Things to Do in Kaunas, Lithuania

Quick facts: One of the oldest Gothic castles in Eastern Europe, its walls conceal more than 600 years of history. The tunnels beneath the castle were once escape routes for the knights defending the city.

Highlights: The carillon in the castle towers strikes 12 hammers at every full hour, making it the largest mechanical carillon in the region. From the window of the gate tower, a view opens onto the meeting of 5 rivers, a sight known only to a few.

Quick facts: One of the longest pedestrian streets in Northern Europe, nearly 1.7 kilometers long. Characterized by more than 400 rows of trees and diverse architecture that reflects the city's history.

Highlights: The street, established in 1870, runs outdoors where the tree canopies provide shade, and various street performers enchant visitors during the summer. In the middle of the street stands a 23-meter tall freedom statue that recalls the local war of independence.

Quick facts: The square is located in the heart of Kaunas and was the site of 16th-century markets. Every year, thousands gather here for cultural events and fairs.

Highlights: The bell tower standing in the middle of the square plays the city's anthem every hour, which many locals still listen to out of respect. Here you will find the café called "Venezia," where locals often gather over an authentic Lithuanian coffee.

Quick facts: The Ninth Fort was part of the Kaunas fortress system, which consisted of 9 forts for the defense of the city. It witnessed the lives of tens of thousands of people, especially due to the tragic events that took place during the Second World War.

Highlights: The preserved church ruins in the underground prison cells are quite rare in Europe and offer a unique insight into the cruel conditions of survival. The monuments and the testimonies found on the walls tell personal stories that have a deep emotional impact.

Quick facts: This hall underwent a major renovation in 2020, making it one of the most modern event venues in Europe today. It can accommodate more than 15,000 spectators and hosts both sports events and concerts.

Highlights: The interior lighting system can completely change the atmosphere of the hall, even creating a colorful light show. Its roof is also special, featuring a unique dome-shaped structure that provides excellent sound and acoustics for concerts.

Quick facts: The monastery complex stands out in the Baltic Sea region thanks to its unique Baroque architecture. It is famous for its frescoes by Zsigmond Szenes, and the exquisite tiled stoves and carved wooden furnishings are also noteworthy.

Highlights: The building complex sits on a quiet, landscaped hillside offering a stunning panoramic view of the Nemunas River. The light filtering through the tiny windows in the church's dome creates a magical play among the Baroque frescoes.

Quick facts: The museum houses over 3,000 old demonic depictions from various cultures. Among the displayed items are wooden carved masks, statues, and ritual tools.

Highlights: A special piece is the 18th-century devil face mask used at the local carnival festival. The museum's dark, spice-scented rooms create an atmosphere of an elusive mystery.

Quick facts: The park area was established by the 1992 regulation, covering 63,500 hectares and providing a home to more than 200 bird species. The water mass in the reservoir is 0.495 km3, supported by the dam which also serves the local agriculture and supplies electricity.

Highlights: Its 250 kilometers of shoreline hide numerous small bays and islands where special bird sounds echo during summer sunsets. The development of rural tourism is exemplary, with local craft markets attracting thousands of visitors annually.

Quick facts: Over 200 vendors pack the hangar-like halls of this former military airfield turned food hub, where locals load up on smoked fish, rye bread, and pickled everything. The market's three towering arches were once part of a 1930s zeppelin hangar, giving the space an industrial-meets-community feel you won't find anywhere else in the Baltics.

Highlights: Step into Hall 3 before noon and you will catch fishmongers slicing freshly smoked eel right off the bone, their hands stained from the wood-fired smoke. The market runs its own smoking facility on site, using century-old recipes that fill the entire eastern wing with a sweet, briny aroma that clings to your coat for hours.

Quick facts: Under a single operator who has worked the route for decades, the wooden car glides up the 142-meter incline in about 45 seconds. The carriage, essentially unchanged since its first run, still carries a mix of students, commuters, and sightseers every single day.

Highlights: From the summit belvedere, the two rivers and their bridges frame the whole Old Town in a single glance, the exact view that drove locals to fight for this line's survival. Ride the last trip of the evening and you might catch the operator locking the vintage winch by hand, a ritual nearly identical to the one performed since the mid-1930s.

Quick facts: A 70-meter concrete tower drives the skyline, its elevator lifting visitors to a breezy rooftop terrace. Thousands of personalized bricks bought by diaspora donors put real family names into the walls.

Highlights: Ride the elevator up through bare concrete floors left rough by the Soviet factory that once assembled radios inside these walls. Step onto the top terrace at dusk, and the river below bends into a sheet of gold, with the whole city spread out like a model village.

Quick facts: Roughly the length of two city buses, the 133-meter climb lifts riders 45 meters at a slope steep enough to warrant seatbelts on the carriage. Both original cars have been running daily since 1928, which puts this short railway among the oldest continuously operating lift systems in Europe.

Highlights: Climb in and you will find creamy wooden benches worn smooth by nearly a century of riders, still bolted to their original steel frame. At the summit the brakes release with a loud hiss that bounces off the neighboring house walls, and the old drive wheels hum in a low purr that sounds untouched since the 1920s.