A crystal perfume bottle sits on the dressing table of each bedroom at Villa Grabyte in Kaunas, Lithuania.
An information card next to one of the bottles explains that the liquid inside has notes of white lilac, old wooden furniture, and heavy books.
The villa’s owners had it created to emulate the scents made in Lithuania during the interwar years (1918-1940), and the misting is just one of the ways guests can immerse themselves in that era when staying at the property .
Pictured is the living room of Villa Grabyte, a guest house designed to give visitors the feeling of living in the interwar period (1918 to 1940). On the back of the recording you can see the wireless replica that guests can use to listen to music from the period
Pictured is a 1970’s apartment where you can stay in Kaunas. It is equipped with a Soviet-era “Chaika” vacuum cleaner and a record player for listening to Soviet-era vinyl records
This shot shows the perfume that is made available to guests of Villa Grabyte. The owners of the villa had it created to emulate the scents made in Lithuania in the interwar years
Open the closets to find interwar clothing to try on, and relax in the living room to listen to period music over the replica WiFi.
Villa Grabyte is not the only immersive accommodation option in Kaunas.
Elsewhere in the city, you can stay in a 1970s apartment equipped with a Soviet-era “Chaika” vacuum cleaner and a record player to listen to Soviet-era records.
Experiences like these characterize a visit to Kaunas in 2022, I discovered that during my trip there.
The former capital of Lithuania is one of three European Capitals of Culture this year (the other two are Esch-sur-Alzette in Luxembourg and Novi Sad in Serbia) and, alongside a year-round program of events, it also has a range of new cultural activities to celebrate.
Liberty Boulevard (pictured) is the main street of Kaunas. It is pedestrianized and flanked by shops, bars, restaurants and a smorgasbord of bakeries
The medieval Kaunas Castle (pictured) with its magic hat-shaped roof is located near Old Town Square
This shot shows Archangel Michael Church with its blue forget-me-not domes. It is located at the top of Liberty Boulevard
In addition to staying in time-travel accommodations, visitors can now take a free walking tour with a Culture Host or a guided car tour as part of the new Culture Ride offering.
Both types of tours are led by Kaunas residents with specific areas of expertise such as photography, modernist architecture (there are more than 600 modernist buildings in the city) and street art (there are 30 murals to explore, some of which are three stories high).
Of course, if you prefer to see the sights at your own pace rather than with a guide, Kaunas is perfect for a stroll. I lost several hours strolling alone down the main street’s pedestrianized street – Liberty Boulevard.
There are more than 600 modernist buildings in Kaunas. The former post office (pictured) is one of the most impressive. To learn more about modernist architecture, you can join a free tour with a Kaunas 2022 cultural promoter
Venture across the “Vytautas the Great Bridge” and you will find the Aleksotas Funicular Railway (pictured). This 1930s railway snakes up the hillside to a vantage point for grandstand views of Kaunas
To celebrate its year as European Capital of Culture, Kaunas has developed a Culture Ride initiative that allows you to take free car tours with locals like Vida (pictured) to learn more about the city
This mile-long street is lined with shops, bars, restaurants and more bakeries than you can shake a baguette. If you only go to one of the latter, make it Spurgine.
It has been in operation since the 1970s and is a local institution. His signature dishes are baseball-sized donuts filled with jam or meat.
I tasted a jam, still warm from the oven, and immediately understood why queues often form in front of the door here.
The old town devoured more hours of my time in Kaunas. The main square is cobbled at an angle and is lined with cafes, bars and restaurants.
There are 30 street art murals to examine in Kaunas like the one pictured above
Pictured is one of the larger street art murals in Kaunas. This is a memorial to the Jewish poet Lea Goldberg, who once lived in the building where the artwork is located
Take a guided tour here and you’ll discover dozens of historical sites hidden from view, including some associated with Lithuania’s Knygnesiai, or book smugglers, who used to smuggle literature into the country when it was conquered by Russia between 1866 was banned and 1904.
As you stroll down the main street and Old Town, you’ll stumble across most of the city’s top attractions, such as the Archangel Michael Church with its blue forget-me-not domes and the medieval Kaunas Castle with its wizard-hat-shaped roof.
However, there are a few sights that will require you to leave the immediate center of the city to find them. Venture across the “Vytautas the Great Bridge” and you will find the Aleksotas Funicular. This 1930s railway snakes its way up the hillside to a vantage point with grandstand views of the city.
Finally, the Devil Museum with 3,000 devil sculptures deserves a mention. It’s kind of a Marmite place. However, if you enjoy visiting the world’s more unusual museums, this place is on par with Froggyland in Split when it comes to weirdness.
Celebrations of Kaunas 2022 will continue throughout the year. The full program can be found at The website.
