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Kaunas in Lithuania is one of the many small cities in Europe that Ryanair has put on the tourist map. And it’s a city that’s well worth visiting? Here’s why.
It’s a small city, so is easily walked. It has a great café culture and is incredibly chilled out. It is budget-friendly, so a great place to splash out on a four or five-star hotel. It was European Capital of Culture in 2022.
Its location in the middle of Lithuania, on the confluence of the Neris and Nemunas rivers, means you can do day trips to capital city Vilnius in the east and to Klaipeda on the west coast. It has a rich history including a place on the medieval Hanseatic League trading route.
Plus, there are lots of things to in Kaunas. Here’s the lowdown.
THINGS TO DO IN KAUNAS
Places to visit
- The cobblestone Town Hall Square (Rotuses aikste) with the The White Swan Town Hall building. It’s surrounded by cafes and restaurants.
- To the north of the Town Hall Square is Kaunas Castle, dating back to the 13th century. The part of the castle that now remains houses a branch of the City Museum. The nearby Santakos Parkas (park) is a lovely place to chill out.
- Laisves aleja (Freedom Avenue) is a 1.7km pedestrianised street lined with shops, cafes, restaurants, and bars. This is the place for your evening passeggiata and is also an outdoor gallery as I will outline below. The relaxing City Gardens park (Miesto Sodas) is also along the street. Recommended restaurants on Freedom Avenue are Soul and Bistronomie.
- Independence Square at the end of Laisves aleja has more bars/restaurants and two major buildings: The Church of St. Michael the Archangel and Mykolas Zilinskas Art Gallery.
- Walk/cycle along the north bank of the Nemunas river.
- Take the Aleksotas funicular on the south side of the Nemunas river to get great views of the city. The funicular is closed for lunch, though!
Statues/Art Work
- Freedom Warrior statue at Santakos Parkas (pictured above)
- Maironis (poet & priest) statue in the Town Hall Square
- Well-wisher dwarf statue on Simono Daukanto bridge
- Camera on the hill artwork where Aleksotas funicular is located
- Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and surrounding art work in Vienybės (Unity) Square
- Laisves aleja: Jonas Vileisis statue, Memorial to Jan Zwartendijk, Person with a rock on their lap artwork, Camera outside the cinema artwork
Museums
- Kaunas City Museum (locations in the city centre: Kaunas Castle, Town Hall, Folk Music branch on Zamenhofo)
- Museum of Medicine and Pharmacy History
- Vytautas the Great War Museum
- M.K. Ciurlionis Museum of Art
- Devil’s Museum
- Maironis Lithuanian Literary Museum
- Communications Development Museum
Churches
- St Peter and Paul Cathedral
- Church of St. Michael the Archangel
- Church of Christ’s Resurrection on the north side of the city for views of the city.
WHERE TO STAY IN KAUNAS
Laisves aleja is the main artery of the city. Stay on or in any street adjoining Laisves aleja. We stayed in the Best Baltic on our initial visit and in the historic and stylish Victoria on our return journey. Both come recommended.
BEST TIME TO VISIT KAUNAS
For mild weather, May to August is best. We visited at the end of May where the weather was approximately 20°C. We could wear a t-shirt and jeans during the day, needing only an extra cardigan for the evening.
KAUNAS TRANSPORT
Ryanair has a significant presence at Kaunas Airport with flights from many European countries including Ireland, UK, Spain, and Italy. The airport is located north of the city centre. Bus 29G serves the airport from the city centre and takes approximately 40 minutes. A taxi takes approximately 20 minutes and costs between €20-€25.
There’s a direct bus from Vilnius to Kaunas Airport – See Ollex for further details.
Arrivals Hall 