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Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights

Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights (KGB Museum)

Place · Gedimino Avenue & Lukiškės Square

Photo: Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0
Okupacijų ir laisvės kovų muziejusGedimino Avenue & Lukiškės Square, Vilniusgo at hour · Morningadmission: unknown

The former KGB building on Gedimino Avenue: 60–90 minutes; the basement cells and the exercise yard are the heart of it, and it is a heavy visit best done in the morning.

Time on site70–90 minp95 120 min
Priceabout €8–12 (≈ US$10–14)adult, 2026 estimate
Best hourMorningquietest window
28″ bagsYes OKGedimino Avenue & Lukiškės Square
Step-freePartial Warning
  • Former KGB building
  • Basement cells
  • Heavy content
  • Go Morning
  • Crowded at peak
  • Mostly indoors

Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.

Rules in force · 11Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…Treat the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian borders with R…Old Town streets are cobbled and uneven, and snow or ice …
  • Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
  • Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
  • Baltic states ↗Treat the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian borders with Russia and Belarus as closed to your plans: crossings are restricted, change within hours, and sit under advisories on the far side.
  • Baltic states ↗Book open-jaw flights (into Tallinn or Vilnius, out of the other) so the line runs one way; Riga is the biggest airport if you need a single hub.
  • Baltic states ↗Midsummer (23–24 June) is the biggest holiday in all three countries: cities empty, many businesses close and island and coast transport sells out.
  • Lithuania ↗Lithuania is in the EU and the Schengen area; the EU Entry/Exit System applies to non-EU visitors. Check the official EU and Lithuanian sources for your passport.
  • Lithuania ↗Borders with Belarus and the Russian Kaliningrad region are not routes for casual travel; check your government's advice first.
  • Lithuania ↗The Curonian Spit is a protected national park: cars pay an entry fee, and the Russian half of the spit is a separate border.
  • Vilnius and the east ↗Dec–Feb is cold and dark in Vilnius and Trakai: plan outdoor sights for 10:00 to 15:00.
  • Vilnius ↗Old Town streets are cobbled and uneven, and snow or ice makes them slower: large suitcases go from the taxi to the door, never on a walk.
  • Vilnius ↗December and January have about seven hours of daylight: plan outdoor sights for 10:00 to 15:00.
Usually Opens 10:00
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Map & directions
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Directions
From where I am

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Plan

Open now, best time to go, opening hours

Go now?

hours and prices: check on the day
Open
Usually Opens 10:00
Crowds

Quietest around 17:00 · go Morning

Quietest Mon–Thu · busiest Fri–Sun · desk estimate

Tickets
  • Adult: about €8–12 (≈ US$10–14) (2026 estimate, check)
  • Student / senior: reduced (check)
Time to spend
70–90 min · up to 120 min if you linger
Directions Add to a day →

Best time to go

  1. 10:00, calm
  2. 11:00, moderate
  3. 12:00, moderate
  4. 13:00, moderate
  5. 14:00, moderate
  6. 15:00, calm
  7. 16:00, calm
  8. 17:00, quiet
Quietest around 17:00 Busiest 11:00 to 14:00Estimate for an ordinary weekday. Taller bar = busier.

Quiet early; school groups mid-morning; small queue at weekends.

By weekday: quietest Mon–Thu, busiest Fri–Sun.

Opening hours
Hours
10:00–? (typical, check)
Note
Opening hours and closing days change; not printed here until verified for your date.
Hours note
Usually Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00–18:00; closed Monday (check).

Which month is quietest

desk estimate · not counted
  1. Janlight
  2. Feblight
  3. Marbusy
  4. Aprbusy
  5. Mayheavy
  6. Junheavy
  7. Julheavy
  8. Augheavy
  9. Sepbusy
  10. Octbusy
  11. Novbusy
  12. Declight

Quietest Dec–Feb · busiest May–Aug.

Estimate: desk reasoning from season, weekday and cruise or festival patterns; not counted. Holidays and events move these weeks.

Weather here, next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).

On the ground

Getting in, access, sensory load, what to bring, and where to go if it does not work

Getting in

Stop
Gedimino avenue 40, at Lukiškės Square
Ticket
on site · official site
Stairs
Not recorded
Shoes
Shoes on.

