Pažaislis Monastery

This fine example of 17th-century baroque architecture is 9km east of the centre, near the shores of Kaunas Sea (Kauno marios), a large artificial lake created by damming the Nemunas.

The monastery church with its 50m-high cupola and sumptuous Venetian interior made from pink and black Polish marble is a sumptuous if shabby affair. Passing from Catholic to Orthodox to Catholic control, the monastery has a chequered history and was a psychiatric hospital for part of the Soviet era. Nuns inhabit it today. The best time to visit is between June and August during the Pažaislis Music Festival (www.pazaislis.lt). Take trolleybus 5, 9 or 12 to the terminus on Masiulio gatvė, a few hundred metres before Pažaislis Monastery.