Kaunas City Municipality · Lithuania
Kaunas travel guide
Kaunas is a city in Kaunas City Municipality, Lithuania, home to about 305,000 people.
- Best months
- May, June, August and September
- Nearest airport
- KUN12 km · Kaunas International Airport
- Currency
- EUReuro
- Time zone
- Europe/Vilnius
- Language
- Lithuanian
About
About Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania (after Vilnius), the fourth-largest city in the Baltic states, and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of Kaunas County in the Duchy of Trakai of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Trakai Palatinate since 1413.
The city grew up in an obvious strategic position, at the confluence of the country's two main rivers. There's been settlement here for at least 2500 years but what we now call the Old Town dates from the 14th century when the castle was built. Kaunas prospered as part of the Hanseatic League into the 16th century. Medieval Lithuania had united with Poland to control a huge swathe of Europe, right down to the Black Sea, but Sweden and Russia grew and fought for regional control, and in the 17th and 18th centuries they attacked and wrecked Kaunas several times.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Kaunas
See
- Kaunas Castle
- Church of St George
- Rotušės aikštė
- Kaunas City Hall
- Museum of the History of Lithuanian Medicine and Pharmacy
- Church of Holy Trinity
- Maironis Museum of Lithuanian Literature
- Church of St Francis Xavier
- Cathedral of Sts Peter & Paul
- Kaunas Picture Gallery
- Perkūnas House
- Church of Vytautas the Great
Do
- State Musical Theatre
- Kaunas Chamber Theatre
- National Kaunas Drama Theatre
- Aura Dance Theatre
- State Philharmonic Orchestra
- VMU Grand Hall
- National Puppet Theatre
- Žalgirio Arena
- Dariaus and Girėno Sports Complex
- Žalgiris Sports Complex
- Kaunas Aeroclub
- Kaunas Yacht Club
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Kaunas
2 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Radisson Hotel Kaunas | 1.4 km | |
| Victoria Hotel Kaunas | 1.5 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Kaunas
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Kaunas are May, June, August and September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 24 °C; July is the wettest, with about 87 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Kaunas: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Kaunas International Airport (KUN), about 12 km from the city centre in a straight line; Vilnius International Airport (VNO, 92 km) is also within reach.
Getting in
Bus 29 from outside Arrivals runs via Savanoriu Ave to the main railway and bus station, taking an hour. It runs daily once or twice an hour between 04:30 and 23:30, then the last bus heads into town at 01:00 but will wait for delayed flights. The fare is €1.50 as of 2026; pay the driver with card or cash. A taxi to the town centre might be €20. Ollex is a direct bus from Kaunas airport to Vilnius (90 min, three per day, €15) and Klaipėda (2 hr 30 min, four per day, €22). The latter stops midway at Kryžkalnis highway interchange, for other local buses.
Getting around
Some 43 bus and 15 trolleybus routes criss-cross the city, running from 05:00 to 23:00. Use e-tickets or buy a ticket on board (with coins or debit/credit card). A single e-ticket is €0.70 - always validate it when boarding. On board tickets cost €1.50. E-tickets can be used with a Žiogas card (available at newsstands or certain supermarkets in Kaunas) or with the Žiogas app, available on Android and iOS. Žiogas works by pre-loading the card or the app with money. You can also buy monthly or even longer duration passes for your card or app.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
KUN · Kaunas International Airport
VNO · Vilnius International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Kaunas
Eat
Lithuanian food isn't easy to find elsewhere in the world so this is a good place to try it. Plenty of other cuisines are available.
Stay safe
Usual precautions about traffic, safeguarding valuables and avoiding damnfool drunks. The station area can be rough at night.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Kaunas: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Kaunas?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Kaunas are May, June, August and September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 24 °C; July is the wettest, with about 87 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Kaunas?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Kaunas International Airport (KUN), about 12 km from the city centre in a straight line; Vilnius International Airport (VNO, 92 km) is also within reach.
What currency is used in Kaunas?
euro (EUR).
Nearby
Destinations near Kaunas
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.