Accessibility

  • PartialStep-free entrance · Stairs to the basement.
  • Check firstLifts
  • Check firstAccessible toilet · Ask.
  • PartialWheelchair · The upper floors may have a lift; the basement is not step-free (check).
  • PartialStroller · Leave it at the cloakroom.
  • YesPlaces to sit · Benches in some rooms.

Sensory load

  • Sensory load4/5 High
  • Peak crowd3/5 Medium

Exposure: low

What to bring and the rules

  • Footwear that suits the rule · On.
  • A small bag · Small bags; check the cloakroom.
  • Shoes: On.
  • Small bags; check the cloakroom.
  • Cloakroom For large bags (check).
  • Not in the cells or where marked; allowed in some public rooms (check).

Rules and prices change: check the official site before you go.

Bailouts

  • heat: Cool inside the building
  • rain: Inside the museum
  • crowd: A weekday afternoon

Nearest rescue anchor: A — Lukiškės Square benches (field-verify)

Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).

Map and nearby

Where it is, how to get there from your hotel or from where you stand, and what is around it

Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights (KGB Museum)Museum of Occupations and F…Vilnius CathedralGediminas TowerVilnius University courtyardsSt Anne's Church and the Bernardine complexHalės Market HallOld Town craft-beer taproomLokys (Lithuanian and game restaurant)Bernelių užeiga (traditional Lithuanian inn)

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

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Directions
From where I am

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Nearby places

Eat nearby

More detail

Everything else we know about this place

Tickets, prices and entry

Know before you go

  • The building was Gestapo and then KGB headquarters; it now records Soviet occupation and resistance.
  • Ticket is about €8–12 (≈ US$10–14) (2026 estimate, check); audio guides are extra (check).
  • The basement has cells, a padded cell and an execution room.
  • The content is disturbing; check age rules for children.
  • Allow 60–90 minutes and plan a quiet break afterwards.
  • The museum is on Gedimino Avenue, at Lukiškės Square.

Best time of day

Go Morning. Plan 70–90 min inside.

quietlightbusyheavypacked· desk estimate for an ordinary weekday; add one level at weekends and cruise-ship or festival days

Tickets & entry

2026 estimate · check the posted board
Where to buy
  • Buy at the entrance on the day.
  • Buy from the official site or the ticket desk; resellers add a fee for the same ticket.
  • Adult: Ticket desk
  • Senior and student: Same desk
  • Audio guide: Same desk
  • Tickets are sold on site; confirm the price and the audio guide fee.

Official site ↗

Dress code
  • Shoes: On.

What to wear: dress-code checker

Bags & lockers
  • Small bags; check the cloakroom.
  • Cloakroom For large bags (check).
Photos
  • Not in the cells or where marked; allowed in some public rooms (check).
What's closed
  • MondayscheckTypically closed on Mondays (check).
  • Public holidayscheckClosed on some holidays.
  • BasementcheckSome areas may close for conservation.

“Check” dates move year to year: confirm on the official page for your date.

TicketPriceWhere to buySkip-the-line reality
Adultabout €8–12 (≈ US$10–14) (2026 estimate, check)Ticket deskNo priority lane.
Senior and studentreduced (check)Same desk—
Audio guideextra (check)Same desk—

How to do it well

  1. 1Buy a ticket at the desk and check the audio guide language.
  2. 2Start on the upper floors with the Soviet occupation displays.
  3. 3Descend to the basement cells, the padded cell and the execution room.
  4. 4Leave slowly; the exit leads to Lukiškės Square.
Time on site, inside and your plan

Time on site

minutes

Minimum

45min

Worthwhile

70min

Typical

90min

p95

120min

How much time do you have?

from the time-on-site figures above

Enough for a typical visit (90 min).

Nothing else in our notes is a short enough walk from here for the time that is left.

Visit times are typical figures, not promises; queues and closing times can change them.

Inside, in order

55 min without detours

  1. Ground and upper floors

    30 min

    Exhibitions on the Soviet occupation, deportations and resistance.

  2. Basement cells

    20 min

    Cells, exercise yard and interrogation rooms.

