Kaunas Travel Forum

Hello all
I'm going to spend a night in Kaunas soon and i was wondering if maybe i would need 2 nights there? I will not be enjoying Svyturys all the time of course ;) I'd like to see everything cultural, touristy, historical while there... so do i need more than 1 day for this? I'd also love to see whatever is worth seeing near the city... castles, parks, etc. So, all advice and tips are welcome! :)
Also, is Marijampole worth visiting? I need advice on that one!
And finally.... is it possible to hire a car in Kaunas and return it in Vilnius? If anyone knows a company who does this, would be great to hear about it
Thanks everyone!
DG

There is enough for 2 nights in Kaunas. Make sure you stop and see Trakai Castle. There are buses and trains that go there from Vilnius or you can drive there by car.

Hi
Kaunas is definitely worth a visit and I think you probably need 2 days to do it justice.
There is much written about the historic town centre and its Jewish history, and indeed that's interesting - as are slightly offbet musuems such as the museum of musical instruments. However, the two most compelling attractions are located in the suburbs and are utterly unique.
The Sugihara House is the former Japanese embassy from which Chiune Sugihara operated as a maverick diplomat for a short period early in WWII, issuing as many Japanese visas as he, his wife and their small staff could handwrite, andthereby saving literally thousands of Jewish lives. The idea of the Japanese being the 'baddies' in WWI is so entrenched, that to stumble across a Japanese War hero (at least from an Allied perspective) is mindblowing, and it is a truly fascinating little museum. He came from the Samurai class, so for him to act on his conscience in defiance of his orders must have been a huge leap: he must have been an amazing and very brave man.
Secondly, there is the Church of Christ's Resurrection, which is apparently the largest basilica in the Baltics and is a gobsmacking piece of gleaming white architecture that wouldn't look out of place as a set in a Flash Gordon movie. After a stint as a radio factory under Soviet occupation, it has been restored to its former function, and is quite unique!
If you have time, also consider visiting the Hill of Crosses at Siauliai, which is a very weird place indeed. It's an expression of Eastern (as opposed to Western) Christian tradition and I found it fascinating but very unsettling. It should be accessible by bus from Kaunas - it's certainly an easy drive.
As usual, more detail on my respective travel pages.
Regards
Cathy

Catherine's advice sounds most interesting and we are going to follow it too when in Kaunas. We have only been there once but without a guide and the Tourist Info was closed. We didn't find anything of interest in Marijampole but you might consider visiting Birtunas, a resort beautifully situated on the Neman River. More about it on my Birtunas page. And of course you are not going to miss beautiful Vilnius, are you? You will certainly need more than a day for that.

Nothing to see in Marijampole.

"Birtunas" does not exist - it is called Birstonas.

Hill of crosses is much overrated in my personal view. Anyway it would make something like 5-6 hours travel from Kaunas both ways just to spend 30-60 minutes there... Waste of time.

"... I'd also love to see whatever is worth seeing near the city... castles, parks, etc...."

Yes, there are some nice places near Kaunas, maybe even more interesting than Kaunas itself (well, apart the old town). Hill of Croses is far, it's near Shiauliai and not near Kaunas.
So you can consider Rumšiškes village (with an open-air ethnographic museum), Girionys suburb with the beautiful park (when you arrive to Girionys, the park is between the road and the river Nemunas), you can see Pažaislis in a distance on the other side of the river. Pažaislis itself is another option. Forts of Kaunas fortress are doable rather easy by car (and while driving from one fort to another you would see practically everything what is possible to see in Kaunas without any extra effort). Birštonas is slightly further, but doable, all that area around Birštonas within "Nemunas Loop" deserves attention, especially if weather is good.

Hi
Well...Marijampole is nothing special.
Birstonas- yes, that's a choise but you have to spend full day there. It's more for cycling or water sports and also if you go there you should take few hours in spa.
Rumsiskes- open air museum , also trip for a day. But it's worth visiting if you like traditional culture.
If you spending more than a day in Kaunas- visit IX Fort museum and Pazaislis monastery. You can also can take a trip to Raudondvaris castle in the outskirts of the town. If you hiring a car -its newly opened hiking track in Arlaviskes near Kaunas lagoon- juniper walley sometimes called "Lithuanian Tuscany"
If you need any more info about Kaunas just write me on VT
have fun
Remi:)
p.s. Hill of Crosses is really too far, both from Vilnius or Kaunas

Absolutely fantastic stuff everyone
Much appreciated
The decision to spend 2 nights in Kaunas has been made!
:)

hai again
most of car rentals can take the car at any other town , too. But they take extra payment.
You can try
www.herz.lt
They have offices both in Vilnius and Kaunas
Remi:)

Hi
Sorry, I should have been more clear that I wasn't suggesting the Hill of Crosses as a day trip (I agree it's too far), but as the OP has also asked other questions about touring around, it might have been something that he could have incorporated into his itinerary if he had been venturing north (since he has already asked several forum questions on other locations).
Just from a personal point of view, I found Trakai (which is easily done as a day trip from Vilnius) to be a bit of a disappointment. I had seen the photos and was looking forward to it as one of the highlights of our time in Lithuania, but felt a bit let down once we got there. It has a glorious setting on an island in a picturesque location, but I was sad to discover that the castle itself has been extensively rebuilt. Granted it's easy to distinguish which bits are original and which bits are reconstructed, but it felt disappointingly inauthentic, like a once beautiful old lady who'd had one face lift too many. This extensive reconstruction was also evident in other places (such as at Sigulda in Latvia) and as my very personal preference, I think that it detracts, rather than adds to the attraction.
Regards
Cathy

Hi
For the car rent you cana also check:
www.autocom.lt
www.europcar.lt
And you mentioned Svyturys.......it's good and famous all over the world. But being in Kaunas- try also Volfas Engelman, that's local and quite popular lately
Remi:)

Thanks for the extra responses everyone
Yes i'd heard that about Trakai castle... a bit worrying.
Also, thanks for the extra car-hire options. I would only be hiring for 2-3 days and Hertz and Avis really charge through the new nose for those short rental periods, so having these extra options is great
Thanks everyone!
DG

Glad that we could be of help, so why not reward us with a 'thumbs up'?:)

"...Yes i'd heard that about Trakai castle... a bit worrying..."

By car you can visit Trakai from Kaunas with no problem (unless your time will be too limited), i.e. you don't need to go to Vilnius (unlike as if you had to rely on public transport): take a road A16 (btw, you would need to pass Birštonas) and drive east via Aukštadvaris directly to Trakai. There is one advantage: the road A16 from Birštonas up to Trakai is one of most scenic roads in LT, so you don't need to do anything, just relax and drive, and it would count as "seeing 1 object", namely "Aukštadvaris Road". Aukštadvaris is, btw, unofficial resort, quite nice area. So getting to Trakai wouldn't be "waste of time", it would be "seeing the country" :D.
As for the castle reconstruction - there are authentic ruines of the other castles for those who need authencity, just in lithuanian climate there is no other (i.e. better) way to preserve authentic remains than reconstruction (i agree completely that the value is in authentic remains).
So in you case you can just cast your glance to the castle and wave goodbye if you feel that it's enough, the road A16 actually is a pleasure to drive :D .

Interesting point about the influence of climate on the preservation of ruins ... I hadn't considered that.
I also agree that it's a lovely drive, and well worth doing :)