Kaunas has a small airport but thanks to Ryanair and Wizz Air, there are quite a few connections. The airport is the main entry into the city of Kaunas (Lithuania’s second largest) as well as Vilnius, the capital of the country.
In this Kaunas Airport guide, you will learn more about transportation to the city centre, the main connections, and things to do at the airport.
Contents
Facts
Kaunas Airport has the IATA code “KUN”.
It is located 14 km / 8.7 miles to the northeast of central Kaunas. The airport is owned by the Lithuanian ministry, but private carriers take care of the vast majority of traffic.
Prior to the 2020 and 2021 coronavirus lockdowns, the Kaunas Airport was growing rapidly. It had practically no traffic prior to 2004, but more than a million passengers passed through the airport each year from 2017 to 2019. Now that everything is open again, Kaunas Airport is expected to host at least a million passengers per year.
The airport is the main gateway into the city of Kaunas, but due to the central location in the country, you can go in just about any direction after landing. Even if you intend on visiting another Lithuanian city, such as Vilnius or Klaipeda, it might be most economical to fly to Kaunas Airport.
Kaunas Airport to Kaunas City Centre
(and vice versa)
Taxis are parked outside the airport. Expect to pay around €22-€26 to get to the city centre. Ask for a price estimate as you enter the taxi, and get a receipt after you pay. You can pay with a credit card, debit card, or cash – whatever you prefer. The price is the same when you go home again, from the city to the airport.
It is also possible to book a private transfer as you plan your arrival. That can be done through Booking.com.
Finally, if you want to save some money, just take the bus.
Bus 29G regularly drives between Kaunas airport and the city centre. It has multiple stops along the way so you should be able to get off near your accommodation, wherever in the city that is. It only costs 1 EUR to take the bus. You can pay the driver in cash, but you gotta have the exact cash ready.
It takes approximately 40 minutes to go by bus 29G from the airport to the centre and vice versa. From 5 am to midnight, the bus departs at least once per hour and sometimes twice per hour. If you are coming from the airport and going to the centre, it’s easy to find the right bus because it only goes in that direction. If you are going from the city to the airport, make sure you take the bus in the direction of “Kauno oro uostas” which is the local name for the airport. Find the official timetable here.
Kaunas Airport to Vilnius
(and vice versa)
It is also possible to go directly from Kaunas Airport to the capital city of Vilnius.
The bus company Ollex offers this route. You will be traveling with a minibus that departs from right outside the Kaunas Airport (easy to find) and goes directly to the bus terminal in Vilnius. The price is typically €15. You need to buy your ticket online – do it here, and do it as early as you can since it’s a relatively small bus and seats might be sold out if you wait too long. They usually schedule one bus for each flight arrival. If your flight is delayed by a short amount of time, such as 30-60 minutes, don’t worry – the bus is specifically an airport bus and it will wait.
It takes an hour and a half (90 minutes) to go with the Ollex bus from Kaunas Airport to Vilnius.
Airlines serving Kaunas
Kaunas Airport has been blessed by two European low-cost airlines that connect the city to more than 30 European destinations in total.
Those are Ryanair and Wizz Air. As of writing this article, Ryanair offers 25 connections while Wizz Air offers 5.
You won’t find many other airlines at Kaunas Airport. Ryanair and Wizz Air carry almost all commercial traffic. There can however be seasonal routes from other airlines, and private aircraft are able to use the airport.
Money is being invested into the airport so that it can be expanded and serve wide-body aircraft. This can potentially open up to other carriers in the future, including more long-distance flights.
Main connections
As of 2022, the most frequent routes to and from Kaunas are London Luton, London Stansted, Copenhagen, Dublin, and Cologne Bonn.
You will also find somewhat frequent connections to cities such as Stockholm, Madrid, Edinburgh, Warsaw, and Bergen.
Shops and restaurants
Kaunas Airport is very small, so you won’t find a great selection of shops and restaurants.
There is a solid duty-free shop within the airport. It is called Heinemann and it appears right after passing the security section. Here you can buy candy, chocolates, booze, cigarettes, and various other things. There are even small sections for toys and sunglasses.
Another Heinemann shop at Kaunas Airport is focused on perfumes, cosmetics and make-up.
Then there is a local Lithuanian souvenir shop and a small Narvesen convenience store.
You won’t find any restaurants, but Kaunas Airport has a couple of cafés. The Cafe Coffee & Snacks has some beverages, sandwiches and cakes. Then there is the Thierry Bakery – actually, there are three of them, one on each floor. Here you can also buy beverages, sandwiches and cakes. Plus some extra stuff like small pizzas, croissants, pastries and such.
Conclusion
Kaunas Airport is growing in terms of yearly passengers and there should be more connections each year. If you are going to Kaunas, or to any other place in Lithuania for that matter, the airport might prove very useful.
We also hope that this guide was useful. Now you know how to get from Kaunas Airport to Kaunas city centre, as well as from Kaunas Airport to Vilnius.
There isn’t so much to do in this airport, but everything is small and straightforward so it’s not one of those airports where you need to go several hours in advance. Everything works well, although we hope for a real restaurant when it expands. Some intercontinental routes would also be nice to see in the future, especially if Lithuania keeps gaining popularity as a tourist destination.
