Kaunas is a compact and laid-back city full of cosy cafes, independent boutiques, fine restaurants, lively bars and unique street art. It also has a pretty town hall and a castle with stunning views over the merging rivers.
The main pedestrian street in the Old Town is Vilnius Street (Vilnius Gatve) which makes for a lovely walk around this gorgeous historic area. It’s lined with restaurants and bars, so is a great place to people-watch during the evening.
Castle
Kaunas Castle is the oldest defensive site in Lithuania. This imposing building was erected in the 14th century to defend against crusaders. It’s one of the first stone castles in the country and it has two rows of defensive walls.
You can visit it today as a museum, with interactive exhibitions telling its long history. It’s a great place to visit when in the city, as well as a place for some fun cultural events.
Aside from the museum, Kaunas Castle has a lot of other interesting attractions to see and do. For instance, a strange but fascinating museum called the Devils’ Museum where you can learn about how the devil is depicted all over the world.
The Old Town is full of beautiful historic buildings. A nice photography gallery is located near the Town Hall and you can also explore many design shops that sell local products.
Confluence Park
Confluence Park is a great place to take a walk and enjoy the quiet old town life. You can watch two rivers connect into one, and there are also some nice old trees.
There are multiple riverfront trails that converge on the site and are linked by footbridges, which provide great views of the city. There are also well-manicured lawns and plazas on higher ground surrounding the park.
The confluence of two rivers is an unimpressive feature on its own, but this park makes the most of it. Its river engineering and landscape design combine history, heritage and contemporary architecture to create a new public cultural space.
There are more than thirty museums and galleries embracing rich collections of art, artifacts, antiquities and oddities. There is also the Devils Museum - the only museum in the world dedicated to all devilish things.
Laisves Aleja
Laisves Aleja is one of the main streets in Kaunas. It stretches 1.6 km (1 mi) between St. Michael the Archangel's Byzantine-style church and the Central Post Office.
This pedestrian street is popular among tourists, as it is clean and smoke-free. You can find lots of shops, cafes, and hotels along this street, as well as restaurants with traditional Lithuanian dishes.
This is a small and cozy all-vegan restaurant, located at the main walking street in Kaunas, which serves delicious ground-to-earth style foods. It is a great place for vegans to taste traditional Lithuanian cuisine, and if you are a vegetarian it's a good option as well!
Street Art
Kaunas isn't the first place you'd think of for street art but it's a growing trend and you can find epic murals all over the city. Many of them are commissioned by the city and are appreciated by both the artists and the people.
If you want to see the most famous and iconic of Kaunas' murals head down Jonavos Gatve where there is a huge mural called The Wise Old Man that covers an entire building and has become the symbol for Lithuanian street art. You can also spot a number of other street art pieces around the city, including a wall depicting ancient architecture.
Another famous piece of street art is the Star Seeder that was created after a local child won a competition. This was a way of celebrating the fact that Lithuania became an independent country in 1918.
