Hill of Crosses & Šiauliai Plains

The Hill of Crosses — Kryžių kalnas — is one of the most emotionally charged places in the Baltic states: a low glacial mound near Šiauliai covered with an estimated 100,000 crosses, crucifixes, statues, and rosaries placed by pilgrims since the 1831 uprising against Russian rule, bulldozed repeatedly during Soviet occupation, and reborn each time as an act of quiet resistance. Pope John Paul II celebrated mass here in 1993, cementing its status as Lithuania's spiritual centre. This roughly 65-kilometre day loop from Šiauliai connects the hill with the surrounding plains — flat farmland, manor houses, glacial lakes, and the unhurried rhythm of northern Lithuania's Catholic heartland. For slow van travellers, it is mechanically effortless and emotionally unforgettable.

Šiauliai is the practical base — Lithuania's fourth city with supermarkets, fuel, repair shops, and parking near the cathedral square. From Šiauliai, regional road A12 runs north twelve kilometres to the Hill of Crosses — well signposted, with a large parking area that accommodates vans. Allow two hours minimum at the site: walk the paths between cross clusters, listen to the wind chimes and rustling rosaries, and absorb a landscape where every cross tells a family story. Visitors often bring their own small cross to add — workshops near the entrance sell carved wooden ones for a few euros.

The loop continues east through Radviliškis district manor country — nineteenth-century estate buildings, linden alleys, and the broad agricultural plains that define this region. Rėkyva Lake offers a natural counterpoint with birdwatching platforms and quiet shores. Return via southern Šiauliai periphery roads through residential districts and industrial edges that reveal the city's Soviet and modern layers beyond the pilgrimage site.

For VW T3 owners, this route is ideal rest-day driving — no grades, excellent asphalt, and a profound cultural stop that requires no physical exertion. Visit early morning or late afternoon for fewer tour buses at the hill. Combine with the Curonian Spit to the west (three hours) or continue south toward Kaunas and the Nemunas valley. Any season works; the hill is open year-round and striking in snow when crosses emerge from white fields. Respect the sacred nature — no drones without permission, modest dress appreciated.