Off in your own car

In Anykščiai a car lets you combine the town and its surroundings: the Narrow-Gauge Railway Museum at the railway station, Puntukas Stone in the woods and Kalita Hill. Start at the museum, which tells the story of the narrow-gauge line, then drive to the stone. The idea suits summer and autumn; in winter choose only the sights that are open. You will find more about the town on the Anykščiai page. Practical tip: in November the Narrow-Gauge Railway Museum is open daily 10:00–16:30, and from December to April only on Saturdays and Sundays 10:00–17:00. We found no opening hours for Kalita Hill in an official source, so check them before you go. The museum occupies several railway station buildings.

On the way from Kaunas to Druskininkai you can stop in Alytus, visit Punia hill fort and walk in Grūtas Park. A car is more convenient than a bus here, because the hill fort stands far from the stations. Start at the Alytus Regional Museum, then let the weather decide where to spend the rest of the day: at the hill fort or in Grūtas Park. Practical tip: the Alytus Regional Museum is open Tuesday to Friday 9:00–18:00 and on Saturday 10:00–16:00, and closed on Sunday and Monday; on the day before public holidays it closes one hour earlier. Check the opening hours of Grūtas Park on its own page. You will find more about the resort on the Druskininkai page.

Pažaislis monastery and the Lithuanian Open Air Museum in Rumšiškės fit into one day by car from Kaunas, because Pažaislis is on the way. First see the Baroque monastery, then drive to Rumšiškės to walk among old farmsteads. Practical tip: the Pažaislis centre is open Tuesday to Friday 10:00–17:00 and on Saturday 10:00–15:30, and closed to visitors on Monday and Sunday, so choose a weekday or Saturday. From 16 October to 31 March the interiors in the Rumšiškės museum are closed, so it is visited as a park daily 10:00–16:00, and one hour less on the eve of a holiday. Dress warmly and prepare for a longer walk outdoors.

The Lithuania Minor coast is best explored by car, because Ventė Cape and other Nemunas delta sights are not reached by regular public transport. Start in Šilutė, where the Hugo Šojus manor houses a museum and a park, then drive to the bird ringing station at Ventė Cape on the Curonian Lagoon. In autumn, during the bird migration, it is especially worth stopping there. Practical tip: in autumn and winter the Šilutė museum is open Tuesday to Friday 10:00–18:00 and on Saturday 10:00–16:00, and its exhibitions are closed on Sunday and Monday; the last Thursday of the month is a cleaning day. Check the station’s hours on its page before you drive. Tickets are not sold in the last half hour before the museum closes.

By car you can stop in Plungė on the way to Telšiai, where the Samogitian Art Museum is housed in the Oginski palace, and then drive on to the Telšiai yeshiva and the Samogitian Village Museum. The trip lets you choose sights at your own pace, with no need to fit train times. The idea suits autumn and winter, because most of the programme is indoors. Practical tip: from 1 November to 30 April the village museum is open only Monday to Friday 8:00–16:00, so at the weekend choose the yeshiva (Saturday 9:00–17:00, Sunday 10:00–15:00). The yeshiva is closed on Monday. Separate tickets apply to the yeshiva exhibition and the Torah room, and before public holidays the yeshiva is open one hour less.