Filming Sites of BBC Series WAR and PEACE in Vilnius - Vilnius Bicycle Tour

Special treat to cinephiles – tour around Vilnius, its streets, courtyards, churches which played Moscow, Austrian cities and landscapes in the BBC interpretation of epic novel by Leo Tolstoy “War and Peace” presently screened throughout the world.

It is an exciting opportunity to relive the episodes of the series, visualise the environment of dramas and tragedies of main characters, find out about backstage gossips and peculiarities, moreover, to learn the historical background of the described events.

White walking tour includes only Vilnius Old Town locations, cycling tour enables to see more picturesque sites beyond the limits of Vilnius Oldtown. Bicycle rent cost (10 Eur per person) is not included into tour price.

BBC series “War and Peace”, the premiere of which took place in January this year (2016) and was reviewed as “one of the most wonderful things ever shown on TV”, was almost entirely filmed in Lithuania. Once the largest country and decisive political power in Eastern Europe with the influential dynasty relations in all of Europe, by the 18th century Lithuania became the crossroads of political ambitions of growing empires – Sweden, Austria, Prussia, Russia. Eventually, it became the Western border of Russian Empire and witnessed the glory and the defeat of Napoleon Grande Armée before and after his campaign to Moscow, so vividly described in the epic novel of Leo Tolstoy “War and Peace” and so tastefully staged by director Tom Harper. When BBC decided to screen the novel for the British audience, the heritage of oppressive though glorious period of Lithuanian history created the mood and impression just right for contrasts of war and peace.