Touring in Vilnius

I'm leaving for Vilnius on Monday, Aug. 29th,
and will be there one full day before the Tauck Tour start.
Any suggestions as to what I should see or do that is not
going to be covered by Tauck? Thanks

Comments

  • Trip Advisor has a nice list of things to do in Vilnius and you can compare that to the Tauck itinerary. We are planning to go in early June 2012 and wish Tauck would finally post the prices for 2012! Let me know if you do tour what you saw that was worthwhile, please.
  • We are booked on the June 13 trip. What date are you thinking about?
  • We're going on the July 11th tour. We've never traveled on Tauck before so are excited to try a new tour company. Any opinions from experienced Tauck travelers?
  • Judy and Dartmom, how are you booked for 2012? I don't see dates or prices posted yet.
  • edited September 2011
    You can call Tauck and they will give you the dates for 2012. The prices and any itinerary changes are not out yet but you can book and give a deposit and I think you have something like 10 days after you receive the final price and itinerary to cancel with no penalty. We chose to go in June because we really want to be there for the White Nights!
  • judy05 wrote:
    We are booked on the June 13 trip. What date are you thinking about?
    We are going to book this week, but I think for the June 6 start. We will go in one day early and do some touring in Vilnius and stay one day after in Moscow!
  • We (Ian and Robina) from Canberra, Australia, are booked to join the tour 13 June and will be arriving a day early in Vilnius. Look forward to catching up with those who are arriving early also.
  • Hi Ian and Robina!

    Looking forward to meeting you! If you would like to correspond before the tour -- please email me at shankrj@aol.com

    Judy
  • Hi Judy 05 and Ian, we are also booked on the June 13th trip. We are arriving on the 11th...Gene,Doree,Elaine and Jerry. We are planning to do a private tour those days... the 12th and 13 th...would you want to join us?
  • Nice to "meet" you -- and thanks so much for offering to include us! We haven't really thought too much yet about what we are going to do in Vilnius. Do you know where you are planning on touring? Friends from our Israel and Jordan tour will also be on this Russia tour -- so now we can account for 10 people on this trip! Pretty amazing given that so few people post on these boards! I would love to talk more. Please email me at shankrj@aol.com.
  • We took the Baltic Treasures Tour in July 2010 and also arrived in Vilnius one day early.

    On the afternoon of our arrival day we walked from our hotel through old town and up to "the castle" that you can see from everywhere in old town for some beautiful views. Its a nice stroll and an moderate uphill walk on a cobblestone/gravel path.

    The next day, before the welcome dinner we walked from our hotel through the old Jewish Quarter to the Old Synagogue. It appeared locked, so we rang the bell and a lovely gentleman opened the gate and ushered us in for a private viewing. From there we walked to the newly opened Jewish museum and a nearby restaurant for a wonderful lunch. (sorry, can't remember the name, but it was on the next corner). We looked for the statue of Frank Zappa which is supposed to be nearby, but we never found it. To balance things out we walked into some of the beautiful churches that we passed, and in the early evening we walked to the town gates. The "official" tour did take us past some of the churches, and the gates, but if you want an inside or personal look you won't have the time unless you do it by yourself. Dinner that first night was at a local "game" restaurant, a short walk from our hotel.

    On one of our free evenings in St. Petersburg we dined at the "Old Custom House". DO NOT take the hotel car to the restaurant, take a cab. The restaurant and the cab ride are expensive, but the food is worth it. Our friends also went to the "Pushkin" restaurant( in Moscow?) and raved about it. They said it was very expensive.

    We loved this tour, and saw an amazing amount, but of course, we couldn't see everything and had very little time to recharge. Remember, in the summer it doesn't get dark until almost 11 PM. (We were taking pictures without flash!) It did get unseasonably hot in ST. Petersburg and in Moscow (in the 90's) so be prepared for some hot weather.
  • Thanks so much for your post! Very helpful information!!
  • gene11 wrote:
    Hi Judy 05 and Ian, we are also booked on the June 13th trip. We are arriving on the 11th...Gene,Doree,Elaine and Jerry. We are planning to do a private tour those days... the 12th and 13 th...would you want to join us?

