Let's go on date with Vilnius. Vilnius is great. The city is 700 years old - it is neither too young nor too old. Vilnius is interesting, multi-layered and always knows how to surprise. During the tour, we will discover the main spaces and stories of the city: about the prophetic dream of Duke Gediminas, about three castles of Vilnius, about Christianity which with difficulty made its way to pagan Lithuania, which later unfolded in a form of dozens of the most beautiful churches attracting pilgrims from all over the world. You will hear that Vilnius has long been famous for openness and tolerance. There were German, Jewish, and Ruthenian quarters in the city. We will pass by the campus of Vilnius University that is always alive, the nearby Presidential Palace, and, of course, we will meander through the narrow streets of the Old Town where craftsmen once lived, and today they are full of cosy cafes, boutiques and art galleries.

If it is not the first time you are in Vilnius, and you think you already know the most famous places of the city, we invite you to take a walk through the labyrinths of its courtyards, and take a look at what is happening behind the glossy facades of the city. We will show you shortcuts, which are known only to real Vilnius residents, and will discover spaces hidden from the hustle and bustle, which are covered with vines and smell of flowers in summer, where even old-timers of Vilnius stop out of the blue, because so many secrets and curiosities are hidden there: destroyed churches or those turned into homes, remains of defensive wall, old monastery courtyards, which were once enclosed, coloured mosaics, strange sculptures, wooden galleries, flower vases decorated with lizards, even modern art installations. This walk will reveal to you the true face and spirit of Vilnius. You will be revealed with the true face and spirit of Vilnius by this walk.

If, this time, you will have a couple of free hours in Vilnius, but want to see our city which is so rich, interesting and multi-layered, then this tour is just for you. During the tour, we will take a look at as many as three very different parts of Vilnius: the Old Town commemorating the founding of the city, the main street of Vilnius - Gediminas Avenue, which reflects the modernization and change of the 19th century, and Užupis - the colourful and witty part of the city, which was abandoned a few decades ago, but today loved by artists and bohemians. Historic, modern and bohemian. The parts of Vilnius that are so different, but situated so close to each other. Each of them reveals its own unique stories. At the same time, it is a great example of how people of different cultures, beliefs, interests and nationalities coexisted for centuries in our open and tolerant city.

For centuries, Yiddish could be heard in the streets of Vilnius. Jewish merchants invited passers-by to visit their stores and taverns. Hebrew prayers were heard in many synagogues of the city, and studies of the Torah in yeshivas did not stop until late at night, the professional Jewish theatre organised performances. Students having arrived from as far away as America studied at the famous JIVO institute. The library shelves were full of books, and the doors of the Jewish hospital were always open to the sick ones. This was how Vilnius, which was called Jerusalem of the North, could be described before the World War II. After having broken free from the occupations, we rushed to collect, to get to known, to protect and perpetuate the details and stories of this lost world, which we want to tell you. Meanwhile, places that smell of bagels, where Hanukkah candles are lit and the minyan gathers daily for prayer again appeared in Vilnius.

If you ask the locals of Užupis if they find it great to live in Vilnius, they would probably tell you that they live in the Republic of Užupis. Indeed, on 1 April 1998, or on the April Fools' Day, this part of Vilnius declared its separation from the city and its independence. So, don't be surprised if you will be offered to decorate your passports with Užupis visas when passing the border post - a souvenir shop, and to read the Constitution. Probably, no other part of Vilnius will tell such a colourful story like this: after World War II, the district, that once was the oldest suburb of Vilnius, and had enough space for a monastery, craftsmen, and even for a red-light district, has turned into one of the most dangerous and shabby parts of the city. Until, at last, it resurrected to a new, bright, colourful life full of art installations, performances, galleries, bars and good humour.

After the end of World War II, there was no peace, freedom and calm in Lithuania for another nearly 50 years. Several generations of our people were born and grew up in the land occupied by the Soviets. That was until Lithuania broke out from the blood-stained claws of the neighbour situated in the East in March 1990. The memories and testimonies of this period are still alive. And urban changes in the capital are still easy to notice. This narrative is not nostalgic. These are stories that are hard to believe for a person who did not live in the Soviet Union: the churches that were turned into warehouses, the Old Town which was being mercilessly destroyed, long queues in empty stores, the never-sleeping eye of the KGB, and the statues of Lenin in the squares. However, at the same time, this is a story about the struggle of our nation, its attempts to preserve what was most precious to its people, and the ability to create and remain oneself even in the absurd political context.