Even those who have yet to go to Kaunas know all about its most important objects of interest. We’ve written about them so many times! But have you ever wondered where to meet Kaunas people when they want to relax and have nothing more to present, show or prove to anyone? Tourist guides don’t usually talk about these places, but this time, we have a special list of local spots for those who wish to get to know the real Kaunas.
What are those cute transparent domes in Kaunas parks? Travellers and holidaymakers often ask us about them. No, these are not massage parlours or juice bars. These are summer reading rooms installed by the Kaunas Vincas Kudirka Public Library. This summer, the reading domes settled in Kalniečiai, Dainava and Santarvės (Šilainiai) parks. Not only will you find something to read on a bench or a blanket here, but you will take part in dancing or singing lessons, listen to conversations with writers, and maybe even catch a concert. Of course, all events in and around the reading rooms are free.
Photos by the library
Libraries are the safe havens for travellers around the world. Even if you don’t have a local reader card, you are still welcome to use the wifi or simply chill in these cultural institutions. The hottest spot in Kaunas and the region is the recently renovated Ąžuolynas Library. Its contemporary interior, filled with plants and comfortable furniture, invites you to sit down with a book, and the calendar of events insists you spend your evenings here, too. There’s even a makerspace.
Photos by the library
You must have already noticed that Kaunas residents are athletic people. No matter what profession one has, he or she eagerly exercises, jogs, cycles, rolls around with a ball or otherwise trains body and soul. To make sure that everyone can get moving, the city has a unique programme of free workouts called Move Healthy. It’s incredible how many different sports you can try by attending free classes led by professionals in various places around the city, including parks.
Photo by the organisers
It’s pretty easy to attend events in theatres, clubs or arenas. But what about a performance, a concert or a film screening in someone’s backyard? Would you even know which of the city’s thousands of yards to enter? The idea of “Culture in the Courtyards”, born during the pandemic, is aimed primarily at the inhabitants of those courtyards - the events visit all the districts of Kaunas. Truth is, everyone is welcome to attend these events - it is also an excellent opportunity to discover Dainava, Aleksotas or Gričiupis. This year’s season starts on 19 August.
Photo by M. Plepys
A queue for bread here means quality and nothing else. Moreover, the fragrant herbs on the stand nearby are not imported thousands of kilometres away but are grown right next door. We’re talking about the farmers’ market that changes the atmosphere of the Old Town for a few hours every Saturday morning, in the undergrowth of one of the most famous pieces of street art in Kaunas, the “Wise Old Man”. Food lovers also appreciate the Žaliakalnis and Šilainiai markets, as well as the Central Market in the Urmo shopping town. Don’t forget, they’re all for the early birds!
Photo by Andrius Aleksandravičius
Traditional tourists will be satisfied with international chains, but you, our dear friends, can have lunch in Kaunas in a vintage trolleybus parked in Vilijampolė (14 stotelė) or on a terrace overlooking the Christ’s Resurrection Basilica (Kuhne) or Kaunas Castle (Brasta square). Why not try cepelinai in an old canteen on Laisvės Avenue, famous for its authentic interior? Local vegetarians or health food seekers flock to the centrally located spot called Žalia pupa or the legendary “Vilties” pharmacy tea room (read about it here).
Photo by Brasta square
Laisvės Alėja and Vilniaus Street are full of trendy bars, but sometimes it’s worth turning to narrower side streets to get the true city vibe. In the very centre, on A. Mickevičiaus Street, the courtyard of a blue house covered in vines, is a summer gathering place for the local cultural and academic crowd, who cram into the same house in winter. Vingiu Dubingiu pours craft beer from Lithuania and neighbouring countries, and behind the wall is a small indie bookstore.
Another seemingly secret venue is Olimpas, a summer terrace in the courtyard of one of the oldest houses in the centre on V. Putvinskio Street. It’s truly authentic, just like O kodėl ne?, located on the railway tracks in the former stationmaster’s house, where music, stand-up, contemporary art, and tattoo machines buzz to the same beat.
Photo by Vingiu Dubingiu
Everyone has at least heard of the Art Deco Museum and the Amsterdam School Museum, which offer experiential tours and receive raving reviews. But Kaunas is also full of lesser-known, rarely advertised, unrenovated (there are some significant exceptions), and therefore very authentic museums. These are apartments and houses where writers, musicians and artists once lived. They contain not only vintage furniture and books or works of art but also dozens of stories preserved by museums that love to tell them to visitors. We particularly like the villa of the composer Juozas Gruodis, the Galaunės House, Vaižgantas’s apartment... and many others.
Apartment of priest and writer Vaižgantas. Photo by Donatas Stankevičius
The Lampėdžiai beach, the foreign travellers’ favourite Atomic Bunker Museum, the historic wooden shacks of Vilijampolė, the Kaunas modernism, the artsy J. Mačiūnas Square, the sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi, the exposition of military equipment in Fort VI... No, this is not a very long guided tour. This is the everyday route of trolleybus No 7. Are you already wondering what other trolleybuses and buses have to offer? Hop on and find out.
Every fashionista in Kaunas knows the best place for vintage gems is Humana on M. Daukšos Street, next to Kiras Cafe, which offers ridiculously good coffees and cakes. You will find an even more exclusive second-hand clothes and accessories shop on the same street, Vintažerija (they make matcha, too…). Only your diplomacy will determine whether you get to know more addresses - you can meet the city’s most stylish people at Kiras or at the venues mentioned in the paragraph above. Of course, Kaunas-made accessories like kARTu or Gėda Pelėda bags are also available online.
Vegan cake by Kiras
