A weekend in Telšiai

The white Telšiai Cathedral of St Anthony of Padua with the churchyard gate and bare trees in front — Photo: MichalPL, CC BY-SA

A Samogitian town on Lake Mastis with the “Alka” museum, a yeshiva exhibition and a village museum; 1 h 3 min–1 h 30 min by train from Klaipėda.

Contents

Telšiai in brief

Telšiai is in north-western Lithuania, north-west of Šiauliai; Lake Mastis reaches the town from the south. In 2023 it had 22 261 inhabitants (Lithuanian Universal Encyclopedia, in Lithuanian). Telšiai has been mentioned since 1398, and in 1873–1940 one of the largest yeshivas in the world operated in the town (VLE, in Lithuanian).

The Samogitian Museum “Alka” is the most important museum of Samogitian history, and the town’s museums make up a day’s programme. From Klaipėda you arrive by train in 1 h 3 min–1 h 30 min.

The bright interior of Telšiai Cathedral: pink vaults, the altar and rows of wooden pews — Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA

How to get there

Prices are per adult, with the LTG Link 50% discount on local routes (valid for journeys 9 October–31 December, terms, in Lithuanian), on Saturday 7 November, checked 2026-10-23 (LTG Link, in Lithuanian).

From Klaipėda. Direct trains take 1 h 3 min–1 h 30 min. The 07:33 → 08:38 service costs €4.90 (2nd class), 09:16 → 10:46 costs €3.85 (3rd class), 12:18 → 13:26 costs €2.70 (3rd class). Back they leave at 10:13, 13:16, 14:11, 16:31, 20:38 and 22:18 (the morning 07:13 is too early; timetable checked 2026-10-30); the 16:31 → 17:36 service costs €4.90 (2nd class, search, in Lithuanian).
From Vilnius. The direct train 06:38 → 10:12 takes 3 h 34 min: 2nd class €9.15, 3rd class €6.15 (search, in Lithuanian). The 10:54 → 14:10 service takes 3 h 16 min and costs €11.10 (2nd class).
From Kaunas. There is no direct train: the cheapest journey with a change in Kaišiadorys, 12:20 → 16:30, takes 4 h 10 min and costs from €11.15 (search, in Lithuanian).

By car Telšiai is 87 km from Klaipėda (1 h 24 min), 196 km from Kaunas (2 h 20 min) and 291 km from Vilnius (3 h 20 min) on free roads (routing service, checked 2026-10-07). We compared the Klaipėda and Vilnius trains in an article, and buy your ticket following the instructions.

Getting around the city

From the railway station to the Samogitian Museum “Alka” it is about 2.7 km on foot (36 min) (OpenStreetMap, checked 2026-10-07). We did not check the city bus timetable, so allow about 40 min to walk.

What to see

The Samogitian Museum “Alka” (Muziejaus 31). The museum website announces that the historical exhibition has opened after a break of several years (museum website, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-07). Hours and prices are in “Practical information”.

The Telšiai Yeshiva (Iždinės 11). Hours and prices are in “Practical information”.

Telšiai Yeshiva

A red-brick yeshiva building in Telšiai with an exhibition on the Jewish school and a Torah room.

On the map Website

The Samogitian Village Museum (Malūno 5). Hours and prices are in “Practical information”.

Samogitian Village Museum

An open-air museum of wooden buildings in Telšiai, Malūno 5, with a pond and a village homestead.

On the map Website

The Cathedral of St Anthony of Padua. A Baroque, classicist and historicist cathedral built in 1650 and 1762–1791. It has a crypt with the sarcophagus of Bishop J. Staugaitis and an eighteenth-century pulpit with eight sculptures (VLE, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-07).

Frost-covered trees and the white Telšiai cathedral in winter — Photo: Renaldas Žilinskas, [email protected], www.foto.nauda.lt, CC BY-SA

The history of the Samogitian Museum “Alka”. The museum presents itself as the most important museum of Samogitian history: it introduces the region’s nature, daily life and art collection (about the museum, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-07).

The Samogitian Village Museum up close. The village museum offers a 1.5-hour themed tour, “Žemaitė’s Fate: Between Songs and Millstones”, which walks through the cottages and tells of a woman’s life in the countryside; for a group it costs €30 plus visitor tickets (tours, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-07). A guide in Lithuanian, English or Russian also costs €30 for a group of up to 25 people, and an educational session €6 per person (for visitors, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-07). In December a €50 service for a group, “Christmas in the Samogitian Village Museum”, is also offered.

