Marijampolė is an industrial southern Lithuanian city that has found a better public face than many places of its size. The old Marian monastery gave the town its name, the Šešupė River cuts through the centre, and the MaLonNy street-art festival has turned blank walls into the city's strongest reason to wander.
This is not a polished old town like Vilnius, and you should not come expecting one. Come for a spare half-day from Kaunas, follow the murals around J. Basanavičiaus Square and the side streets, then step into the basilica and the small museums that tie the city to Lithuania's national revival.
Marijampolė works best as a compact, honest stop: street art outside, Suvalkija history inside, and enough cafe life around the centre to make the walk easy.