Best of Kaunas: Modernism, Street Art and Medieval History

(12 reviews)

Kaunas audio tour: Best of Kaunas: Modernism, Street Art and Medieval History

This is a 2.3mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Kaunas

Lithuania

$11.99

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About the Tour

Lithuania’s second-largest city blends centuries of cultural history with stunning modernist architecture and vibrant street art. On this walking tour, you’ll explore medieval streets that tell tales of Baltic paganism, Hanseatic trade, and the resilience of Lithuanian language and identity.

This tour starts at the Liberty Avenue Fountain, a beloved landmark in the city center. You’ll walk through the elegant Vienybės (Unity) Square and past Vytautas the Great War Museum, where the Eternal Flame honors those who sacrificed for Lithuania’s freedom. You’ll pass grand modernist buildings like the Bank of Lithuania and the colorful Yard Gallery, where street art breathes new life into forgotten spaces and commemorates the city’s once-thriving Jewish community.

Along the way, you’ll explore the cobblestoned Old Town with its red-brick Gothic churches and Renaissance merchant houses. You’ll learn how Kaunas transformed during its golden age as Lithuania’s temporary capital between the world wars, earning its nickname “Little Paris.” The tour ends at the medieval Kaunas Castle, where legends tell of a mystical beast sleeping beneath the fortress, ready to defend the city from danger.

On this 90-minute tour, you’ll have a chance to:

Discover why Kaunas Modernist Architecture earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2023
Learn about the Lithuanian language – the most archaic living Indo-European language
See the Choral Synagogue, the sole survivor of 35 synagogues that once served Kaunas’ vibrant Jewish community
Step inside stunning Gothic churches, including the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul
Explore the Town Hall Square, once the site of medieval markets, celebrations, and witch trials
Discover the Palace of Dukes with its unique ceramic window frames depicting royalty
Stand where Napoleon’s troops crossed the Nemunas River to begin their ill-fated Russian campaign

Take this journey through Kaunas and experience a city that has transformed adversity into art, preserved its cultural heritage through occupation, and emerged as one of Europe’s most creative and dynamic destinations.

Tour Producer

Ausra Visocke

5 tours

Hi! I am always on the hunt for the best stories, cultural insights, and must-dos. I want not only to show you the most special places, but also to help you really understand the people and culture behind them.

In my tours, you will find connected:
- the past with the present,
- historical events with modern cultural codes,
- and the lives of key figures with the story of a nation.

I’ll show you what makes each place truly unique and fascinating — the great stories hidden behind the main sights, and a few secret corners too.

Thanks for joining me — and for trusting me to guide you. Let’s get started!

Ausra Visocke from Plati Perspektyva, MB

Preview Location

Location 8

Smugglers and other stories - 2

This is the sculpture dedicated to the smugglers. You’ll find this statue pictured in almost every Lithuanian history book—every Lithuanian knows it! But why are the smugglers so honoured here, you may ask?

Because what they were secretly smuggling into Lithuania was pricel... This is the sculpture dedicated to the smugglers. You’ll find this statue pictured in almost every Lithuanian history book—every Lithuanian knows it! But why are the smugglers so honoured here, you may ask?

Because what they were secretly smuggling into Lithuania was priceless: books in the Lithuanian language. In the 19th century, when Lithuania was a part of Russian impire we had a huge uprising to restore Lithuania, but unfortunately, it was unsuccsesful. After this uprising, the furious Tsar, a Russian ruler, banned Lithuanian books printed in the Latin alphabet. The goal was simple: erase the language and force people to use Russian instead. But Lithuanians resisted. Brave men and women secretly carried books across the border from East Prussia. If caught, they faced prison or deportation to Siberia.

In front of you is another well-known statue—a mother working, with a child beside. Can you spot the book that they are secretly reading? The sculpture is called Lithuanian School. It symbolises the secret schools that continued teaching children in Lithuanian when the language was forbidden. Imagine families gathering in kitchens or barns, whispering lessons in their native tongue while pretending to be doing farmwork if a stranger passed by. It took the courage of a whole society to survive four decades of the ban. But thanks to their efforts, the Lithuanian language was protected.

Ok, now, to your left, you’ll see The Sower—a sculpture of a man casting seeds into the earth. This symbolises an ages-long tradition of agriculture. But there is one more recent, intriguing story behind this statue.

One night in 2008, the street artist Morfai painted stars on the wall behind the Sower, as if he was casting them into the sky. It quickly gained public recognition, even internationally, but the municipality soon removed it. Years later, the city held a competition for new public artworks. Morfai entered, won, and received permission to restore his piece. Today, it is recognised as the first legalised piece of street art in Lithuania. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Freedom Avenue Fountain
Unity Square
Freedom monument
Vytautas the Great War Museum
Lietuvos bankas, Kauno skyrius
Kaunas State Philharmonic Society
Yard Gallery
Choral Synagogue
Liberty Avenue
Historical Presidential Palace, Kaunas
Cathedral-Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul
Kaunas Town Hall
Church of St. Francis Xavier
House of Perkūnas
Church of Vytautas the Great
Vytautas the Great Bridge
Church of Most Holy Trinity
St. George's Church
Kaunas Castle

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
S. Daukanto ir Laisvės alėjos kampas, 44309 Kaunas, Lithuania
Total distance

4km
Final location
Pilies g. 17, 44275 Kaunas, Lithuania
Distance back to start location

2km

Directions to Starting Point

The tour starts by the Freedom Avenue Fountain in the middle of Liberty Avenue (Laisvės alėja) - S. Daukanto ir Laisvės alėjos kampas, 44309 Kaunas, Lithuania

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

I will name some restaurants, parks, museums and churches that are worth visiting on the tour.

We will be passing Liberty Avenue (Laisvės alėja) and some major Old Town areas with plenty of other restaurants and bars to visit if needed.

Best time of day

You can take the tour at any time, but the best time is during the day, when you can step inside the churches, cathedrals and the Yard gallery.

Precautions

Kaunas is quite safe but general awareness is always recommended when travelling, especially when it is dark.

In general, a route is manageable for someone with a wheelchair or stroller. There is one place with stairs, which can be easily walked around, and an underground passage can be reached with some help, too. There are some cobblestone streets, but after the most recent renovations, they also became more friendly.

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“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”