In and around town. Telšiai is the centre of a diocese, the Žemaitė Drama Theatre and the Telšiai Faculty of Vilnius Academy of Arts operate here. In the town stand the monument “Legends of Samogitia” (2008, sculptor R. Kvintas) and a monument to the partisans of the Samogitian district unveiled in 2005 (VLE, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-07).

What to do by season

From 1 November you cannot visit the village museum at weekends, so choose a weekday. On 1 November “Alka” and the yeshiva are closed, and the village museum is closed on 2 November. Hours and prices are in “Practical information”.

If it rains

In Telšiai on a rainy day choose the two indoor museums: the “Alka” historical exhibition and the Telšiai Yeshiva, both belonging to the Samogitian Museum “Alka”.

The white Telšiai diocese building with a red roof and a dome, lost in autumn fog — Photo: Žemaitijos kelias, CC BY-SA

Practical information

“Alka”. Tuesday to Friday 9:00–18:00, Saturday and Sunday 11:00–18:00, closed on Monday. An adult ticket €8, reduced €4; before public holidays it is open one hour less, closed on 1 November (for visitors, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-08).
The yeshiva. Tuesday to Friday 9:00–18:00, Saturday 9:00–17:00, Sunday 10:00–15:00, closed on Monday; before public holidays it is open one hour less, closed on 1 November (for visitors, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-08).
The village museum. Until 31 October on Saturday 11:00–19:00; from 1 November Monday to Friday 8:00–16:00, closed at weekends. A ticket is €5; from 1 November to 30 April a visit without the exhibition costs €3 (for visitors, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-07).
Accommodation charge. For other towns’ charges read the tourist tax article.

Weekend plan

Saturday, 7 November. The 09:16 train from Klaipėda reaches Telšiai at 10:46. From the station to the yeshiva you walk 1.0 km (14 min) (OpenStreetMap, checked 2026-10-08). On Saturday the yeshiva is open 9:00–17:00 and “Alka” 11:00–18:00 (yeshiva, “Alka”, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-30). The order is: the yeshiva 11:00–12:00, then walk 1.8 km (27 min) to “Alka” (OpenStreetMap, checked 2026-10-30). Spend 12:30–15:30 at “Alka”, and from the museum to the station you walk 2.6 km (41 min) (OpenStreetMap, checked 2026-10-30). Bring food: we did not check places to eat. The 16:31 train back reaches Klaipėda at 17:36.

To stay at “Alka” until it closes at 18:00, return on the 20:38 train, which reaches Klaipėda at 21:37; the latest train leaves at 22:18 and arrives at 23:23 (LTG Link search, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-30).

FAQ

How long from Klaipėda to Telšiai? By train 1 h 3 min–1 h 30 min; on Saturday 7 November a 3rd class ticket is €3.85 with the LTG Link 50% discount, valid 9 October–31 December (terms, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-09).

Will I be able to return the same day? On 7 November trains go back at 10:13, 13:16, 14:11, 16:31, 20:38 and 22:18 (checked 2026-10-30). Arriving at 10:46, with the 13:16 train you have about 2.5 h in Telšiai, with the 16:31 about 5 h 45 min. With the 20:38 train you can stay at “Alka” until it closes, reaching Klaipėda at 21:37.

Is the village museum open on Saturday? Until 31 October yes, 11:00–19:00; from 1 November not at weekends.

Things to see and do in Telšiai

By car: distance, time, fuel

By car

From Vilnius: 283 km, 2 h 55 min one way. Fuel there and back: €71.78 per car, €35.89 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 283 km = 566 km; 566 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 36.79 l; 36.79 l × 1.951 €/l = €71.78.
From Kaunas: 189 km, 2 h 3 min one way. Fuel there and back: €47.94 per car, €23.97 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 189 km = 378 km; 378 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 24.57 l; 24.57 l × 1.951 €/l = €47.94.
From Klaipėda: 111 km, 1 h 23 min one way. Fuel there and back: €28.15 per car, €14.08 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 111 km = 222 km; 222 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 14.43 l; 14.43 l × 1.951 €/l = €28.15.

From Šiauliai, Panevėžys is not calculated yet: we do not have map data for this route.

This is an approximate calculation, not a price. Travel time without traffic or border queues. Fuel price: Lithuanian average, Euro-super 95 with taxes, 2026-10-19, the European Commission's Weekly Oil Bulletin (CC BY 4.0); consumption 6.5 l/100 km. Routes: MOTIS, car profile, no traffic conditions, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extracts, calculated 2026-10-29. There are no road tolls for passenger cars in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia; for Poland, see here (in Lithuanian).

Telšiai on the map (OpenStreetMap)