Tour out of Vilnius: Paneriai holocaust park, Trakai, Kaunas
Description
Three Highlights in One Day – Discover Lithuania’s cultural, historical, and spiritual treasures: the baroque elegance of Pažaislis Monastery, the medieval charm of Kaunas Old Town, and the fairytale setting of Trakai Island Castle. • Balanced Itinerary – Carefully planned route with enough time to explore each site without feeling rushed, while still covering a large part of central Lithuania in a single trip. • History & Reflection – Combine uplifting experiences of castles and monasteries with a meaningful visit to the Paneriai Memorial, one of the most important WWII remembrance sites in the country. • Scenic Journey – Travel through Lithuania’s beautiful countryside, passing lakes, rivers, and forests, making the trip itself part of the experience. • Private & Flexible – Unlike group tours, enjoy a more personalized experience with flexibility to adjust stops and pace along the way.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Stop at one of the most impressive baroque monastery's in Baltic states. Pazaislis monastery is closed on Mondays, only outside visit is possible.
During this private day tour you will be able to explore the most interesting sites in the surrounding areas of Vilnius. The tour will start from Paneriai memorial park, where thousands of Jews from Wilna were killed. The Paneriai or Ponary massacre was the mass murder of up to 100,000 people by German SD, SS and Lithuanian Nazi collaborators, during World War II. The murders took place between July 1941 and August 1944 near the railway station of Ponary, now known as Paneriai, a suburb of what is today Vilnius, Lithuania.
After, the group will head to the temporal capital of Lithuania - Kaunas, which is second largest town in Lithuania today. You will also visit Pazaislis monastery. After this, you will head back to your accomodation in Vilnius.
After the holocaust site tour will head to second capital of Lithuania, where today the most beautyfull castle in the Europe stands, on the island in the lake. Here will be the possibility to have lunch in traditional Karaim restaurant, or make boat trip around the lake. From October to May Trakai castle is closed on Mondays, only outside visit is possible. December and January Trakai castle is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, only outside visit is possible. Possible boat ride, and lunch
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Any guest accommodation place in Vilnius
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(31)
Thank you Cyrus for a wonderful day and appreciate the flexibility as we navigated through the schedule.
Thank you so much, Andrew, for your kind review! It was a real pleasure spending the day with you. I’m glad we could keep the itinerary flexible and make the most of your time in Lithuania. I hope the memories of Paneriai, Trakai, and Kaunas stay with you for a long time. Wishing you safe travels, and you’re always welcome back to Lithuania!
The tour is well organized, and our driver was able to adapt to the traffic conditions: marathon in Vilnius, medieval festival in Kaunas, and the first sunny Saturday in May. As a result, we did not go to Paneriai (we had visited the Museum of Occupations and Struggles for Freedom the day before). In Kaunas, we had to manage on our own for the visit and to find our driver; the castle is not interesting. Upon arriving at Trakai Castle, there were far too many people. Our driver was able to arrange a private boat tour at our request. We then visited the castle on our own, which is also of little interest. On the other hand, the scenery is very beautiful, and the boat ride, although very short (20 to 25 minutes), is very pleasant. In summary, we had a very pleasant driver, but he was not a guide; this tour mainly allows you to see the surroundings of Vilnius.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are pleased that you appreciated the organization of the tour and our guide’s ability to adapt to the exceptional circumstances on that day, including the Vilnius marathon, the medieval festival in Kaunas, and the unusually large crowds in Trakai. We would, however, like to clarify that your companion for the day was indeed a licensed guide, not only a driver. He provided guided visits in Paneriai and at the Pažaislis Monastery. Due to road closures, traffic restrictions, and the large public events taking place in Kaunas, it was unfortunately not always possible for the guide to accompany the group on foot throughout every part of the city visit. We are also glad that we were able to arrange a private boat trip in Trakai at your request despite the exceptionally busy conditions. While we understand that the appeal of historical sites can be a matter of personal preference, we are pleased that you enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and the boat experience. Thank you again for visiting Lithuania with us, and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you again in the future.
Very well planned and executed day with delightful options with which to modify the program to align my interests.
Thank you very much for your wonderful review! We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your day tour to Paneriai, Trakai, and Kaunas. Our team works hard to design well-planned programs while allowing flexibility to tailor the experience to each guest’s interests, so it is especially rewarding to know that this made your day meaningful. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back to Lithuania again in the future!
