Marijampole with children

Marijampole with children is a great destination. There are so many interesting activities and fun places to visit with your kids that one day is not enough. The city is beautiful and there are plenty of options for those who love the outdoors and those who like to walk around the city. In Marijampole, children will be enchanted by the city’s parks and its countless playgrounds, interactive and very fun museums. And parents will enjoy the street art.

We visited Marijampole with the whole family and barely managed to see everything in two days. We can safely say that visiting Marijampole with children impressed us and we are already dreaming of going back. In the meantime, we have prepared a guide to Marijampole with children and we heartily recommend that you visit it with the whole family.

Marijampole with children

Marijampole with children, the largest city in Suvalkija, simply fascinated us. The city is beautifully landscaped and there are many playgrounds for children in the city itself. And what impressed us most were the city’s well-kept parks. We would really like to see Vilnius offer so many well-kept and child-friendly spaces for leisure activities. Marijampole gave us the impression of a very family-friendly city, not only because of the parks and playgrounds. There are lots of open-air artworks, interesting museums and activities for children. And if you like nature walks like us, there are wonderful nature trails a little further away from the city.

We highly recommend visiting Marijampole with children. And to help you plan your trip, we have prepared a guide to Marijampole.

Street Art

Marijampole is a mecca for fans of street art. The walls of Marijampole are adorned with many graffiti and murals, and the number of murals grows every year thanks to the “MaLonNy” art symposium in Marijampole. This event, whose name consists of the first letters of “Marijampole”, “London” and “New York”, attracts international street artists every year who decorate the city’s facades with colourful works. You can find these murals on all sorts of buildings in the city – houses, building walls and even prison fences. Children will love hunting for these works of art. And it’s a great opportunity to take a stroll and explore the city.

Perhaps the best known piece of street art in the city is the mural “Floating World” by Ray (Rimvydas) Bartkus, the mastermind behind “MaLonNy”. The real image of this work, which occupies the entire facade of the building, is its reflection in the surface of the Šešupė River.

It is very nice that our relative Ieva Voroneckytė is the author of several artworks in Marijampole. In 2016, Ieva, together with artist Vytenis Jakas, decorated the underground tunnel connecting the two parts of the city with portraits of different people, next to the monument dedicated to Vytautas Kernagis, “Kai sirpsta cherryjos Suvalkijoj (When the cherry blossoms in Suvalkija)”. The “face wall” of the city is the name given to this spectacle, which unites citizens and visitors to the town. A closer look at the walls reveals more than one familiar face, but not all of them are from Marijampole. This proves that this “face wall” is really popular and attracts crowds of people.

We share where to find more Marijampole street art on our interactive “Travel 4 Kids” map of the world’s top attractions:

• Malonny’s artwork “Parskrendantys paukščiai”(Birds Flying in)
• Malonny’s artwork “Pasakotoja”(Storyteller)
• Malonny’s artwork “Sklendimas virš minios” (Gliding over the crowd)
• Malonny’s artwork “Vartotojiškumas”(Consumerism)
• Malonny’s artwork “Stotelė”(The Stop)
• Malonny’s artwork “Šviesos instaliacijos miesto aikštėje”(Light installations in the town square)
• Malonny’s artwork “Pizza Umbrella”
• Malonny’s artwork “P.S.B”
• Malonny’s artwork “Emocijų peizažas”(Emotional Landscape)
• Malonny’s artwork “IN.side.OUT” and “Daryk tai, ko negalima”(Do what you can’t)
• Malonny’s artwork in the Cat Yard
• Malonny’s artwork “iUrvo sienos piešiniai” (iCave Wall Drawings)
• Malonny’s artwork “Ceci n’est pas un mur”(This is not a wall)
• Malonny’s artwork “Laiptai į dangų”(Stairway to Heaven)
• Malonny’s artwork “Gyvenk dabar, mirk vėliau”(Live now, die later)
• Malonny’s artwork “Arktika”(Arctic)
• Malonny’s artwork “Tabletės”(Tablets)

Rabbit Museum

The Rabbit Museum in Sasnava is one of those museums that you should definitely visit with your children. Historical sources mention that the name of the town Sasnava comes from the Sasna stream. However, Kazimieras Būga guessed that the word “sasnas” is of Prussian origin and means “rabbit”. This word may have been introduced by Prussians in the 13th century. The rabbit is the symbol of Sasnava, and you will find it everywhere. And in the museum you will find as many as 3,000 different rabbits, ranging in size from 1 cm to 1 metre. In addition to the impressive collection of rabbits, you can also take part in very interesting educational activities, take photos in the rabbit photo studio, bake rabbit gingerbread, make a bedtime rabbit, or try out other educational activities.

Rabbits are donated to the museum by members of the community, the town’s inhabitants, and visitors to the museum. If you have a rabbit you would like to donate to the Museum, they are happy to receive it. By the way, the Sasnava Community Rabbit Museum is the only one of its kind in the Baltic and European countries and the second in the world.

Bulotai House Museum

A wonderful museum that our whole family enjoyed very much. Although I must admit that we didn’t really think we would like it, this particular museum exceeded all our expectations. We highly recommend a visit.

Bulotai House is a unique example of early 20th century wooden urban architecture in Marijampole. Andrius Bulota, one of the most famous lawyers in Lithuania, lived in the house with his wife Aleksandra. The house is very beautiful and has been well restored. Nowadays there is a museum in the house with very interesting exhibits.

In addition, there are games, activities, music sounds and the smell of spices for visiting children. The museum is fascinating because almost everything can be touched and looked at by kids. Imagine the fun when you smell the spice jar and have to guess what spice it is and put it in the box. If you can guess it, the green light comes on, if you can’t, it makes a sound and the red light comes on. At the entrance there is a wooden puppy which will bark if you pet it in certain places. These are just some of the very interactive and interesting activities. The children enjoyed it very much, repeated the activities many times and did not want to leave.

