expedia
One Key

Earn OneKeyCash when you sign in and book an activity

A group of people standing in a courtyard with a historic building in the background. 1
A fresco with three figures, one central and two on either side, in a religious or historical setting. 2
A church with a bell tower and statues on top. 3
A building with ornate architectural details, including a decorative balcony and a large arched entrance. 4
A multi-tiered building with ornate architectural details and a clear blue sky in the background. 5
By Simonas Strelcovas
Free cancellation available
The previous price was NZ$71 and current price is NZ$49 per adult

Features

  • Free cancellation available
  • 2h
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation

Overview

  • They kept a snake in the house and fed it milk by hand; killing it brought disaster. That is where the walk opens, at the Bastion, with the Basilisk the city invented to explain its dead. From there: the Gate of Dawn and its wall of 8,000 silver hearts, legs and eyes left to buy a cure from heaven; three martyrs killed in 1347 whose bodies still refuse to decay; the Basilian Gate, built by the church that went over to Rome in 1596 to keep Moscow from claiming it; St Casimir's, built by a son to undo the nation his father turned Protestant; where Stendhal watched Napoleon's army freeze in 1812; the lane where a mob burned the rival church; and Cathedral Square, where a pagan fire burns under the cathedral of the last country in Europe to give up its gods.

    Led by Dr Simonas Strelcovas, PhD historian and former museum director, from his own research, not a script. Not what year a building went up, but how ordinary people believed. For curious travellers and readers of history.

Activity location

  • Artillery Bastion (Basteja)
    • Boksto G. 20,
    • 01126, Vilnius, Lithuania

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • Bastion of the Vilnius Defensive Wall
    • 20 Bokšto gatvė
    • 01126, Vilnius, Vilniaus apskritis, Lithuania

Check availability

Heaven Hell & the Snake Walking Tour by PhD Historian in Vilnius

  • Activity duration is 2 hours2h
    2h
  • English
Language options: English
Price details
NZ$70.15
NZ$49.11 x 1 AdultNZ$49.11
Total
The previous price was NZ$70.15 and current price is NZ$49.11
30% off

What's included, what's not

  • Inclusions
    A ~2-hour guided walking lecture in English, led by a PhD historian
  • Exclusions
    Meals
  • Exclusions
    Any optional church donation

Know before you book

    • Service animals allowed
    • Public transport options are available nearby
    • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Activity itinerary

Artillery Bastion (Basteja)

  • 15m
This is the meeting point and the tour's opening scene — the site of the pagan household snake, once fed milk by hand as a sacred guardian, and the reputed lair of the Basilisk of Vilnius, a monster whose gaze alone could kill.

Gate of Dawn

  • 15m
The miracle icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the wall of roughly 8,000 silver votive offerings — hearts, legs, eyes — left by pilgrims seeking a cure, viewed from the street and the chapel entrance.

Orthodox Church of the Holy Spirit

  • 15m
The resting place of the three martyrs of 1347 — the holy dead whose bodies, tradition holds, never decayed.

Holy Trinity Church and Basilian Gate

  • 15m
The gate and former Uniate church, created after Vilnius's Orthodox congregations entered union with Rome in 1596 while keeping their Eastern rite.

Church of St. Casimir

  • 15m
The first Baroque church built in Vilnius, and the storey of the family that turned the nation Protestant and back again within two generations.

Didzioji Gatve

  • 15m
The building where a young French officer, Henri Beyle — later famous as the novelist Stendhal — took shelter during Napoleon's frozen 1812 retreat. Thousands in army's mass grave, found in 2001.

St. Michael's Church (Sv. Mykolo Baznycia)

  • 15m
Two rival churches facing off across one narrow lane, and the mob confrontation that settled the dispute between them.

Vilnius Cathedral Square

  • 15m
The saint whose body reportedly never decayed, the mysterious three-handed painting, the pagan temple believed to lie beneath the cathedral, and the eternal flame marking the last pagan state in Europe. The walk ends here.

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    Artillery Bastion (Basteja)
    • Boksto G. 20,
    • 01126, Vilnius, Lithuania

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    Bastion of the Vilnius Defensive Wall
    • 20 Bokšto gatvė
    • 01126, Vilnius, Vilniaus apskritis, Lithuania

Best Deals on Things to Do

Experience the wonders of the world up close with great deals on things to do near and far. Expedia offers one-of-a-kind activities that allow you to explore Vilnius your way. Whether you love nature, culture, food or a bit of adventure, we have the perfect activity for you.

Top experiences in Vilnius

With so many activities in Vilnius, planning the perfect day out may seem like a daunting task. Expedia is here to take the hassle out of finding the best attractions, tours and activities in Vilnius. Families, couples and business travellers can all find the perfect activity in Vilnius to create life-long memories with the help of Expedia.