The best place to visit while in Kaunas

I was skeptical at first, but now I have seen the light! When TripAdvisor first told me several years ago that the modest looking, awkwardly located open air museum of Rumšiškės was the best attraction to visit while in Kaunas, I assumed it was some kind of computer error. Some odd result caused by the fact that so few people visit this this particular area. As it turns out, those who do are rather impressed, and for good reason.



Rumšiškės open air museum

This is no half-assed attraction hastily put together to attract tourists in order to make quick profits. This is a high quality preservation project dating back to soviet times, which probably cost a fortune both to establish and to run. Anyone interested in history, architecture, ethnography or similar oddities will love it. People capable of appreciating the beauty and tranquility of traditional rural life will probably also appreciate it quite a bit, while others are perhaps best advised to stay away.



Cash is king at Rumšiškės

The first rule of thumb is to bring cash! They do not accept cards in this place. After all, it is a traditional museum. They do not understand this modern concept of “money that you cannot see”, but prefer money “in the hand” instead. This caused my first visit to Rumšiškės to become a complete failure, since all I had was my trusty Visa. In my ignorance, I thought that this would be sufficient, since most Places nowadays (even in Lithuania) have cash machines. However, the appropriately elderly lady at the entrance could inform me that the closest cash machine was in Kaunas city center. Which for the record is quite far away.



Get the tickets that allow you to bring the car

Upon returning with hard cash a week later, I was eventually allowed to enter. This time as a big spender since I was previously turned down because of my lack of cash, and so I consequently bought the most expensive tickets - those that allow you to drive Your car around the museum. And I would recommend all visitor who can afford it to do the same! Particularly if you are visiting With small children. The area is huge and it takes forever to walk through it all. With a car, you can cover the entire place in a few hours, but on foot it will take the entire day if not more. 

A typical Rumšiškės building

Another way to enter the museum is by boat from Kaunas. I have not tried this myself, but it is probably a both comfortable and scenic way of getting there. For this reason, the museum has its own port, but other than that, there are few if any maritime items on display. Most of the exhibits are farm related.

The replicated village

An exception to this is the replicated village square with a few more urban buildings. Among them is the museums bookstore, which has a large collection of books dealing with Lithuanian history and ethnography. The staff here is well informed, as in deed most employees here, and very helpful.

The Rumšiškės bookstore

Also, don`t forget to visit the restaurant. They offer traditional Lithuanian food and drinks at a very modest price, and there is an area for children to play outside. The premises are big, so this a place where you can bring a large group of people. You will probably have to wait a while for your food, but then again – this museum takes all day anyway.

The restaurant

Also, try to find the Siberian yurt while you are there. This building is a bit of an oddity at the museum, and placed a bit away from the other exhibits, but there should be a sign. It should be of interest for all who are into old building techniques. It may not be open, and there might be no staff around, so if you want to see the yurt from the inside it`s probably a good idea to ask about this before you enter the museum.

The siberian yurt

All in all, this is by far the Lithuanian museum with the most unleashed potential. The items on display are great, the staff is well informed, the surroundings are beautiful, the area is huge with lots of empty space, and still – almost no visitors? We were practically all alone! There were more staff than visitors! This is outrageous, because you cannot truly claim to have seen Lithuania without having visited Rumšiškės.

Windmill at Rumšiškės

  

The best restaurant in Kaunas

There are many good restaurants in Kaunas, but for those looking for traditional Lithuanian food – Žalias ratas is the place to go. Discreetly hidden away almost at the beginning of Laisvės avenue, they offer quality food in very authentic surroundings. And they do so at rather modest prices. 

The best restaurant in Kaunas

There are many restaurants in Lithuania that offer traditional food, with the chain Bajorkiemis as the perhaps best-known example. They are quite often found in shopping malls or similar places that attract many people. Their food is usually quite good, and the service sometimes even better, but my money is still on Žalias ratas for the best food in town. Or at least the best value for money.

The "noblemans beer snack" - a good alternative while you wait for dinner

The surroundings add a lot to the eating experience. The main building is fashioned in a traditional way (even though we are in the middle of the city), the staff is dressed in traditional costumes, and there is even an old-fashioned fireplace in the middle of the restaurant. This fireplace seems to be rather important for the atmosphere of the place, since they chose to keep the fire going even during the heatwave in June.

Cepelinai - the thing to eat while in Lithuania

As for the menu, I recommend cold beetroot soup, followed by zeppelins and plenty of Švyturys while you wait for the food. In summer, that is. If you for some reason are visiting during winter, my recommendation would be the hot beetroot soup, followed by whatever helps you stay warm in such a climate. Perhaps vedarai and some vodka or coffe? Or if you are Scandinavian – BOTH vodka and coffee. 

You might have to search a bit to find it, but "The green wheel" is worth the trouble 

My conclusion after several visits: Best place in town! If I lived permanently in Kaunas, and could afford to do so, I would eat at this restaurant every day.