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Šiauliai

Šiauliai is the largest city in northern Lithuania, a low grid of a centre with a famous sundial and the Hill of Crosses a short drive north. It is not a postcard old town. The interest is the hill, the cathedral, and a few civic rooms.

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Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

What to see

Hill of Crosses, Šiauliai

Hill of Crosses

The Hill of Crosses is a low mound north of the city, covered with crosses left by pilgrims and visitors, many replacing ones that were removed in the Soviet years. It is the reason most travellers stop in Šiauliai. Go in daylight and leave the site as you found the paths.

Jurgaičių k., Meškuičių sen., Šiaulių r.

Photo: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Šiauliai

Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul

The white Renaissance-revival cathedral closes the pedestrian street, with a tall tower that is the city’s vertical mark. The interior is bright and comparatively plain. It is the centre of the grid, not a side chapel.

Aušros takas 3, Šiauliai

Photo: Scotch Mist · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Illustrated plate for Sundial Square. This is not a photograph of the place.

Sundial Square

The golden sundial column on Resurrection Square was built for the city’s 750th anniversary and became the civic symbol. The pedestrian boulevard runs from here toward the cathedral. It is a square to cross, not a museum.

Prisikėlimo a., Šiauliai

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Illustrated plate for Bicycle Museum. This is not a photograph of the place.

Bicycle Museum

The Bicycle Museum on Vilniaus Street is a local collection in a city that once built bikes at the Vairas plant. It is small, specific, and a better hour than another shopping mall if the weather turns.

Vilniaus g. 139, Šiauliai

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Illustrated plate for Chaim Frenkel Villa. This is not a photograph of the place.

Chaim Frenkel Villa

The Frenkel villa is the surviving house of a leather-factory family, now a museum of the city’s Jewish and industrial past. The rooms are the exhibit. It sits on Vilniaus Street, south of the sundial.

Vilniaus g. 74, Šiauliai

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Food and restaurants

Restaurants and hotels change hands. These listings were last checked on 26 October 2026.

Illustrated plate for Arkos. This is not a photograph of the place.

Arkos

Arkos on Vilniaus Street is a long-running city restaurant for Lithuanian and European plates, banquets, and an ordinary evening meal. It is a local address, not a capital tasting room. Book if your group is large.

Vilniaus g. 199, Šiauliai

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Illustrated plate for Gubernija Brewery. This is not a photograph of the place.

Gubernija Brewery

Gubernija claims to be the oldest brewery in Lithuania, in a manor complex on Dvaro Street with cellars far older than the present firm. The public face today is the brewery shop and the historic yard, not a full restaurant service. Buy the beer here; eat a proper meal at Arkos if you want a table.

Dvaro g. 179, Šiauliai

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Illustrated plate for Rūta. This is not a photograph of the place.

Rūta

Rūta is the Šiauliai chocolate maker, a factory name the country knows, with a shop in town for boxes and a sweet stop. It is a confectioner, not a dining room. Treat the address as the city shop and confirm the counter is open.

Vilniaus g. 88, Šiauliai

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Illustrated plate for Restaurant at Hotel Šaulys. This is not a photograph of the place.

Restaurant at Hotel Šaulys

The restaurant inside Hotel Šaulys is the dependable table on Vasario 16-osios Street when the smaller places are closed. It is a hotel dining room: useful, central, and not a separate destination. Ask at the desk if the kitchen is serving that evening.

Vasario 16-osios g. 40, Šiauliai

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Where to stay

Restaurants and hotels change hands. These listings were last checked on 26 October 2026.

Illustrated plate for Hotel Šiauliai. This is not a photograph of the place.

Hotel Šiauliai

Hotel Šiauliai on Draugystės Avenue is the large older city hotel, south of the pedestrian centre. It is a practical base with parking, a bus or taxi from the sundial. Expect a straightforward room, not a design lobby.

Draugystės pr. 25, Šiauliai

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Illustrated plate for Hotel Šaulys. This is not a photograph of the place.

Hotel Šaulys

Šaulys is the central hotel on Vasario 16-osios Street, within walking distance of the cathedral and the sundial. It is the better choice if you do not want to cross the avenues each time you go out.

Vasario 16-osios g. 40, Šiauliai

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Illustrated plate for Hotel Turnė. This is not a photograph of the place.

Hotel Turnė

Turnė is a smaller central hotel used for short business and tourist stays. The exact entrance has moved with renovations; treat Rūdės Street as the area and confirm the door with the hotel before a late arrival.

Rūdės g. 9, Šiauliai

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Shopping

Illustrated plate for Vilniaus Street. This is not a photograph of the place.

Vilniaus Street

Vilniaus Street is the long commercial spine south of the sundial, with shops, the bicycle museum, and the Frenkel villa along it. It is where the city actually shops, mixed with traffic, not a pedestrian-only lane.

Vilniaus g., Šiauliai

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Saulės miestas, Šiauliai

Saulės miestas

Saulės miestas is the main mall on Tilžės Street, west of the centre, with a supermarket and chain shops. Use it for practical shopping. The name means City of the Sun, in keeping with the sundial, but the building is an ordinary centre.

Tilžės g. 109, Šiauliai

Photo: Kazys · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Akropolis Šiauliai, Šiauliai

Akropolis Šiauliai

Akropolis Šiauliai is the other large mall, on Aido Street, with the usual mix of chains. Pick one mall, not both, unless you are replacing something practical. The centre of town has the more interesting walk.

Aido g. 8, Šiauliai

Photo: ZwieRys · CC BY-SA 3.0

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How to get there

Šiauliai Railway Station, Šiauliai

Šiauliai Railway Station

The railway station is south-east of the sundial, on the line between Vilnius and the north. Trains are the calm way in. The station area is ordinary; take a bus or taxi to the cathedral if you have bags.

Dubijos g. 44, Šiauliai

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Illustrated plate for Šiauliai Bus Station. This is not a photograph of the place.

Šiauliai Bus Station

Intercity buses use the station by the Saulės miestas area on Tilžės Street, with coaches to Vilnius, Kaunas, Riga, and the coast. Confirm the bay on your ticket. It is the fallback when the train times do not fit.

Tilžės g., Šiauliai

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Air access via Palanga, Šiauliai

Air access via Palanga

Šiauliai has an airfield, but scheduled passenger flights do not make it a normal city airport. Most people fly to Palanga or Vilnius and continue by bus or train. Palanga is the nearer passenger terminal; Vilnius has more connections. Do not plan a same-evening international arrival without checking the ground time.

Liepojos pl. 1, Palanga

Photo: Grobuonis · Public domain

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