Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania, situated in the centre of the country. It’s also at the confluence of Lithuania’s two biggest rivers! Here are the most convenient ways of travelling to Kaunas and getting around the city.
Travelling to Kaunas
By car
Travelling to Kaunas by car is hassle-free from Riga, Warsaw, Vilnius, Klaipėda and pretty much the rest of the cities in the surrounding region. In the central part of Kaunas, parking fees are applicable from 8 am to midnight daily, or from 8 am to 8 pm daily. There are no charges on public holidays or during Kaunas City Day celebrations. To pay for parking, you can use the Unipark app, your contactless bank card or Euro coins. More on parking in Kaunas here.
All roads lead to Kaunas! Picture by A. Aleksandravičius
By bus
Kaunas Bus Station is one of the most modern in the region – not only it looks great in pictures, but is open 24/7 and offers plenty of activities for those waiting for intercity and international buses. Jazz concerts and movie screenings pop up from time to time – consider yourself lucky if you catch one! Intercity and international coach services are provided by Kautra, Eurolines, Ecolines, Flixbus, Toks and Lux Express. Check the timetables and buy tickets online. The bus station is not far from the city centre – it takes less than 15 minutes on foot to reach St. Michael, the Archangel (Garrison) Church (also known as Soboras), one of the landmarks of Kaunas. www.autobusubilietai.lt
So kaunastic, right? Picture by UAB Kautra
By train
Kaunas is conveniently accessible by train from Vilnius and other cities in Lithuania and abroad, including Warsaw and Krakow. The ongoing Rail Baltica project will further enhance connectivity, providing fast and comfortable connections between Kaunas, Riga, Tallinn, and Warsaw. Laisvės alėja, the main street in Kaunas, is just a 15-minute walk from the railway station. For timetables and ticket purchases, it is recommended to check online www.ltglink.lt.
By plane
You can fly directly to Kaunas from more than 20 cities in Europe (check the timetables on the website of Kaunas International Airport). Kaunas International Airport is located in the central part of the country, 14 km northeast of the Kaunas city centre and 100 km west of the capital Vilnius. Hop in the city bus #29 (its timetable is adjusted to the arrivals schedule) to reach the city centre for the most affordable price – 1 Eur! Regular taxi (we recommend the eTaksi, eTransport, BOLT app, UBER app is also an option, but less popular), CITYBEE and BOLT car sharing service are all available at the airport too. Conveniently, a shuttle bus can take you to Vilnius, Klaipėda and Riga or to Kaunas International Airport from the aforementioned cities. All travel options from Kaunas International Airport can be found here.
Attention private plane owners and pilots! There’s a historical aerodrome located in the central part of Kaunas. More than 100 years old, the S. Darius and S. Girėnas aerodrome is undergoing significant positive changes and is accepting small planes.
The Kaunas International Airport terminal was designed by G. Natkevičius. Picture by G. Česonis
Getting around Kaunas
By public transport
Kaunas is a very walkable city; we suggest you pack your most comfortable shoes. To reach objects in the outskirts of the city (or if it rains, or if you happen to love buses and trolleybuses!), we suggest you use the busy network of public transport. Download the Trafi app for real-time traffic and timetables and Žiogas app for purchasing (cheaper) tickets. The latter is super-fast and convenient! There's also a public transport network website called stops.lt that quite possibly speaks your language, too.
Kaunas city public transport service center is located at Laisvės al. 114, Kaunas (opposite the E. Ožeškienė st. stop)
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 7.30am-6.30pm. (without a lunch break, an hour shorter on the eve of holidays).
Picture by A. Aleksandravičius
By taxi or car sharing
Uber is not very popular in Kaunas, but there’s a similar service called Bolt (previously Taxify). Here’s a discount code for first-time users – KAUNASIN. Enter it when registering the app and save 7 Eur! We also recommend the eTaksi app that connects most traditional taxi companies in the city. eTransport is a Vilnius-based company that recently started operating in Kaunas. You can also ask your hotel staff to call you a cab by phone.
CityBee or Bolt car-sharing apps offer plenty of new (or new-ish) cars that you can pick up and drop off in dozens of places around the city. You can also get an electric vehicle from Spark in Vilnius and park/charge it in Kaunas.
On scooters
Bolt launched the scooter-sharing service in the central part of Kaunas in August 2019. Fun times! Simply download the app or use the same one you use for calling a cab or ordering food.
On bicycles
We’ve been working on improving cycling conditions in Kaunas for a few years now; that is, if you visited Kaunas in the past, you'd be positively surprised by the number of bicycles riding on the streets of Kaunas. You can either bring your bike (getting to remote spots or uphill is no problem as you can take your bike for free in the public transport — look for the Like Bike sticker on doors) or rent one. Here’s a list of rental spots. For short-term rides, we suggest CityBee app that also offers sharing cars.
Andrius Palionis, the deputy mayor of Kaunas, also uses CityBee!
By car
In the central part of Kaunas, parking fees are applicable from 8 am to midnight daily, or from 8 am to 8 pm daily. There are no charges on public holidays or during Kaunas City Day celebrations. To pay for parking, you can use the Unipark app, your contactless bank card or Euro coins.
By boat
Kaunasians don’t commute with boats as of 2019, but, considering we’re surrounded by Lithuania’s two major rivers, it’d be very cool. Anyhow, you can sail in the Kaunas reservoir and take a boat trip to neighbouring towns of Kačerginė, Kulautuva, Raudondvaris and Zapyškis, all of which are well worth a day or a half-day trip. You can also take a boat to Birštonas, a picturesque SPA resort approx. 40 km from Kaunas. Contact the Nemuno turas company for more information, schedule and bookings.
One must see the Pažaislis monastery from the Kaunas reservoir, too. Picture by A. Aleksandravičius
