Kaunas
Visited in August 2018
At a glance
- Country
- Lithuania
- Region
- Kaunas City Municipality
- Population
- 305,120
- Best time to go
- May to September
- Main airport
- Kaunas (KUN)
- Coordinates
- 54.90°N, 23.93°E
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Overview
Kaunas served as Lithuania's temporary capital between the two world wars, and that brief moment left the city with a remarkable legacy of modernist buildings, now recognised by UNESCO. It sits where the Neris and Nemunas rivers meet.
It is a relaxed, student-filled place with a compact Old Town, a long pedestrian avenue and a growing street-art scene. Fewer visitors make it this far from Vilnius, which makes it all the more enjoyable.
Things to see
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Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0 Kaunas Old Town
Gothic churches and the white Town Hall, nicknamed the White Swan, around a broad cobbled square.
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Photo: Skelanard, CC BY-SA 4.0 Kaunas Castle
A partly rebuilt medieval castle at the meeting of the two rivers, the oldest stone building in town.
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Photo: Augustas Didžgalvis, CC BY-SA 4.0 Laisvės alėja
A long, tree-lined pedestrian boulevard of cafés and shops linking the Old Town with the New Town.
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Photo: Blowwhite, CC BY-SA 4.0 M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum
Dreamlike paintings by Lithuania's great painter and composer, unlike anything else in European art.
Tickets and tours -
Photo: Jurgis Jarašiūnas, CC BY-SA 3.0 Ninth Fort
A tsarist fortress later used as a prison and site of mass murder in the Second World War, with a powerful memorial.
Tickets and tours -
Photo: Augustas Didžgalvis, CC BY-SA 4.0 Pažaislis Monastery
A lavish baroque monastery on the shore of the Kaunas Reservoir, a short trip from the centre.
Things to do
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Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 Modernist architecture walk
Spot the curved corners, clean lines and Art Deco details of interwar banks, villas and offices around the New Town.
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Photo: Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 Ride the Aleksotas funicular
A historic funicular climbing to a viewpoint over the Old Town and the river confluence.
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Photo: Ivonna Nowicka, CC BY-SA 4.0 Follow the street art
Large murals and smaller works brighten courtyards and side streets across the city centre.
Where to stay
Old Town
Atmospheric and central, near the river and the main sights.
Hotels in Old TownNaujamiestis
The New Town around Laisvės alėja, practical and full of cafés.
Hotels in NaujamiestisŽaliakalnis
A leafy hillside district of interwar villas, quieter and residential.
Hotels in Žaliakalnis
Getting around
Walk the centre, and use buses or trolleybuses for the further sights. Taxis and ride-hailing apps are inexpensive.
Kaunas airport is a short bus or taxi ride from the centre, around 30 minutes. Trains from Vilnius take roughly an hour.
When to go
Late spring and summer are the best times, with long days and riverside terraces. Autumn is pleasant and quieter. Winters are cold and snowy.
Plan your trip to Kaunas
- HotelsBooking.com
- Tours and ticketsGetYourGuide
- FlightsKiwi.com
- Attraction ticketsTiqets
- Airport parking, lounges and transfersHoliday Extras
- Car hireAuto Europe
- Mobile data (eSIM)AiraloCode DAN9406 for money off
- GuidebooksAmazon
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Guide last checked October 2026. Opening times and prices change, so check before you go.