"Quiet Kaunas" Kaunas by antistar

If Vilnius felt provincial, Kaunas, the once and former capital of the country, felt laid back to the point of sleepiness. How this city gained the reputation of a "crime capital" I can only lay blame at the feet of the post-Soviet mafia. There's certainly little action going on in Kaunas that you can see. That's not such a bad thing: It makes for a quiet, friendly, relaxing city with hardly a tourist in sight.

Kaunas is a biggish city - the fourth biggest in the Baltics after Tallinn, but it isn't overflowing with must see sights like the capitals. It's almost always played second fiddle to Vilnius and Trakai, and its limited time as top dog has always been temporary. It spent most of its formative years being a bulwark against Teutonic raiders, hence the large and famous castle.

Now only an hour away from Vilnius, it makes a perfect day trip. The old city can easily be encompassed in a few hours, longer if you take in a museum or ride the funicular. You might want to stay here overnight because it's so much cheaper than Vilnius, but I'd be surprised if many would want to make a long stay out of this city.