Kaunas
Kaunas was the interim capital between the wars, and the avenue, the modernist villas, and the old-town town hall still show that role. It is a river city at the confluence of the Nemunas and the Neris, easier to walk than its industrial edge suggests.
What to see
Kaunas Castle
A restored brick castle stands where the Neris meets the Nemunas, with a round tower and a low curtain wall. The interior is a small museum of the site. The riverbank outside is the better walk.
Pilies g. 17, Kaunas
Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0
Open in Google Maps , Kaunas Castle
Kaunas Town Hall
The white town hall on the square is nicknamed the White Swan for its tower and bright plaster. The square around it is the old-town living room, with the castle a few minutes north.
Rotušės a. 15, Kaunas
Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0
Open in Google Maps , Kaunas Town Hall
Christ's Resurrection Basilica
The huge white basilica on Žaliakalnis was begun as a national church and finished only in the late twentieth century. A roof terrace looks over the confluence. The funicular from the old town is the pleasant way up.
Žemaičių g. 31C, Kaunas
Open in Google Maps , Christ's Resurrection Basilica
Ninth Fort Museum
The Ninth Fort, north-west of the centre, was a tsarist fortress and later a site of mass murder under Nazi occupation. The museum and the stark memorial are a necessary, not a pleasant, visit. Allow time and do not treat it as a backdrop.
Žemaičių pl. 73, Kaunas
Photo: Seymark · CC BY-SA 4.0
Open in Google Maps , Ninth Fort Museum
Pažaislis Monastery
The baroque monastery on a peninsula of the Kaunas lagoon is the finest church ensemble in the city, with an Italianate dome over the convent church. It is a short drive or bus ride east of the centre, quiet on a weekday morning.
T. Masiulio g. 31, Kaunas
Photo: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.0
Open in Google Maps , Pažaislis MonasteryFood and restaurants
Restaurants and hotels change hands. These listings were last checked on 26 October 2026.
Avilys
Avilys on Vilniaus Street is a long-running beer restaurant in the old town, with its own brewing and a Lithuanian menu of substantial plates. It is a reliable evening address rather than a quiet café.
Vilniaus g. 34, Kaunas
Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0
Open in Google Maps , Avilys
Monte Pacis
Monte Pacis is the restaurant and small hotel inside the Pažaislis ensemble, looking toward the lagoon. The cooking is seasonal and more careful than a tavern menu. Go when you are already at the monastery, and book if it is a weekend.
T. Masiulio g. 31, Kaunas
Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0
Open in Google Maps , Monte Pacis
Miesto sodas
Miesto sodas sits where Laisvės Avenue meets the oak park, a long-standing city café-restaurant with a terrace under the trees. It is the pause in the middle of the avenue, not a destination kitchen with a fixed signature dish.
Laisvės al. 93, Kaunas
Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0
Open in Google Maps , Miesto sodas
Senieji rūsiai
Senieji rūsiai uses the cellars of a Vilniaus Street house for a traditional Lithuanian menu. Treat the listing as a cellar tavern that has traded under this name for years, and confirm the evening hours before you cross town for it.
Vilniaus g. 28, Kaunas
Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0
Open in Google Maps , Senieji rūsiaiWhere to stay
Restaurants and hotels change hands. These listings were last checked on 26 October 2026.
Radisson Hotel Kaunas
The Radisson on Donelaitis Street is the full-service business hotel of the new town, a short walk from Laisvės Avenue. Choose it for a reliable room and a clear address, not for an old-town courtyard.
K. Donelaičio g. 27, Kaunas
Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0
Open in Google Maps , Radisson Hotel Kaunas
Hotel Kaunas
Hotel Kaunas is the interwar hotel on Laisvės Avenue, still the address with the avenue under the windows. The building is the reason to stay, more than a new spa floor.
Laisvės al. 79, Kaunas
Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0
Open in Google Maps , Hotel Kaunas
Best Western Santaka
Santaka is a mid-size hotel just south of the avenue, named for the confluence and used by people who want the centre without the Radisson scale. Confirm the current brand name when you book; the building has traded under Santaka for years.
J. Gruodžio g. 21, Kaunas
Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0
Open in Google Maps , Best Western SantakaShopping
Laisvės Avenue
Laisvės Avenue is the long pedestrian promenade of the new town, from the old town east toward the basilica. Shops, bookstores, and cafés line a linden walk. It is the city’s main shopping street, not a mall.
Laisvės al., Kaunas
Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0
Open in Google Maps , Laisvės Avenue
Akropolis Kaunas
Akropolis Kaunas sits on the Nemunas island edge by Karaliaus Mindaugo Avenue, a large mall with a supermarket and chain stores. Use it when you need ordinary shopping in one building.
Karaliaus Mindaugo pr. 49, Kaunas
Photo: FaceMePLS from The Hague, The Netherlands · CC BY 2.0
Open in Google Maps , Akropolis Kaunas
Vilniaus Street
Vilniaus Street runs through the old town from the town hall toward the station quarter, with small shops, amber, and cafés in the ground floors. It is the compact alternative to the avenue.
Vilniaus g., Kaunas
Photo: Thomas Pusch · CC BY-SA 4.0
Open in Google Maps , Vilniaus StreetHow to get there
Kaunas Airport
Kaunas Airport (KUN) is in Karmėlava, north-east of the city, and is the usual low-cost gateway for the country as well as for Kaunas. A bus connects it with the centre. It is not a walk from the old town.
Oro uosto g. 4, Karmėlava
Photo: Grobuonis · Public domain
Open in Google Maps , Kaunas Airport
Kaunas Railway Station
The railway station is south of the old town, the historic arrival point from Vilnius and the west. Trains to Vilnius are frequent by Lithuanian standards. The bus station is a short walk away.
M. K. Čiurlionio g. 16, Kaunas
Photo: Nenea hartia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Open in Google Maps , Kaunas Railway Station
Kaunas Bus Station
The bus station on Vytauto Avenue handles coaches to Vilnius, the coast, and international routes. It sits near the railway station, so a change between train and bus is on foot.
Vytauto pr. 24, Kaunas
Photo: aiko99ann · CC BY-SA 4.0
Open in Google Maps , Kaunas Bus StationA travel company can place a labeled partner route here. Advertise with us