Ms Jurate was wonderful, a well of information on all subjects (historical, political…), we had a private tour on a beautiful day. she gave me the desire to come back (in the summer). The travel arrangements were comfortable and Ms Jurate is a very good driver, we felt very sure
Dear Nathalie, Thank you very much for your kind and thoughtful review. We are truly happy to hear that you had such a positive experience and that we made the tour memorable for you with her knowledge, care, and professionalism. It means a lot to us that the tour inspired you to return to Lithuania — we would be delighted to welcome you again, especially in the summer. Thank you for choosing us and for taking the time to share your experience. Warm regards,
Try to request a top rated guide. We found storytelling to be a weak point and as that was the most critical driver to our enjoyment of the tour, it made for a disappointing experience overall. We also found the day and schedule a bit rushed especially in Kaunas where a bit of free time to wander would have been great. Our guide joined us for lunch too, which was unexpected. The vehicle was a bit banged up, and that was disconcerting given the expressway drives and slick roads in winter.
eedback. We’re genuinely sorry to hear that the experience did not meet your expectations. Storytelling and historical context are indeed essential elements of this tour, and we regret that this aspect felt weak for you. Your comment has been taken seriously, and we will be reinforcing our internal standards to ensure that guides assigned to long, history-focused itineraries consistently deliver engaging and in-depth narration. Regarding the pace of the day, this itinerary does involve covering several destinations in one tour, but we fully understand your point about Kaunas benefiting from more free time. We will review the timing to see where the schedule can be adjusted to allow guests more flexibility and opportunity to explore independently. We also apologize if the guide joining for lunch felt uncomfortable or unexpected — this is not intended to intrude on guests’ personal time, and we will clarify this practice with our team to better respect guest preferences. Concerning the vehicle, safety is our top priority. While all vehicles used meet legal and technical requirements, we understand that appearance and comfort are important for peace of mind, especially in winter conditions. Your comment has been forwarded for review to ensure our transport standards fully align with guest expectations. We truly appreciate your honest feedback, as it helps us improve. We regret that this tour fell short for you and thank you again for sharing your experience.
Cyril was an excellent guide/driver. Very knowledgeable about the places we visited and gave informative descriptions. He was also flexible as it was only the two of us on the tour.
Thank you so much, Christopher! It was a real pleasure guiding you both through Paneriai, Trakai, and Kaunas. I’m very glad you enjoyed the tour and the stories along the way. Wishing you many more great travels ahead!
Excellent tour and a FANTASTIC guide. Interesting sights. great use of time. This tour took all day, and was well worth the $$
Thank you so much, Brian! 🙏 I’m really glad you enjoyed the tour and found it worthwhile. It was a pleasure guiding you through Paneriai, Trakai, and Kaunas — so much history and beauty in one day! Wishing you many more great travels ahead! 🌍✨
Kaunas nice city with wonderful Ciurlionis museum. Guide very flexible with schedule and cater to our interests.
Thank you, Monica, for sharing your experience! We’re glad you enjoyed Kaunas and the wonderful Čiurlionis Museum. It’s great to hear that the flexible schedule and personalized approach made the tour even more enjoyable for you. We hope to see you again for more discoveries in Lithuania!
Snega was wonderful, car travel was comfortable. We very much enjoyed Kaunas and Panerai memorial park was moving .
Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your experience! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour, found the car travel comfortable, and appreciated Snega’s guidance. Paneriai Holocaust Park is indeed a moving place, and we’re glad Kaunas left a positive impression as well. We hope to welcome you back for more memorable journeys in Lithuania!
An extremely informative tour. Glad we could do it as a couple and not necessarily in a group. Our guide/driver answered all questions clearly.
Beste gast, Hartelijk dank voor uw mooie woorden en dat u de tijd heeft genomen om deze review te schrijven! We zijn erg blij te horen dat u de tour als informatief en aangenaam heeft ervaren, en dat de privésetting goed bevallen is. Onze gids doet altijd zijn best om elke vraag helder en met zorg te beantwoorden – fijn dat dit gewaardeerd werd. U bent altijd van harte welkom terug in Vilnius of op een van onze andere routes! Met vriendelijke groet,
