Burbiškis Manor

Burbiškis is a modest manor house with a large romantic park laid out around ponds, canals, islands and old trees, with a monument to Adam Mickiewicz raised by an earlier owner and a scatter of sculpture through the grounds. Its reputation now rests on tulips: tens of thousands are planted in beds through the park and a festival each May brings visitors from across the country for a few weeks when the display is at its height, with music, markets and guided walks. Outside that window the park is quiet and pleasant, with the water and the trees carrying it, and the manor buildings hold small exhibitions. It is a short detour off the road between Kaunas and Šiauliai.

What you actually see

• The tulip beds - tens of thousands of bulbs in flower in May.
• The romantic park - ponds, canals, islands and old trees.
• The Mickiewicz monument - the poet's memorial in the grounds.
• The manor buildings - small exhibitions in the restored house.

When to go

May is the point: the tulip festival runs for a few weeks and the display peaks with the weather, so timing shifts year to year. Outside May the park is open and quiet with no flowers.

Honest expectations

Outside the tulip weeks there is much less to see and the entry charge may not be worth it. Festival weekends are crowded and parking is difficult. The manor house itself is modest. Interpretation is limited.

Nearby

Radviliškis lies northwest; Šiauliai is beyond it.