“Every step I have taken in my life has led me here, now,” says a quote inscribed into the steps of Kaunas Picture Gallery. It’s a piece by Alberto Garutti, an artist that participated in Kaunas Biennial in 2017. We agree that walking on foot is not just healthy and practical but also meaningful and inspiring in numerous ways. So, this summer, we encourage you to reach the recommended 10,000 steps/day average in a few kaunastic ways.
This July marks the 90th anniversary of the flight of Lithuanian pilotas Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas across the Atlantic. Many places in Kaunas and throughout Lithuania are associated with the pilots and their voyage with the Lituanica plane. On 1-15 July, the Lithuanian Aviation Museum invites everyone to join themed excursions revealing the Kaunas of Steponas Darius between 1920 and 1927. In total, around 30 km of discoveries! Follow the link to find these coordinates, and we invite you to dedicate one long walk to Lituanica.
Meet your friends at the monument to S. Darius and S. Girėnas, created in 1937 and only realised in 1993. The renewed Kaunas stadium, named after the pilots, is also here. Let’s head down Parodos Street and keep right. We will pass the already mentioned “Kultura”, so this could be the first stop for a breather.
Our destination is the Vytautas the Great War Museum, where you will see the wreckage of the Lituanica and many other details that help you get a picture of the flight across the Atlantic.
Photo by Andrius Aleksandravičius
Next, Kaunas Old Town and Santaka Park. The basketball court here always stays full. Let’s go to the Basketball House, built just a couple of years ago in the heart of the city, or maybe you’ve never been to the Lithuanian Sports Museum? We invite you to both because Steponas Darius pioneered many sports in Lithuania.
LAM / photo by Matas Laužadis
The last stop on the route is the S. Darius and S. Girėnas Aerodrome. It was named after the pilots after the Lituanica crash. A crowd of Kaunas citizens waited for the heroes at this World War I-era airfield, but... The Soviet-era passenger terminal houses the Lithuanian Aviation Museum, which is still being reconstructed, but in the warm weather, it is great to spend time in the outdoor exhibitions. On 15 July, the Steponas Darius Kaunas excursion series’s culminating event will occur here.
Exhibitions in Kaunas can be visited 24 hours a day. If not in galleries, then in the open air - the city is full of street art, after all! In this route, we’ve included primarily galleries confined to walls, so please pay attention to opening hours when planning your walk.
We suggest you start the first half of the day at the Town Hall Square - this is where the Meno Parkas Gallery has been presenting contemporary art and topical artists for a quarter of a century. Until 9 July, stop by to see the paintings of Kęstutis Zapkus from the USA. Almost next door, the Kaunas Photography Gallery hosts the highly sensitive exhibition on motherhood by Ieva Sankutė.
And now, onto Owls Hill. A prominent artist Žilvinas Landzbergas recently unveiled his new public art object, The House of the Snake, here. The object invites you to be and to experience, with plenty of room for interpretation.
Photo by M. Plepys
As you walk down to the centre, share them, and you won’t even notice how you end up in the Courtyard Gallery, which has been slowly growing for over a decade, just between and on the walls of the buildings. Free time for some selfies! Five minutes only because there’s still a long way to go.
In June, the National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art opened the art and science exhibition “Green”, overwhelming in its freshness and size, and an exhibition of works by the fascinating Japanese photographer Kodo Chijiwa. Across the street is Kaunas Artists’ House, where you can check out a video exhibition of the Ukrainian queer archives. The Kaunas Picture Gallery is currently showing the street photography of Remis Ščerbauskas, the interdisciplinary future speculations of the duo BIONICS, and other exciting things. Reserve time for a coffee because we still have to run to Šančiai and back!
The former textile factory “Drobė” is bustling with a wide range of activities, and it’s great that a new art gallery has recently found its place here. The space of the Kaunas branch of the Lithuanian Artists'’Union is currently hosting an exhibition exploring contemporary interpretations of sacral art.
Photo by Andrius Aleksandravičius
The newest addition to the Kaunas gallery map is Kita galerija, which opens only at 5 pm and stays open until late. You can stop for a pint at the bohemian bar O kodėl ne? on your way back from Žemieji Šančiai. If you missed it, that’s fine, because, after the illustrations exhibition, the bar in the courtyard of Kita galerija will be waiting for you. After dark, there will be a Romuva cinema outdoor screening. A whole day in the embrace of art!
