I had been wanting to go back to Lithuania for a while (see my post on Vilnius here) and I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go there. I spoke to someone about a year ago and they said they were going to Kaunas. I hadn’t thought any more of it until I saw that Ryanair had a flight sale on. I saw flights to Kaunas for £12.99 each way and I decided that I would just book it. I did my due diligence and made sure I could get to and from the airport that side by public transport and at a reasonable time.
I got the hostel booked and the tickets to/from each airport booked.
Fast forward a few weeks and then it came time to be ready for the trip. I tried to get some sleep after my shift had finished but couldn’t get much sleep. I was shattered when it came time to go for the coach.
The coach was jam-packed and I didn’t get a window seat this time round. I tried to sleep as much as possible on the coach but that didn’t transpire either.
I got to Stansted and went through security fairly quick, then went to get some food and then headed to my favourite gate area (secretly hoping my gate would be there). Luckily the gate I needed was in the area where I was sitting. I love looking out over the runway and just watching the planes coming and going.
It came time to board and it was nice and straightforward and no dramas or waiting around.
I got a window seat this time round and I was glad to get on and then just rest against the window so I could sleep. The flight itself was nice and smooth – I think I slept for about half of it. I woke up as we were passing just south of Gdansk and flying close to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. We finally landed and I got off and scraped my leg as I was trying not to get pushed by people.
I got across the border and I was able to make the bus to get into the city. It was nice to not have to wait another hour for it. The bus was really cheap too. It only cost €1 for the trip. It seems that all journies in Kaunas cost that much.
I got to the hostel and checked in and left my stuff. I also got some tips from the owner on what there is to do and see in Kaunas. He suggested a couple of the cathedrals and the river and the park close by.
I got the hostel booked and the tickets to/from each airport booked.
Fast forward a few weeks and then it came time to be ready for the trip. I tried to get some sleep after my shift had finished but I wasn’t able to get much sleep. I was shattered when it came time to go for the coach.
The coach was jam-packed and I didn’t get a window seat this time round. I tried to sleep as much as I could on the coach but that didn’t transpire either.
I got to Stansted and went through security fairly quick and then went to get some food and then headed to my favourite gate area (secretly hoping my gate would be there). Luckily the gate I needed was in the area I was sitting. I love looking out over the runway and just watching the planes coming and going.
It came time to board and it was nice and straight forward and no dramas or waiting around.
I got a window seat this time round and I was glad to get on and then just rest against the window so I could sleep. The flight itself was nice and smooth – I think I slept for about half of it. I woke up as we were passing just south of Gdansk and flying close to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. We finally landed and I got off and scraped my leg as I was trying not to get pushed by people.
I got across the border and I was able to make the bus to get into the city. It was nice to not have to wait another hour for it. The bus was really cheap too. It only cost €1 for the trip. It seems that all journies in Kaunas cost that much.
I got to the hostel and checked in and left my stuff. I also got some tips from the owner on what there is to do and see in Kaunas. He suggested a couple of the cathedrals and the river and the park close by.
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Once I had gotten some info on what to see and do I headed out to go to the supermarket and then to the church at the end of the street. I wanted to go inside the church but it was closed. The hostel owner did say that it opens whenever it wanted to and there were no set times.
I then headed to get some souvenirs and then I had a walk around. I wanted to go to Christ’s Resurrection Church and saw there was a funicular here so went into it and you paid at the top. It didn’t seem to move so I got out and walked around a little more – only to hear the doors lock. I went to try and get in but it started to move. I then waited for the one at the top to come down and then sat in it and waited for it to ascend. It costs €1 each way.
I got to the top and went to the church and had a look inside. It was pretty plain and boring. They had a lift and stairs to the top. It costs €3 to use the stairs to get to the terrace and €5 to use the lift. I was too tired for the stairs so took the lift.
The views from up here were pretty good. The weather was nice too so it afforded some really good views across the city.
