This was part of A weekend in the Baltics - Day 1 ๐ฑ๐น ๐.
I made it just in time to join the Old Town Free Tour by Vilnius Free Walking Tours at 10:30 AM. Our guide was Ugnฤ. She started by telling a little bit about the history of Vilnius and Lithuania. She also told us about how the Lithuanian language has a lot of common roots with other languages, including Sanskrit; her name was very similar to the Sanskrit word agni, and both meant fire.
On our walk across town we saw the Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania and the Library Courtyard of Vilnius University.
We stopped at Alumnato kiemelis and then went to see the Gaon Monument. We were told about the Jewish history of Vilnius.
We saw the sculpture of the pagan god Medeinฤ and walked by the Church of St. Casimir to the Bastion of the Vilnius Defensive Wall from where we could see nice views of Vilnius and the Three Crosses monument.
Our next stop was across the Vilnia river, the self-declared Republic of Uลพupis with its own constitution and flag and all.
It was a bohemian neighborhood of art studios, boutiques and cafes.
We crossed the Vilnia river back into Vilnius to see St. Anne’s Church & St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church.
Our tour ended at Literatลณ Wall.
Ugnฤ gave us tips on what we could do for the rest of the day and places to eat. It was a great tour and I would definitely recommend it if you ever find yourself in Vilnius.
๐ฃ Old Town Free Tour