Photo by M. Plepys
There are about a thousand historical castle mounds in Lithuania, seven in Kaunas city, and a few dozen more in the district. Usually, after climbing the steep slope of a castle mound, the view is spectacular, so exercise is guaranteed for the legs and the soul.
Veršvų Mound. Photo by Unseen pictures / Kaunas IN
Be warned that the step counter may overheat if you want to visit all seven on foot! But, for example, if you plan to walk 10 km starting from the Veršvų Mound, you can walk through the whole of Vilijampolė, cross the Old Town and the Vytautas the Great Bridge (which used to take two whole weeks to travel - of course, it’s a joke, but two different calendars were used on the opposite sides of the River Nemunas), and admire the view of the Nemunas River from the side of the town Aleksotas.
Jiesia Mound. Photo by Unseen pictures / Kaunas IN
Our final stop is the Jiesia Mound, known as Napoleon’s Hill. From this hill, it is said that the warlord watched his men cross the Nemunas. Another urban legend says that the delicious Napoleonas cake originated in Šančiai, from where the Jiesia Mound is perfectly visible! Joking or not, Šančiai residents say that the most delicious cake is baked by their neighbours, the Cukrinis arliukas. After a hike like this, you definitely deserve to try it.
We’ve prepared even two routes for those who like to taste, snack, savour and eat around. One with fewer stops but more nature; the other is more urban and suitable even for real party lions.
Although Brazil is far, far away, we do have an Ipanema in Kaunas. The play on words has served to name this pizzeria on Panemunė beach, and the new place has already created many traditions. The dancing, even in the daytime, is one of our favourites. You can also catch a volleyball tournament at the weekend, but we recommend pizza this time. Once you’ve filled up, it’s a long and exciting walk through the Petrašiūnai district, a not-so-familiar area with a rich industrial heritage. If you want to pick up even more steps, walk through Panemunės grove to Karavansarai, a Middle Eastern restaurant - we can’t guarantee you’ll want to walk any further after you’ve finished your pilaf!
But it’s worth it, as the Monte Pacis hospitality complex, which has been operating in the Pažaislis Monastery for a decade, has even charmed celebrities such as the writer Kristina Sabaliauskaitė and the actress Helen Mirren. Both have lived here while creating and created while living - you can, too! If you don’t have time this weekend, book a table at the restaurant in advance and immerse yourself in gastronomic delights.
Photo by Andrius Aleksandravičius
A couple of thousands more steps along the Kaunas lagoon, breathing the air cleansed by conifers, and we are already in Kaunas Yacht Club. If you have a yacht, congratulations, and if you like to admire them, let’s go to the terrace of Marina Taste Gallery. The cocktails here taste really special at dusk. And if you’re considering starting at the other end of the route, great news - the Marina offers brunch every lovely day of the week. And the view is just as great every day.
The next option on the GASTROllers’ route starts at the trendy Habits Bakery, where a DJ is on the porch at the weekend to get the metabolism going (and make more croissants). Then it’s on to Unity Square, where there are several options. It’s a great coffee or a hearty lunch in one of the several cafés here. Save room for dessert as we walk to the Chaika Café on M. Daukša Street, looking at street art along the way. The cakes here are vegan but still sinful... But sometimes you can, especially if you have another hike afterwards to Brasta Square on the other side of the Neris River, with its swarm of street food carts and panoramic view of Kaunas Castle.
Photo by Andrius Aleksandravičius
On the way back to the city centre, there is one more novelty - Dūzgės. This fun little bar is located in the Kaunas City Museum of Folk Music courtyard and is one of the best-kept secrets of the Old Town that we want to share.
With a view of the Soboras, a musical backdrop worthy of praise and the most interesting conversations about where to go next and what you have already experienced, Laukas can already be called an old-timer of Kaunas city centre. Although the M. Žilinskas Art Gallery is currently not open for visitors, Laukas on its terrace is a constant reminder of what a great place it is.
The final destination for the route is O kodėl ne? - we have already mentioned this bohemian spot in the Art route. Concerts, DJs and other cultural happenings, a bar and a kitchen, an amphitheatre and tables in a train carriage - on the train tracks, the straps of fantasy do come loose, and time loses its tangible meaning. A perfect location to wait for the first train home!