I went back to the hostel as I saw on check-in that they had bikes and I decided that I wanted to hire one. It costs €9 for an entire day. They had 4 bikes to choose from. I picked what I thought was the best one. It was also the only one that you could adjust the seat height on without needing tools.
I went out and sat on the seat and I was hunched forward and the seat was not so good.
I decided to just use it anyway and go for a cycle.
I headed down the main street and then towards the old town. I thought where I was staying was the old town but it is considered the city centre.
I got into the old town and the cobbles weren’t so fun on an uncomfortable bike seat. I wanted to head down to the river and also to see the remains of the castle. I got down to the castle and stopped and looked around and took some pictures. I saw I was close to the confluence of the Niemen and Neris rivers so went there and got some pictures and sat for a few minutes.
I then hopped back on the bike and rode along the river and came across the Church of Vytautas the Great and decided to park the bike and have a look around inside. I was here for about 10 minutes and then went back on my merry way. I carried on cycling along the river and cycled to Sakura Park. On the way there I saw a McDonald’s that looked like a McJail. I was hungry so decided that I would head there for food after I was done in the park.
I sat there for about 30 minutes and then decided I wanted to go to the Aleksoto funicular to go to the lookout point over the city. It was €1 to ride the funicular here too. It runs every 10 minutes between 07:00 and 19:00 (with a lunch break between 12:00 and 13:00). It was a nice view across the city from up here. You didn’t get as high as the viewpoint from Christ’s Resurrection Church.
It was still a nice view and it was nice to see the city. It was also peaceful up here – even though it was close to the main road.
Once I was done here I headed back down and then cycled back to Sakura Park before heading back to the hostel. My legs were tired. My backside was sore from the seat. I was super tired too.
I got back to the hostel and just relaxed and went to sleep about an hour after getting back.
Total steps: 11,227
Total miles: 5.18
Below are some pics from today
I got to the airport 3 hours before the flight. I just wanted to sit down and just relax before the flight. I went to security and then bought some water in duty-free. I was annoyed with myself as there was a tap just outside of the shop where I could have filled my bottle. Grrr.
I went and got some food and went to passport control and then went to the gate to just sit before the flight.
I got into the non-priority queue and just waited. The gate agents came and were pretty militant. They checked boarding passes and put people in the right queue (that I get). When it came time for non-priority to get boarding passes scanned this is where they were militant – at least with me.
I take a cloth tote bag with me to use when I buy stuff at the airport to take on the plane. Ryanair class this as a duty-free shopping bag and this is allowed. I have NEVER had an issue with it before. The gate agent said it wasn’t allowed because it was classed as a second bag. I tried to explain I used it on the way out and was allowed – as I was with all other flights I’ve taken. They were having none of it. They told me it had to be a plastic bag with the airport’s name on it for it to count. They made me put it in my backpack. I did and as soon as my boarding pass and passport were checked and I was on the other side of the door I took it right out. It has NEVER been an issue before. EVER.
The flight home was pretty standard. I tried to sleep but didn’t get much. There was a guy on the aisle seat with his legs wide open and not giving me much room. About 30 minutes before we landed he moved to an empty row – why he couldn’t do this once we were in the air is beyond me. It would have made the flight that much more comfortable for us all.
We landed in Stansted 30 minutes early and I was hoping to get across the border and to the train before the 18:21 left so I could speak to the guard to see if they would let me on this one instead of waiting for the 20:27 train.
I got to the border and was beginning to think it wouldn’t happen as the queue was huge at the border. Thankfully it was moving quick and it gave me enough time to get a meal deal from WHS.
I got to the platform and spoke to the train guard and he let me on the early train. I was so happy. I managed to get home before my booked train had even left the airport. I got off the train and walked home and it was drizzling. I was loving it. It was also nice and cool.
All in all, it was a great trip and I’m glad the bag issue was leaving Kaunas and not leaving Stansted.
Total steps: 32,854
Total walking miles: 15.16
Total cycling miles: 7.88
You can view all of my Kaunas pics here