    Hi Gene, Doree, Elaine & Jerry - look forward to meeting you in Vilnius - we would be interested in knowing what private tour might be available on 13 June since we wont arrive in Vilnius until after midday on 12 June. We haven't done much research as yet - but will get on to that very soon!
    Ian and Robina (Canberra, Australia)
  • My husband and I and two other couples with whom we often travel are booked on the June 5th-6th trip. We will arrive one day early and are in contact with two companies about taking us on a Jewish Heritage tour and getting us back in time for the welcome dinner. in Vilnius.

    Thanks for the info about places to eat. The New York Times Travel Section has articles about Riga (2007), Moscow (2010), Vilnius (2007), and Tallinn from 3/11/2012! They are available online. They are helpful and interesting. Epicurious.com has an article about Moscow's Best Restaurants, From Formal to Funky from 3/17/2011 by Colleen Clark. I found it very really good, too.
  • To SusiQ34683 - What companies did you contact for the Jewish Heritage Tour in Vilnius? Can you give the contact information? Thanks for the NY Times info - will try to find the articles. I'd love to hear back from you re: the trip, weather, etc. We are scheduled to go on the Aug. 22 departure.
  • My wife and I have an extra day in Vilnius and would like to take a Jewish Heritage tour. Can anyone recommend a tour guide/company, preferably one we can contact before we leave?
  • we took a jewish walking tour the day the tauck tour started and it was wonderful. Justine was our guide and my wife and i, both children of survivors, thought she was excellent. here's the email address of the tour company info@senamiesciogidas.lt. i arranged the tour through the hotel and suggest you do that too: fo.vilnius@radissonblu.com. I charged the tour on my visa card and it was $144 for about 2.5 hours or so.


    Receptionist
    Radisson BLU Astorija Hotel
    T: +370 5 2120 110, D: +370 5 2120 110
    F: +370 5 2121 762
    fo.vilnius@radissonblu.com
    www.radissonblu.com
    Viesbutis / Radisson Blu Astorija Hotel

    Įmonės pavadinimas / Company name: UAB "AAA Astorija"
    Įmonės kodas / Company reg. code: 126000460
    PVM mok. kodas/ VAT code: LT260004610
    Adresas / Address: Didzioji 35/2, 01128 Vilnius, Lithuania
  • Mike, did your Jewish walking tour cover just the Old Town or did you go to the newer parts of Vilnius as well? Does the Tauck tour cover any Jewish sites in Vilnius? Also, was it $144 USD or 144 Euros? Am I correct that this charge was not per person but for the both of you? Your posts have been very informative. We leave this week for our tour.
  • Hi. The tour we took with Justine included a car with a driver and after we walked around, we toured Jewish sites outside the old city including the cemetery (it's active...there was a funeral when we were there!). The $144 was the amount on my credit card for the two of us and we tipped them too. if you haven't looked yet, our blog describes what we saw: http://russia.meshbiz.com

    have a great trip. you're going to love it!
  • We have a tour set up for Aug 8 with a Jewish historian. There is no set itinerary.
  • Mike, thank you for posting that wonderful blog and for your recommendation for the Jewish walking tour. We have booked a tour with Justine as our guide. We are looking forward to it. Any other suggestions, recommendations or hints for this Tauck Tour? Anything you would make sure to bring or not bother bringing?
  • @lovesgolf1, that's great that you'll tour with Justine. Say hi for us!

    Definitely bring a jacket that you can wear in the rain. We had a couple of days that were wet. The hotels had umbrellas for us and we needed the jackets too (sideways rain trumps umbrellas). Bring an extra memory card for your camera(s). We brought workout clothes, thinking we would exercise in the hotel gyms. We worked out twice...the gyms are meh and you have little time so don't bother.

    by the way, i love golf too and asked if there was a course anywhere near the tour where we could get in 9 holes. the answer was no!

    travel easily and i look forward to hearing how your trip went!

    m
  • We just returned from the Russian Glories, Baltic Treasures tour and it was wonderful. Mike and Debbie posted a great synopsis of the tour in their blog. We booked Justina for a private Jewish Heritage tour in Vilnius and she was fantastic. We also ate at the three restaurants that Mike and Debbie recommended...one in Vilnius, one in Riga and one in St. Petersburg and all were great. Thank you both Mike and Debbie for all of your wonderful suggestions.
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