This Grutas Park and Dzukija National Park tour could be customized and include A. Cesnulis wooden sculpture park.
If you are looking for the national parks tour, please check tours to Curonian Spit National Park, Trakai Historical National Park or Zemaitija National Park.
Get a true taste of Lithuanian countryside on this day trip to Grutas Park and Dzukija National Park. The local guide will lead you through the pretty old villages, architectural and cultural monuments, natural gifts and scenic landscape. On your stop at Grutas Park, you’ll be familiar with the policies of the Soviet goverment, crimes and ideological Soviet propaganda culture.
Vilnius centrally located hotel, apartments, etc.
Vilnius centrally located hotel, apartments, etc.
09:00 am
The tour starts from the centrally located hotel or other pick-up point. Then move to the south part of Lithuania, which is offen called Dzukija. Passing through Zervynos village one of the oldest ethnographic villages in Lithuania, which was developed in the middle of XVIII century. There are 52 homesteads, 8 homesteads, 32 separate ornamented buildings have cultural monument status. Later on visiting the Ula Eye, 4m long and 3,4m wide long pond, which is declared an object of natural heritage. The water in the Ula Eye bubbles slightly continually and it is said to be as transparent as a teardrop.
This Soviet-theme park was created in the wetlands of Dzūkija National Park and is recognized as as one of the top ten weirdest museums in the world. The exhibition reveals the negative content of the Soviet ideology, it’s impact on the value system and allows the Lithuanian people, visitors coming to our country and future generations to see the naked Soviet ideology which was suppressing and hurting the spirit of our nation for many decades. The park has more than 100 pompous sculptures of Soviet political leaders. They reveal the comically hyperbolic Soviet political cult worship. Upon arrival to Grutas Park, you can also visit the art gallery, museums, the exhibitions of which reveal that craftily designed Soviet propaganda machine, which was damaging the modern society from birth to death. All 20 hectares of the park area is reminiscent of severe Siberia conditions with its guard towers, fragments of concentration camps and other Soviet elements plentiful all over the place.
Lunch at the local restaurant.
Liskiava’s XVII century’s architectural ensemble is situated on the left bank of river Nemunas, 8km (5 miles) from another famous town Druskininkai. It is a baroque style pearl in southern Lithuania, being richly visited by tourists from all over the world, as well as from Lithuania. The dominant structure of the whole ensemble is Saint Trinity church, the creation of the late glorious baroque.
The trip is continued on Merkine town, which is located at the confluence of the Merkys and Nemunas rivers. The town is the location of The Mount of Queen Bona, a mound which was the site of an ancient hill-fort overlooking the rivers. Visiting Merkine observation tower. There visitors could see beautiful vistas from it—the river itself, the island, vast forests of the Dzukija region…
Transfer to Vilnius and drop off at your hotel/apartments or other central place.
Thanks to our guide Andrius, we learned a lot about what living in the rural Lithuania was like over the past century or more. We learned the some of the small towns continue to be lived in as they have been over the centuries. We especially liked visiting Zervinos and learning about Lithuanian traditions that live on. We also had the opportunity to visit Grutas Park, which presented a disturbing look at life under Soviet rule after the end of WWII.
Trip Out of Vilnius
Basically, a nice, leisurely trip .. good for a chance to see more of the Lithuanian countryside. Trip went to forest area that excelled in wild mushrooms and berries. Tour included trip to outdoor museum of Soviet-era sculptures .. interesting to a point, but no need to see the entire park. Had lunhch in the “Soviet diner” that was only minimally tasty.
Good.