  3. Execution room

    5 min

    A small room in the basement; heavy content.

  4. Memorial wall

    5 min

    Names of victims on the outside wall (check).

    optional

Plan this visit

saved in this browser only
Time inside
Crowd on arrival
light
Worst while inside
busy
Leave by
11:30
Closing buffer
330′

Good window: go.

  • You are still on the approach after 11:00, when the slope below Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights (KGB Museum) fills; walk down before then if you can.
  • Closing buffer is measured against a planning close of 17:00. Last entry is earlier than closing (check).
  • Crowd levels are a desk estimate by hour, not live data.
Step-free check, who it suits, facilities

Step-free check

wheelchair: caution
  • Step-free entrance: partly · partlyStairs to the basement.
  • Lifts: check · check
  • Accessible toilet: check · checkAsk.
  • Wheelchair: partly · partlyThe upper floors may have a lift; the basement is not step-free (check).
  • Stroller: partly · partlyLeave it at the cloakroom.
  • Places to sit: yes · yesBenches in some rooms.

The basement cells are reached by stairs; ask about a lift (check).

Step-free route

  1. 1Ask the desk about a lift to the upper floors (check).
  2. 2The basement is reached by stairs.
  3. 3Use the main entrance on Gedimino Avenue.

Facilities on site

WhatStatusWhere / note
ToiletsyesAt the entrance.
Accessible toiletcheckAsk.
CloakroomyesFor large bags (check).
Café or foodlimitedA small café or nearby cafés (check).
Drinking waternoBring a bottle.
SeatingyesBenches.
Wi-FicheckAsk.
Card paymentyesCards at the desk (check).

Seasons, festivals and night openings

WhenWhat happensEffect on your visitDates
Jan13 JanuaryFreedom Defenders Day; special events (check).check
Jun14 JuneDay of Mourning and Hope; commemorations (check).check
Nov–FebWinterQuiet mornings; cold outside.

“Check” rows move every year; confirm dates on the official calendar before you plan around them.

Who it suits

TravelerFitWhy
History fansgoodA detailed record of occupation.
Reflective visitsgoodA serious and moving place.
Families with small kidspoorHeavy content.
Wheelchair userscautionBasement stairs.

Skip it if

  • You do not want a heavy visit.
  • You have young children.

Rules on site

enforced at the gate or by guards
tripods
Not allowed.
food
Not inside.

With kids

kids: cautionstroller: caution
with kids
Not suited to young children; the content is heavy and disturbing.
child price
check
Combine with

Combine with

nearest first
  1. 1 minLukiškės Square — A large square with a memorial (check).
  2. 1 minGedimino Avenue — The main shopping street.
  3. 1 minGedimino Avenue and Lukiškės Square — A quiet walk to reset.
  4. 18 minVilnius Cathedral — A free, calm interior.
  5. 20 minBernardine Garden — A quiet park by the river.
  6. 20 minOld Town self-service cafeteria · eat — A simple lunch.
  7. 25 minVilnius University — Covered arcades.

Walk the Gedimino Avenue & Lukiškės Square area · the cluster page has the walking order, rescue stops and after-dark notes

Best photo time

Best photo time today

Sun times for today load in your browser.

SpotWhenRule on the spot
Building façade on GediminoAny timeRespect the memorial context.
Lukiškės SquareMorningA large open space.

Deep dive

Questions, photos, and where our facts come from

Questions and answers

Questions and answers

answered by Voykit editors · dated
Is the museum name the same as the old one?

It was known as the Museum of Genocide Victims; the name may differ on signs (check).

Checked 2026-09-29 · Voykit desk

What is this museum?

The former KGB headquarters, now a museum of Soviet occupation and resistance.

Is it suitable for children?

Not for young children; check the age rules.

How long do I need?

About 60–90 minutes.

Can I take photos?

Not in the cells and marked areas (check).

Where is it?

On Gedimino Avenue, at Lukiškės Square.

Is there an audio guide?

Yes, in several languages (check).

Answers come from Voykit editors, not from other travellers.
Photos

Photos

1 · free licences, credited
Deep dive

Sources

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Directions
63 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Not saved offline