Location: Kaunas
Top Things to do in Kaunas
10 Budget-friendly Things to do in Kaunas That You Shouldn't Miss
Kaunas (/ˈkaʊnəs/; Lithuanian: [ˈkɐʊˑnɐs] ( listen); also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the centre of a county in Trakai Municipality of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. In the Russian Empire, it was the capital of the Kaunas Governorate from 1843 to 1915. It served as temporary capital of Lithuania during the interwar period, while the traditional capital of Vilnius was part of Poland between 1920 and 1939. During that period Kaunas has been nicknamed the Little Paris because of rich cultural and academic life, fashion, construction of countless Art Deco, Lithuanian National Romanticism architectural style buildings as well as popular furniture, interior design of the time and widespread café culture. The city interwar architecture is regarded as one of the finest examples of the European Art Deco and received the European Heritage Label, it also resulted in naming Kaunas the first city in Central and Eastern Europe as a UNESCO City of Design. In 2022, Kaunas will be the European Capital of Culture, together with the Luxembourgish city of Esch-sur-Alzette.
Restaurants in Kaunas
1. Museum of History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 140 reviews
Reviewed By ramintapan
Very interesting exposition, super helpful staff. Loved it. Authentic details, much to learn ant to be surprised.
2. Atomic KGB Bunker
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 92 reviews
Information for Visitor Please, contact us in advance in order to visit the exposition. Collection There is the biggest collection of gas masks and closed-circuit breathing apparatus in the Baltic countries. All Lithuanian and German armies and other different countries gas masks. There is gathered an impressive collection of: generators, medical instruments, radios and etc. The Nuclear Bunker Museum presents the KGB bunker! This is unique collection featuring secret surveillance equipment and devices, used by the NKVD, the KGB and special divisions of militia. So far, we could only read in books about the KGB used tracking technology or see it in movies about James Bond. KGB power structures of the Soviet Union not only persecuted the common people, but completely mistrusted their own colleagues and spied on them in both formal and informal ways. The KGB, state security committees always possessed the latest and the most innovative technology and professionally trained specialists in their field, officers, and agents. Obsolete KGB surveillance technique used to be strictly destroyed by signing special reports, while part of the technology was transferred to the military. In the KGB bunker you will see secret equipment for intrusions and secret searches, KGB phones and phone eavesdropping and coding equipment. The museum has many clandestine and portable radio communication devices, radio transmitters and receivers, communications jammers, bearing finders, remote eavesdropping equipment, eavesdropping bugs and their detection devices. We will tell you about the unique secret metal detector for detecting eavesdropping equipment or a weapon with which you can come up near the person and embrace him. You will learn about detection equipment and instruments of isotopically marked documents, money, people, and animals. We will present external monitoring, night vision devices, secret dictaphones and recorders, covert mini cameras, masked undercover video recorders. You will find out what secret scanning, photographic and filming equipment was used for copying documents upon secretly sneaking into the room. The museum has a UV and IR device for detection of micro objects and many other intriguing and unseen items. It is important for us what questions people ask themselves after visiting the Nuclear Bunker, what fears worry them, and what they muse...
Reviewed By 275wiktorw - Vilnius, Lithuania
It’s one of the best places related to USSR history I have ever visit, never seen that much original souvenirs in one place. Highly recommended to visit this place for every history freak as I’m.
3. Ninth Fort
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 459 reviews
Reviewed By andTilly - Bratislava, Slovakia
You can walk around the place even if the musem is closed. It takes at least 30 min to see everything just from the outside - and it’s nice to go after hours - less crowded and you get to see it anyway. The area is large, clean and cared for. From the top of the fort (it looks like a little hill) there is a nice view over the city, though it’s a very sad place, knowing that tens of thousands souls ceased the exist here, and the remains lay under your feet. P.S. Dogs are not allowed at all, and there are no trash bins on the site.
4. National M. K. Ciurlionis Art Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 182 reviews
Reviewed By PetraTre - Helsinki, Finland
I have never before been to a museum where a staff member comes to ask if I would like to hear music composed by the artist. The woman was very polite and advised me to sit down in the concert hall and listen to the symphony I had chosen. I spent about a half an hour listening to it. It was beautiful, and also relaxing after a long day. The artwork of Ciurlionis was touching and skillful, with many layers and interesting (also sad) themes. A great visit!
5. Kaunas Botanical Garden
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 44 reviews
Reviewed By 817arts
Large area. Abundant variety of plants. We were when a lot of roses were blooming, this aroma was amazing. interestingly, the plants can be viewed both outdoors and indoors. Really great variety. We also saw ducks and other animals walking.
6. Sugihara House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 188 reviews
Chiune Sugihara memorial museum is an institution dedicated to commemoration of the deeds of Japanese consul Chiune Sugihara. He was working in Kaunas in 1939-1940 and is mostly remembered for saving more than 6000 Jewish refugees.
Reviewed By OlivierH1041
What Sugihara did was exceptional especially knowing that his honor and respect To his superiors could have been tarnished in his society. Remember that if his wife did not push and support him saving Jews, would Sugihara still have done it?
7. Pazaislis Monastery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 159 reviews
Reviewed By CAPerth
We visited the Pažaislis Monastery and the Church of the Visitation during our vehicle transfer from Riga to Vilnius. It was closed by the time we arrived but our guide from Traveller Tours was able to persuade the nuns to let us in for a brief visit. The architecture and particularly the ceiling paintings are absolutely stunning and well worth a visit, even if it is a bit out of town. There is also a small crypt in the church but we did not have time to explore this or the main Monastery.
8. Old Town Kaunas
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,132 reviews
Reviewed By UriusT - Vilnius, Lithuania
Kaunas Old Town is the heart of Lithuania, particularly Santaka and the confluence of the Neris and Nemunas rivers. The most spiritual, central core of the nation. This coming from a Vilnius resident. The Old Town proper is a distinguished collection of gorgeous and ancient structures and styles, pointing to the complex and diverse history of the city. Going through much renovations and restorations over the last decade in particular, the slow but steady gentrification of Kaunas Senamiestis is increasing at a break neck pace. While not nearly as gentrified and tourist focused as Vilnius Old Town, nonetheless the process is killing of some of the more organic cultural elements of the neighborhood in favor of concentrated capital and tourism.
9. Akropolis
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 334 reviews
Reviewed By L9985ZRsimont - Silsden, United Kingdom
Great shopping centre for literally anything you want. In the main supermarket you can get a 100Gb data (for a week) for €5!! No more roaming worries ????????
