding was done in English for the benefit of the other participants, and her English was also outstanding)
This operator has 139 reviews for other tours
We had lots of fun and discovered really interesting things about the people, buildings and history of Vilnius.
So our advice will be... Come on! You won't regret it!
Lasse, Tiina, Kimmo and Anne from Finland.
- Full refund if you cancel up to 72 hours before the tour
- No booking fees
- Pay by credit card or PayPal
Tour operated by: Vilnius with Locals