Kaunas is Lithuania's second city (about 300,000 people) and home to KTU, one of the biggest technical universities in the Baltics. Living costs run even lower than Vilnius, with dorms from around 100 euros a month. It is an underrated pick, Žalgiris Kaunas plays Euroleague basketball here, and a low-cost airport connects to London, Stockholm and Copenhagen.

• KTU is one of the largest technical universities in the Baltics, with a strong computer science and engineering reputation.
• Rent and daily costs run noticeably lower here than in Vilnius, so your Erasmus grant stretches further.
• Catch a Žalgiris Kaunas Euroleague basketball game: the arena atmosphere is unmissable.

Social life here centres on the Erasmus dorms (8 and 10), where shared kitchens double as the nightly hangout. ESN KTU organises dinners and karaoke Tuesdays at Dzem Pub but runs few trips itself, so most travel goes through the agency TimeTravels. Bars like +++ pour a 2.40 euro pint, and clubs Déjà-Vu and Auditoria keep going until 5am.

• Join the Studcasa Kaunas group before you land: dorm cooking sessions and karaoke nights at Dzem Pub are where most friendships start.
• Book onto a TimeTravels trip early (Lapland is the classic one), since ESN KTU runs few trips of its own.
• Use the free university gym under dorm 7: sessions are capped at 25 people, so it is also a great way to meet Lithuanian students.

Dorm 8 runs 90 to 140 euros a month, the renovated dorm 10 costs 250 to 300 euros, and weekly bedding service adds about 15 euros. Student bus tickets cost around 0.35 euros via the Žiogas app, with a 3-month pass near 15 euros. The train to Vilnius is 3 to 4 euros for students and takes just 1h20.

• Budget 90 to 140 euros a month for dorm 8, or 250 to 300 euros for the renovated dorm 10.
• Get a 3-month Žiogas bus pass for about 15 euros rather than paying per ticket.
• Take the train to Vilnius for 3 to 4 euros as a student: it only takes 1h20.

KTU dorms sit on campus and open for booking online each summer, strictly first come, first served (note that in Lithuania the ground floor counts as floor 1). Dorm 8 has double rooms and busy shared kitchens, the most social option; dorm 10 is the only renovated building, with private rooms in shared apartments but a stricter, quieter feel. Kitchen thefts happen, so lock up your food.

• Apply for a KTU dorm online as soon as booking opens in summer: it is first come, first served.
• Pick dorm 8 for the social kitchens and free laundry, or dorm 10 if you want a quieter, renovated shared apartment.
• Bring a lock for the shared kitchen fridge and ask for a non-French roommate to actually practise your English.

Žiogas buses cover the city well but mostly stop running around 22:30, so plan your nights around that. Bolt rides across town cost 2 to 5 euros, and CityBee car sharing runs about 30 euros a day for weekend trips. Most exchange students arrive via Ryanair or Wizzair into Vilnius, then take the train to Kaunas rather than flying direct.

• Grab a 3-month Žiogas pass and download the app, but note buses stop running around 22:30.
• Use Bolt (2-5 euros around town) or CityBee car sharing (about 30 euros a day) once buses stop.
• Expect a 15 to 30 minute bus ride between the KTU campus and the city centre: plan your evenings accordingly.

Grading runs on a scale out of 10, and you need at least 5 in every single assessment, not just the average, to be admitted to the final exam; a first resit is free but a second one is paid. Exams fall between 3 and 15 January or 1 and 25 June depending on the semester. Attendance rules bite too: 50% for lectures, 70-80% for tutorials, and full attendance for labs.

• Check the grading rules early: you need at least 5 out of 10 in every single assessment to even sit the final exam, with a paid second resit if you fail.
• Show up for the first week ready to rebuild your schedule: nearly every course picked before arrival ends up clashing with another.

Your paperwork depends on your nationality. EU and EEA citizens need no visa; if you stay over three months you register for a certificate confirming your right of residence at a Migration Department office, which is straightforward. For most European exchange students that is the extent of it.

Non-EU students need a national (D) visa or, for longer stays, a temporary residence permit, arranged through the Lithuanian Migration Department (MIGRIS portal) and usually a Lithuanian embassy in your home country. You will need your acceptance letter, proof of funds, health insurance and accommodation details. Apply well ahead, as processing can take several weeks to a couple of months, and register your address once you arrive.

• EU/EEA: no visa; register for a residence certificate if staying over 90 days
• Non-EU: national D visa or temporary residence permit via the MIGRIS portal
• Bring acceptance letter, proof of funds, health insurance and accommodation proof
• Start early, permit processing can take 1–2 months

Lithuanian food leans on potatoes and cream, and local favourites Etno Dvaras and Bernelių Užeiga are the places to try it, alongside šakotis, the spiky tree cake sold everywhere. English is not a given outside the university, cashiers and passers-by often only speak Lithuanian. For a change of pace, visit the IX Fort for its history, or the Resurrection Church for the best skyline view.

• Try Etno Dvaras or Bernelių Užeiga for hearty, potato-and-cream Lithuanian classics, and taste šakotis, the local tree cake.
• Learn a few Lithuanian basics: cashiers and passers-by often do not speak English outside the university.
• Visit the IX Fort for a sobering history lesson, then the Resurrection Church for the best view over the city.

The KTU campus and its dorms (buildings 7, 8 and 10) sit next to the Molas shopping centre, with a Lidl, Maxima and Iki corner shop all within reach. The real city centre, Laisvės alėja, the old town and Akropolis mall, is a further 15 to 30 minutes away by bus, so day-to-day life happens mostly around campus rather than downtown.

• The KTU campus and dorms 7, 8 and 10 sit next to the Molas shopping centre, handy for Lidl, Maxima and Iki.
• The real city centre, Laisvės alėja, the old town and Akropolis mall, is a 15 to 30 minute bus ride away.
• Expect to spend most evenings near your dorm rather than downtown, since the campus is genuinely out of town.

Vilnius is an easy 1h20 train ride, and Trakai castle makes for a simple day trip without a car. Riga is 4 hours by bus (15 to 20 euros) and Warsaw about 7 hours by train for around 20 euros, once a day. For Klaipėda and the Curonian Spit (Nida), renting a car beats the very long train option. Lapland trips through TimeTravels are the one excursion nobody skips.

• Take the train to Vilnius (1h20) or a day trip to Trakai castle without needing a car.
• Book Lapland through TimeTravels early: it is the trip almost every KTU exchange student rates as unmissable.
• Rent a car for Klaipėda and the Curonian Spit (Nida), since the train there takes far too long.

Health cover is the trap: EHIC pays for hospitals but not local family doctors, who charge around 50 euros upfront, so keep every receipt for reimbursement back home. Get a Maxima or Iki loyalty card as soon as you arrive, even if it asks for a Lithuanian number. Weather swings hard, think minus 9°C mornings and plus 6°C afternoons, so buy your winter coat locally rather than over-packing.

• Know before you get sick: EHIC does not cover local family doctors, only hospitals, so keep every receipt for reimbursement at home.
• Get a Maxima or Iki loyalty card immediately, even if it asks for a Lithuanian phone number.
• Pack for wild swings: mornings near minus 9°C and afternoons near plus 6°C are normal, so buy your big winter coat once you arrive.