Europe’s leading publisher of locally produced city guide
ESSENTIAL CITY GUIDES
Free Download
Sightseeing
Apart from an ever-increasing number of business travellers and a few trifling males looking for brief moments of meaningless pleasure, most people come to Kaunas for its sightseeing, and quite rightly so. Although much of Old Town remains depressingly shabby, what renovated masterpieces there are to see are well worth the journey. Add to this medieval splendour a modicum of 20s and 30s Functionalist architecture, some quite unique museums, a few galleries and other historical treats and you’re probably going to have to book a hotel. Here’s what you need to know.
Essential Kaunas
If you haven’t got a lot of time in Kaunas, we recommend you see at least Christ’s Resurrection Church, the M.K. Čiurlionis State Art Museum, the Mykolas Žilinskas Art Museum, the Ninth Fort and Sugihara House. This list is of course highly subjective, and in no way reflects the expectations of every single visitor to the city. Kaunas In Your Pocket strives to bring you the widest range of historical and cultural sights and sensations, and is adding to the list all the time. If you think there’s something missing, write to us at kaunas@inyourpocket.com.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
-
Sugihara House
Chiune Sugihara (1900-1986) was the Japanese Vice Consul to Lithuania in Kaunas for a brief period between 1939 and 1940. Together with the acting Dutch Consul Jan Zwartendijk (1896-1976) he saved thousands of Jews over a short three-week period in 1940 by issuing visas against orders to get them out of what was at the time Soviet-occupied Lithuania and away to Read on
-
Lithuanian Aviation Museum
-
Emma Goldman
Latest Comments:
St. Francis Xavier Church & Jesuit Monastery
Wonderful! I attended evening Mass and it was beautiful! The cantor had a gorgeous voice!...St. Michael the Archangel
A beautiful church! Sadly the exterior needs to be refurbished with a fresh coat of paint. Just needs ...Pažaislis Monastery Complex
Pažaislis Monastery is an inspirational masterpiece of baroque architecture! It will take your breath away! The new museum is well organized and very informative....Devil Museum
An extremely unique and a one of a kind museum! Thousands of devils are on display from all over the world! I highly suggest a guided tour in your native language....Old Town Hall & Town Hall Square
The "White Swan" of Kaunas! The Old Town Hall is a must see for every traveler! Also there is a very interesting ceramic museum in the basement....Kaunas Castle
WOW! The new partially restored section of the castle is gorgeous! What a pleasant and positive cha...Ninth Fort Museum
I visited the Ninth Fort in 1988 shortly before the fall of the Soviet Union. It is a somber sobering place and one does well to consider the centuries of wars fought over that piece of land....Choral Synagogue
Is this also called the Blue Synagogue?...Ninth Fort Monument
Anyone who visits Kaunas should see this. It truly is an outstanding and moving memorial....Sugihara House
A very interesting house and an amazing character known as the Japanese Schindler by some. Sugihara was partly descended from the samurai was a Christian and deliberately flunked his medical exams which his father required him to sit as he really wanted to be a teacher....Memorial to the Memory of the Ghetto Victims
Where is the Lietukis bus station mentioned on the main page of this section? Is it the same as the garage on the corner of Griunvaldo and Vytauto which is described in the pages of e....Ninth Fort Museum
It's a bit of a chore to get to the 9th Fort, but definitely worth going there for the sobering history lesson....M. K. Čiurlionis State Art Museum
The small theater playing Ciurlionis' music was a great way to end a visit to the museum. I sat there for a few minutes, lulled by the joyous, peaceful music, when someone in some back room began to beat a metal file cabinet to death with a sledgehammer - - or at least that's what it sounded like....Devil Museum
I first visited here in 1995, and re-visited in 2008, and it didn't look like the museum had changed much, but a devil museum is probably unique throughout the museum world, and the collection is quite vast....Exiles & Political Prisoners Exhibition
Go in and take a look around. It doesn't cost much, and while the museum is small, they've tried as best they can....