Free Walking Tour Kaunas: Castle, Funicular, Devils

Your Kaunas Walking Tour Stop by Stop: Rivers, Squares and Museums

1. 1

   Kaunas Castle

   

   Kaunas Castle sits on a rise above the Nemunas, close to where it meets the Neris, and that position explains its whole history. A stone castle stood here by the middle of the 14th century, built in Gothic style about 100 km from Vilnius as a strategic outpost. It guarded nearby towns and the trade routes along the rivers, and it belonged to the ruler of Lithuania himself.

   Look at the walls and picture them over 11 metres high including the firing galleries. That is the height the Teutonic Knights faced in 1362. A year earlier their Grand Master, Winrich von Kniprode, had ordered spies to find out exactly how thick the walls were. In March the Knights arrived, built a siege tower and brought machines to break the walls; early firearms may even have been used, as gunpowder was just reaching Europe.

   Inside were about 400 Lithuanian soldiers under Prince Vaidotas, son of Grand Duke Kęstutis. After three weeks the walls gave way. On Easter Sunday the Knights celebrated Mass in the captured castle, and of the 400 defenders only 36 are said to have survived. Why no help came from outside is still debated. Kęstutis soon won the site back and rebuilt it, but the castle stayed a prize between the two sides, and in 1384 the Knights took it again.

   Today roughly a third of the original castle remains. The interior charges admission and is worth it if the siege story has hooked you and you want to stand inside these walls. If you are saving time and money for the museums later on, the exterior and the story carry the visit well.

   The castle actually stands in the eastern part of Santakos Park, so the next stretch is short: 500 m, about 7 minutes, out to the confluence itself.

   Local name

   Kauno pilis

   Hours

   Tue–Fri 10:00–18:00, Sat 10:00–17:00 (Jun–Aug 10:00–18:00), Sun closed (Jun–Aug 10:00–16:00), Mon closed

   Price

   4 EUR full, 2 EUR reduced

   Website

   kaunomuziejus.lt ↗

   Location

   Kaunas Castle on Google Maps ↗

2. 2

   Santakos Park

   

   Santakos Park covers 12.69 hectares right where the Nemunas and the Neris flow together, and legend says this is where Duke Kunas founded Kaunas and built the first castle. Whether you believe the story or not, the confluence is as close as the city gets to a birthplace.

   From the park the views open across to Aleksotas, Vilijampolė and the Neris delta. In the eastern part you have already passed the castle and St George's Church with its Bernardine monastery, along with the priests' seminary and the Papal Hill. Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass here in 1993, and a statue of him was unveiled in the park in 2011; in September 2018 Pope Francis held Mass at the confluence too.

   The park is also the city's outdoor stage. An amphitheatre for a thousand people with a mobile stage was set into the Nemunas slope in 2008, and in 2017 a second one with 1100 seats was added on the slope by Papilio street near St George's. At the far end there is a skate, roller and BMX park. Keep an eye out for the Santaka willow, protected since 2016, and for the birds in the leafy trees: starlings, magpies, jays and wood pigeons. With luck you might spot a hare or a hedgehog.

   It is free and open around the clock, so take as long as you like. From here it is 1450 m, about 22 minutes, to the Aleksotas Funicular, the longest leg of the morning.

   Local name

   Santakos parkas

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   Website

   kaunas.lt ↗

   Location

   Santakos Park on Google Maps ↗

3. 3

   Aleksotas Funicular

   

   The Aleksotas Funicular opened on 5 December 1935 and is one of only three funiculars in Lithuania and among the oldest in Europe. It was the second one in Kaunas, after the Žaliakalnis funicular of 1931. Watch how it works: a single track carries two wooden cars in opposite directions, and they pass each other at a loop halfway along. The line is 132.9 m long at an 18 degree incline, and each car holds 25 passengers.

   Why build it at all? In the 1920s Aleksotas filled with new institutions: an airfield, the physics and chemistry institute of Vytautas Magnus University, an observatory of the defence ministry, a school and the institute of Lithuanian literature and folklore. They were far from the centre, so the city decided on an inclined lift to link them. Earthworks began on 1 March 1934.

