Kaunas, the country’s second-largest city and the third-largest in the Baltics, is well worth a visit while on a Lithuania holiday.
Kaunas is what you’d mostly expect from a Baltic city – with a charming, medieval Old Town, a plethora of churches, galleries and museums, and plenty of cafés and restaurants serving strange local delicacies – but it also retains a sense of individuality and offers a fascinatingly distinct cultural and historical experience.
There are a glut of museums and galleries exhibiting the region’s unique folk and military history such as the intriguing Military Museum of Vytautas the Great and Devil’s Museum.
Architectural highlights include the magnificent Baroque Rotuses aikste Town Hall, the elaborate Gothic Perkunas House and the Art Deco buildings of the New Town area.
Kaunas is also very serious about its culture and there’s plenty here for lovers of the arts; the Kaunas Philharmonic gives regular performances and the Musical Theatre often has a decent programme of operas and musicals, while the town is also hosts cultural events throughout the year, such as the Pazaislis Classical Music Festival and Kaunas Jazz Festival.