The museum has a wonderful educator, Laura. If all museums had such sincere people working in them who know how to engage with children, museum attendance would really increase. We highly recommend this place.

Marijampole with children – City parks

Poetry Park

Poetry Park in Marijampole is probably the most beautiful park we have visited in Lithuania. Walking around the park, it’s hard to believe that we are not abroad. The park has a river with its banks infinitely landscaped, impressive fountains and lighting, several performance venues, an amphitheatre and a playground for children. There is also a sculptural composition commemorating the song “Kai sirpsta vyšnios Suvalkijoj” (When the Cherries are Souring in Suvalkija)’, performed by Vytautas Kernagis.

In the summer, children enjoy fountains. The park is a great place to be active with the family during the day, but it is also worth visiting in the evening when it is beautifully lit.

Vytautas Park

Another park in the very centre of the city, which is by the way the oldest in Marijampole. The park is beautifully decorated with stunningly blooming flower gardens. There are also memorials to Vytautas the Great (by J. Narusis) and the guerrillas of the Tauras district, also the chapel of the suffering in memory of the genocide. The park contains a wonderful playground for children.

Pasesupis Park

The largest park in Marijampole, covering an area of 27.39 ha. The park has walking and cycling paths. There is a nature trail. Kids’ playgrounds and a specially equipped bicycle track with slides. The park has all the necessary infrastructure for recreation with children, including outdoor toilets, a drinking water dispenser and a barbecue area. During the summer, there is a great swimming pool with changing rooms.

Cat yard and magical cats

Legend has it that the founder of Marijampole, Countess Pranciska Sciukaite-Butleriene, loved cats very much. During the redevelopment of Marijampole’s Old Town, Countess Pranciska Sciukaite-Butleriene’s cats appeared playing with water. The courtyard quickly became everyone’s favourite place, and people noticed that if you make a wish and pet all three cats, it really comes true. The patio is very cosy, with a beautiful artwork on the wall and benches to relax on.

But these are not the only cats you can find in Marijampole. In September 2021, seven more of the Countess’s magical cats took up residence in Marijampole, at various locations around the city. These cats are also magical – they help those who find them to fulfil their dreams. All 7 cats are very different (the cat of kindness, the cat of inspiration, the cat of romance, the cat of abundance, the cat of adventure, the cat of entrepreneurship, the cat of choices, the cat of justice and the cat of fulfilment. Search for the cat you want to fulfil your wish, or find them all. Guess which cat we were looking for first?

The most beautiful railway station in Lithuania

Marijampole railway station is probably the most beautiful railway station in Lithuania. It’s a spectacular building, and you should make sure you see it inside and out.

Leisure space Sensory House

The Sensory House is a wonderful space for family fun and exploration. The founder, Virginija, set up this house to create a quality leisure space for children, with opportunities to educate them.

It’s a great place to spend time with your children. You can also celebrate children’s birthdays and other celebrations here. There is a research laboratory there. We took part in one of the experiments. The children really enjoyed it.

The whole space of the Sensory House is full of sensory and cognitive tools, games and educational activities. There is even a sandbox. And for the convenience of parents, there are massage chairs where you can sit comfortably and watch the children play. The place is extremely interesting, and it really feels like it was designed by a mother, because everything is tailored to children.

Spindulys Cinema

The cinema Spindulys opened its doors in Marijampole in 1971 (at that time it was called “Pergale”) and acquired its current name of “Spindulys” cinema in 1992. “Spindulys” is the only cinema in Marijampole. However, it is not only a cinema, it also has games rooms equipped with Virtual Reality and Playstation5 spaces. Since we don’t have Playstation games at home, it is a real feast for Motiejus to play computer games somewhere. These spaces are perfect for birthdays or events.

Amalva swamp Nature Trail

We try to visit nature trails everywhere we go. Marijampole was no exception.

The Amalva Swamp is one of the largest in Suvalkija. Now, Amalva has a new trail, the shortest in Lithuania, which introduces the history of the swamp, its flora and fauna. There is a lookout tower for a look around the swamp and for bird watching. The path is made of wooden planks and is therefore easy to navigate with a stroller. It’s not really long, and our 1.5 year old Paulė managed it easily with her little feet.

Near Marijampole, there is also the Bukta Nature Trail, which we really wanted to visit, but didn’t have time.

Where to stay and eat in Marijampole

We chose the Torino Guest House for our accommodation and were very happy with the choice. It is located a little further away from the city, so it is very quiet. The rooms are large and spacious. There is also a modern canteen in the same building as Torino. We had lunch and breakfast there. The canteen does not resemble the old canteens at all. You can order your food on computer screens. And for lunch, you order the hot food you want, and can put in as much and as little salad as you like. But most importantly, the food is extremely tasty and the portions are really big.

We had dinner at the Torino Date restaurant, near the Pasesupis Park. We took a walk in park and the kids had a great time on the playgrounds. We really liked the place. The ambience is very modern and stylish, and the food is extremely tasty. We especially recommend trying the homemade olives, they are delicious. My husband and I had pasta with prawns, and Motiejus chose his top travel meal – sausages with fries.

We have also prepared city guides for other Lithuanian cities – What to do with children in Vilnius, What to do with children in Kaunas, Klaipeda with children, Anyksciai with children, Birzai with children, Panevezys: what to see?, Siauliai with children: city guide – so feel free to read them and get some ideas for a fun time with your kids.

The article “Marijampole with children” is an original article prepared by “Travel 4 kids®”. Copying and use without permission is strictly prohibited.

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