Lithuania
Kaunas
Away-day guide
unverified draftKaunas is Lithuania's second city and its cheaper, more workmanlike one — a long pedestrian avenue, a well-preserved old town at the meeting of two rivers, and a remarkable stock of 1920s and 30s modernist architecture from its years as the country's temporary capital. Kauno Žalgiris play at a properly renovated 15,000-seat ground a short walk from the centre.
🚺 To Darius and Girėnas Stadium
The stadium sits in the Ąžuolynas park north-east of the centre, a 15–20 minute walk from the top end of Laisvės alėja. The Žaliakalnis funicular climbs the hill nearby if you want the scenic route; a Bolt from the centre is €4.
- Nearest stop
- Sporto / Ąžuolynas stops on Perkūno alėja
- Lines
- Kaunas buses and trolleybuses towards Žaliakalnis and the park
- Walk from centre
- 18 min
- Parking
- Park-and-walk from the centre; the streets by the park are residential and fill before kick-off.
Public transport
Everything is strung along Laisvės alėja, the 1.6 km pedestrian avenue linking the new town to the old, and you can walk the lot. Buses and trolleybuses cover the rest at about €1 a ride, paid by contactless card on board or with a Žiogas card. Two historic funiculars — Žaliakalnis and Aleksotas, both from the 1930s and still running — climb the hills either side of the centre for pocket change and a view. Bolt is cheap at €4–6 across town.
Typical prices
- Beer (0.5L)
- EUR 4
- Coffee
- EUR 2.8
- Meal, mid-range
- EUR 18
- Taxi from airport
- EUR 15
- Single transit ticket
- EUR 1
✈ Airports & cheaper alternatives
- Kaunas Airport KUN primary 15 km Buses 29 and 120 run from the terminal into the centre in about 30–40 minutes for a standard fare; a Bolt is €12–18. Ryanair's Lithuanian base, with plenty of cheap UK and Irish routes — usually the cheapest way into the country.
- Vilnius Airport VNO alternative 100 km Shuttle train or bus into Vilnius, then a train or coach to Kaunas in about 1 hour 15 minutes for €5–10. More airlines than Kaunas and an easy transfer; worth comparing, especially if you want to see both cities.
🍺 Supporters' pubs
Kauno Žalgiris
Home fans: A young club with a small but growing following; supporters gather on Laisvės alėja and in the bars near the park before walking up to the ground rather than at any single pub.
Away fans: Laisvės alėja and the Old Town are entirely neutral, cheap and a short walk from the stadium — there is no reason to drink anywhere else.
Not to be confused with Žalgiris Vilnius. Kaunas is a basketball city first and foremost, so a European football night here is a novelty and the welcome is warm.
Sourced from supporters' forums — always follow your club's and police advice for the fixture.
Nightlife
Laisvės alėja and the streets off it carry most of the bars, with the Old Town around the town hall square busier at weekends. It is a student city, so the drinking is cheap and unpretentious rather than stylish. Kaunas has a good craft-beer scene for its size and the bars along Vilniaus gatvė are the ones to aim for. Nothing is far apart, and by the standards of the Baltics prices are low even in the centre.
Food & drink
Lithuanian staples: cepelinai (potato dumplings stuffed with meat, under bacon and sour cream), šaltibarščiai — the cold pink beetroot soup that is the summer order — kugelis (potato pudding), and smoked pork. Kibinai pasties make a good walking lunch. Lithuanian dark rye bread and honey are worth taking home, and the beer tradition is genuine: look for unfiltered farmhouse styles alongside the big lagers.
Cheap eats & beer
Kaunas undercuts Vilnius on nearly everything. Weekday lunch menus run €6–8, a plate of cepelinai is €8–10, and kibinai are €2. Beer is €3.50–4.50 in a bar and about €1.20 from a supermarket. Note Lithuania's strict rules: shops stop selling alcohol at 20:00 on weekdays and 15:00 on Sundays, so buy early if you plan a quiet one.
Staying safe
Kaunas is safe and quiet, with very little street crime and no hostility to visiting fans. The usual sensible steps apply — order taxis through Bolt, keep an eye on your things in the busiest bars, and keep the noise down in residential streets, where police will move a loud group on. Public drinking is illegal and enforced. Cards work everywhere, including on the buses.
On matchday
Kauno Žalgiris play at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium, the city's main ground in the Ąžuolynas park, about 15 to 20 minutes' walk north-east of Laisvės alėja — or a couple of minutes' ride on the Žaliakalnis funicular plus a short walk if you fancy the novelty. It was rebuilt in 2022 and holds around 15,000, so European ties draw a decent crowd by Lithuanian standards. Segregation is light-touch, tickets are cheap, and colours cause no problems anywhere in the city. Do not confuse this club with Žalgiris Vilnius, who play 100 km away.
This city guide is still being fact-checked — some details may be inaccurate.