Kaunas is Lithuania’s second city, sitting at the confluence of the Neris and Nemen rivers, which are overlooked by the mid-14th century Kaunas Castle. Lithuania was an independent medieval kingdom that merged with Poland during the renaissance, before being absorbed by Tsarist Russia in the late 18th century. Control of rivers as an efficient way to get around in the medieval era was important, hence Kaunas.

Briefly independent between the world wars, Lithuania dealt with both varieties of Nazi and Soviet totalitarianism before regaining independence in 1990. As such, people are happy to get visitors who appreciate the place but aren’t wearing uniforms and don’t insist on staying in large numbers.

Kaunas has a more laid back feel than Vilnius and is the right size for a couple of days’ stay. The old town has benefitted from relative isolation from major industrialization and so you see quite a few intact buildings from the renaissance.

It’s a good winter break city with some serious and life-size illuminated decorations.

Kaunas was Lithuania’s first modern capital upon independence in 1918, owing to Vilnius still being in territory claimed by Poland. The former Presidential Palace, on Vilniaus 33, is worth a visit to see how a small country gathers itself together to do it’s own thing – armies, post offices, etc. Lithuania’s first president, Antanas Smetona, gets some attention. He also ran the country as dictator after a military coup in 1926, and was one of relatively few Lithuanian leaders to escape Soviet Russian concentration camps by escaping to Germany after the Soviet occupation in 1939. Moving via Switzerland and Portugal to the US in 1941, like many Lithuanian emigres, he settled in the midwest, dying in Cleveland in 1944.

Kaunas’ old city still has many renaissance elements in the form of large Hanseatic merchants’ houses, as well as quite a few derelict houses.

Despite the brisk weather at the time of visit, people in Kaunas get out and about at all hours.  Once you’ve strolled out the old town and done a circuit of the riverfront – there is a nice open park at the western tip of town between the rivers – a few other places worth seeing include:

Vytautas the Great War Museum, K. Donelaičio 64 – Lithuania’s turbulent and busy political and military history under one roof. The building is an interesting interwar memorial; one of a few built in a flush of post-independence development.

M.K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art, V. Putvinskio 55 – contemporay Lithuanian art.

KGB Atomic Bunker, Raudondvario pl. 164A – underground Soviet bunker now fitted out as a museum.  It is opened upon request, so go to atominisbunkeris.lt to make a booking. About 5km out of town and on bus routes.

Logistics. While the old city has your usual dollops of character, there are plenty of hotels in the modern city center further east. I stayed at the HOF Hotel at Maironio 21A, which was a comfortable and modern place. Good restaurants and places to spend a relaxing evening at include:

Etno Dvaras, Rotušės 4 – Well-executed and good value Lithuanian sit-down restaurant chain.

Hunters’ Inn, Rotušės 10 – plenty of game and not really for vegetarians.

Mtevani, Laisvės 56 – excellent Georgian restaurant when you are ready for a change from Lithuanian cooking.

Hop Doc Gastropub, M. Daukšos 23. Good beer pub plus restaurant.

NIShA bar’o perspektyva, M. Daukšos 29. Best craft beer pub in town with plenty of focus on Lithuanian microbrews.

Access. The railway station is about 3km from the modern city center (and about a 70-90-minute train ride to Vilnius) so walkable if your luggage is portable. You can buy tickets on the train so just get on. Kaunas airport is about 15km northeast of town and a 20 euro taxi ride. It’s a nice little airport with pretty good connectivity – LOT has frequent flights to Warsaw and it is easy to go on from there. As someone who works in the airport industry, I love that they literally built a box for the terminal, which as we know maximizes layout flexibility as requirements change over time. The ground-level loading bridges are a nice touch as well; allowing you a walk to the aircraft if it’s close enough.