   It was an international job. The Swiss cable specialists Theodor Bell & Cie. of Kriens built and installed it, AEG in Berlin supplied the electrics, and the machinery still sits in the cellar of the upper station. A safety brake stops the cars automatically if the hauling cable ever breaks. Among the planners was the architect Karolis Reisonas; keep the name in mind for the end of the walk. Interior minister Julius Čaplikas and mayor Antanas Merkys came to the opening.

   A ride costs little and is well worth it for the wooden cars alone. Then walk 840 m, about 13 minutes, into Kaunas Old Town.

   Local name

   Aleksoto funikulierius

   Hours

   Mon–Sun 07:00–12:00, 13:00–19:00

   Price

   1.50 EUR single ride

   Website

   kaunoautobusai.lt ↗

   Location

   Aleksotas Funicular on Google Maps ↗

4. 4

   Kaunas Old Town

   

   Kaunas Old Town is the oldest part of the city, spreading east from the confluence, and it is protected as an urban monument. There is almost no industry here; the largest surviving industrial building is the former Lituanica factory. Instead you walk among historic, cultural and residential buildings with limited traffic, many of them Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque, especially in the western part.

   Read the streets as you go. From the 12th century until 1540 the town grew in a radial pattern, later switching to a rectangular grid. The cobbled main street, Vilniaus gatvė, runs west to east from Town Hall Square to Laisvės Alėja. Between the wars this quarter was simply called the Old City, and in 1923 it was home to 17,167 people.

   Right by Town Hall Square stands the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, the largest Gothic sacred building in Lithuania. If you step inside, look for two things: the late Gothic crystal vault over the two-storey sacristy and the organ built in 1882.

   The Old Town is dense with landmarks: Perkūnas House, the old Hanseatic warehouses, the Maironis Lithuanian Literature Museum, the synagogue on Zamenhof street and a fragment of the defensive wall with the Miller's Tower. Wander freely; it is all free to walk. Town Hall Square, the heart of it all, is right next to you.

   Local name

   Kauno senamiestis

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Kaunas Old Town on Google Maps ↗

5. 5

   Town Hall Square

   

   Town Hall Square is the oldest and main square of Kaunas Old Town, and its centrepiece is the town hall. In the Middle Ages this was where markets, fairs and celebrations took place. In the 15th century nine wax melting furnaces worked on the square, and one of them has been on display since 2002, so look for it.

   Turn slowly and the whole ensemble comes together: the Jesuit Church of St Francis Xavier from 1720 with its monastery buildings from 1768, the 16th century Zabiela house, the 18th century Sirutis palace, and the early 19th century horse post station complex by the architect J. Poussier, now the Communication History Museum. Add the seminary rector's palace and the Holy Trinity (Seminary) Church with its Bernardine monastery. The oldest house on the square, Rotušės aikštė 2‑2a, goes back to the early 16th century.

   Two monuments complete the picture. In 1977 a statue of Maironis, the poet of Lithuanian Romanticism, was unveiled here, and in 2005 a monument to the Samogitian bishop Motiejus Valančius joined it beside the seminary.

   From here the walk leaves the medieval town for the 19th century city: 1780 m, about 24 minutes, to Laisvės Alėja. Along the way you pass the Kaunas Photography Gallery, worth a glance if you are in no hurry.

   Local name

   Rotušės aikštė

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   Website

   kaunas.lt ↗

   Location

   Town Hall Square on Google Maps ↗

6. 6

   Laisvės Alėja

   

   Laisvės Alėja is the 1.7 km pedestrian boulevard of the New Town, one of the longest pedestrian streets in Europe, linking Vilniaus street with the Soboras. It began as an imperial plan. After Tsar Nicholas I created the Kaunas governorate in 1843, a new city plan was approved by 1847 with a regular grid of streets and three squares. The main street, named Nicholas Avenue in the tsar's honour, was laid out wider than the rest, with two carriageways split by a footpath.

   Plots were marked out from 1848 and sold for building from 1849. In 1851 lindens were planted along most of the avenue and poplars at its eastern end; from 1857 the carriageways were paved with stone. Even so, the Old Town stayed the centre of public life for decades, with trade, houses of worship and the governor's residence, today the Historical Presidential Palace.

   The avenue really took shape after 1879, when Kaunas was declared a first class fortress of the Russian Empire, and in 1887 the Belgian engineer E. O. Dupont won the concession for a horse tram. In 1982 the street became a pedestrian zone from Vilniaus street to Independence Square, and a major rebuild from 2015 to 2021 gave it new paving and lights.

   Stroll as far as you like; it is free and open at all hours. The Vytautas the Great War Museum is just 380 m, about 5 minutes, away.

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Laisvės Alėja on Google Maps ↗

7. 7

   Vytautas the Great War Museum

   

   Start outside. The square in front of the Vytautas the Great War Museum holds statues of figures from the Lithuanian national revival, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with its eternal flame, and the plaque honouring the book smugglers, the Knygnešių sienelė. Between 1918 and 1940, when Kaunas was the temporary capital, national holidays were celebrated right here.

   The building itself is Art Deco with early functionalism. The museum was founded in 1921 by Vladas Nagevičius and later moved to this larger site: part of it opened in 1930 for the 500th anniversary of Vytautas the Great, the Grand Duke it is named after, and the finished museum opened on 16 February 1936.

   Inside, the collection runs from prehistory to the present, with a large array of historical weapons, uniforms of many armies, copies of 17th century cannons in the great hall, a rich set of 18th century pistols, the Vytautas the Great Chapel and an exhibition on the defence of the Kaunas Fortress in 1915. The crowd favourite is the Lituanica, the plane in which Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas flew across the Atlantic in 1933. It is worth the ticket and an hour for anyone curious about Lithuanian history or aviation.

   Look up at the tower: it houses the Kaunas Carillon, completed in Belgium in 1935 with 35 bells and first played in 1937. Regular concerts began in 1956, with the composers Viktoras Kuprevičius and his son Giedrius as its first carillonists. After restoration by the Eijsbouts foundry in the Netherlands in 2005 and 2006, it now has 49 bells.

   From here it is 310 m, about 5 minutes, to the Devil's Museum, passing the M.K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum on the way.

   Local name

   Vytauto Didžiojo karo muziejus

   Hours

   Mon–Sun 10:00–17:00

   Price

   6 EUR full, 3 EUR reduced

   Website

   vdkaromuziejus.lt ↗

   Location

   Vytautas the Great War Museum on Google Maps ↗

8. 8

   Devil's Museum

   

   The Devil's Museum calls itself the only devil museum in the world, and with about 3000 exhibits it is a branch of the M.K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum. It all started with one man: the painter Antanas Žmuidzinavičius, who began collecting devils in 1906. The first little devil was a gift from the priest, writer and public figure Juozas Tumas‑Vaižgantas.

   The museum opened in 1965 with 260 figures, followed in 1966 by the painter's memorial museum in his own house. Shortly before his death he handed his collection to the state. It kept growing until a three-storey extension by the architect A. Mažeika was added in 1982.

   Go floor by floor. The first floor shows Žmuidzinavičius's own pieces, the core of the original collection, with a purely Lithuanian devil: people wrestling with him, riding on his neck, and plenty of sarcastic, funny scenes. On the way between floors you pass macabre engravings, big paintings and caricatures. The second floor holds wood carvings, mostly from Slavic peoples, and the third floor gathers devilry from the former Soviet Union, from Armenia all the way to Yakutia. In Slavic folklore peasants were forever fending off the devil, and he was said to love playing tricks in bathhouses.

   Most of the devils are male, and many hide in everyday objects: nutcrackers, plates, pokers, pipes and ashtrays. The ticket is worth it for anyone with a taste for folklore or the wonderfully odd. The last leg is 820 m, about 13 minutes, to Christ's Resurrection Church.

   Local name

   Velnių muziejus

   Hours

   Tue–Wed 11:00–17:00, Thu 11:00–19:00, Fri 11:00–17:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–17:00, Mon closed

   Price

   8 EUR full, 4 EUR reduced

   Website

   ciurlionis.lt ↗

   Location

   Devil's Museum on Google Maps ↗

9. 9

   Christ's Resurrection Church

   

   Christ's Resurrection Church is the largest basilica church in the Baltic states, a monumental Catholic minor basilica consecrated in 2004 and finally completed in 2005. Its story, though, begins right after Lithuania regained independence in 1918, with the idea of a church to thank God for freedom.

   A committee led by President Antanas Smetona was set up in 1926. Kaunas was chosen because Vilnius, the historic capital, belonged to Poland between 1920 and 1939, while Kaunas served as the temporary capital. The city donated the land in 1928 and a design competition that year was won by Karolis Reisonas, the same architect you met at the Aleksotas Funicular. The design was so ambitious and its costs rose so fast that it was not approved until 1933.

   The first cornerstone came from the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem in 1934. Money was raised at home and abroad; the parson Feliksas Kapočius travelled through the United States to win support among Lithuanian emigrants. Work stalled more than once for lack of funds, but the walls and roof stood by 1938, and by 1940 the church was largely finished, at a cost of about a million litas, mostly from private donations. It was meant to become a national pantheon, with crypts for the nation's most distinguished people.

   Entry to the church is free. The roof terrace costs extra and is the reason to come up here at the end of the walk: from up there, the city you have just crossed lies around you.

   Local name

   Kauno Kristaus prisikėlimo bažnyčia

   Hours

   Mar–Sep: Mon–Fri 11:30–18:30, Sat–Sun 11:00–18:30; Oct–Feb: Mon–Fri 12:00–18:00, Sat–Sun 11:00–18:00

   Price

   Free church entry; roof terrace 3 EUR (stairs) / 5 EUR (elevator)

   Website

   prisikelimas.lt ↗

   Location

   Christ's Resurrection Church on Google Maps ↗

Shorter Ways to Walk Kaunas

Kaunas splits neatly in two: the medieval core by the rivers and the 19th and 20th century city along Laisvės Alėja. Town Hall Square is where the halves meet, so either half works as a walk of its own.

Rivers and Old Town

Stops: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

For a first morning in Kaunas or anyone drawn to medieval history. Castle, confluence, funicular, then the Old Town and Town Hall Square: 2.8 km and 43 minutes of walking. You pay only for the castle interior and the funicular ride.

Interwar Capital and Museums

Stops: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

For travellers who care about the years when Kaunas was Lithuania's temporary capital, or who simply want the museums. From Town Hall Square along Laisvės Alėja to the War Museum, the devils and the church: 3.3 km and 47 minutes of walking. The War Museum and the Devil's Museum charge admission; the church is free, the roof terrace extra.

How Long Does This Kaunas Tour Take with Three Museums?

The full walk is 6.1 km with 1 h 28 min of pure walking. The longest legs are the stretch from Santakos Park to the Aleksotas Funicular and the walk from Town Hall Square to Laisvės Alėja; everything else is short, and Kaunas Old Town and Town Hall Square sit practically on top of each other.

With the castle interior, a funicular ride, an hour each in the War Museum and the Devil's Museum and time on the church's roof terrace, plan on about six and a half hours. Skip the museum interiors and you are done in about four. The Rivers and Old Town variant takes about three hours with the castle visit, the Interwar Capital and Museums variant about three and a half with both museums.

Before You Set Off in Kaunas

• Start and finish: The recommended start is Kaunas Castle, the finish Christ's Resurrection Church. You can join at any stop; the order here is simply the one that flows best.
• Best day: If you want to go inside, choose a day when both the castle and the Devil's Museum are open.
• Best time: Start at 10:00 at the castle. With a 45 minute castle visit and some time in the park, you reach the funicular at about 11:35. On the full plan you arrive at the church at about 15:50.
• Entry costs: The castle, the War Museum and the Devil's Museum charge admission, the funicular is a paid ride and the roof terrace costs extra; the church itself is free.
• Guide costs: The route and GPS navigation cost nothing. The AI Tour Guide starts with 100 free credits; after that you choose between this tour all-inclusive for 19.99 EUR with no time limit, or credits at 5 EUR per hour.

Common Questions About Walking Kaunas