Lithuania's Attractive Sand Coast

Klaipeda, the third-largest city of Lithuania, with around 200.000 inhabitants, is the country's only seaport and thus provides home to ship repair companies, ferry service providers and other naval industries. Most people arrive in Klaipeda by ferry and zoom through it to other more imaginative destination in the country, like the nearby sandy Curonian Spit or the towns of Kaunas and Vilnius. However, the old town is worthwhile enough to justify at least a one-day visit. Right on the Dane river, the centre contains a bright white neoclassical Drama Theatre, half-timbered houses, a rebuilt schooner ship, and the ruins of an old castle. Statues are abundant in the town, especially in the sculpture park, a 15 minute walk northeast.

No matter how attractive this coastal town is, the main reason for coming here is for the beaches. North of Klaipeda, the white sandy coast stretches all the way to the neighbour Latvia. Large stretches of beach however or not developed or even almost unreachable unless by boat or after a long beach walk. Just north of the Dane river mouth, some 7km from the old town lies a 10km long rather developed stretch of beach, between Melnrage and Giruliai villages. The next 20km is taken by the Seaside Regional Park, suitable for hiking or cycling, but not for sunbathing. From there onwards starts the most developed summer resort in Lithuania, centered on the towns of Palanga and Sventoji, going on for 20km all the way to the Latvian border. Despite the many visitors, the coast has kept its charm and is spared of the concrete frenzy that swept through many other resort towns. On the contrary, most restaurants or hotels are located in beautiful old wooden villas.

South of Klaipeda lies that other great tourist magnet, the beautiful sandy Curonian Spit peninsula. Located between the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon, the UNESCO World Heritage listed spit stretches as a long and thin finger pointed towards the town. Although the largest towns of Nida and Juodkrante are developed into small beach resorts, the biggest part of the peninsula is designated a National Park. At most places pine forests cover the sands, but the lagoon coast has sandy beaches and some of the highest sand dunes in Eastern Europe. Across the lagoon is the Nemunas River Delta, a paradise for bird-lovers.

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Official currency in Lithuania is the Litas (LTL), pegged to the euro at a rate of around 3.5LTL=1€. In a few years time the euro will replace the Litas. Prices in Lithuania are still quite cheap for European standards, about half the price of what you would pay in Western Europe, but expect that prices will rise the coming years. A room in a decent B&B will cost you around 20€ per person, mostly including breakfast. A hearty meal in one of the many restaurants will cost below 10€ for a main dish and below 5€ for a starter. European, Italian, and Asian food is readily available, albeit adapted to Lithuanian taste.

Lithuanian food is easy on the stomach for western palates, with main dishes consisting of a serving of meat (sometimes schnitzel or skewered), fish or sausages, accompanied with boiled or mashed potatoes or chips. Seasoning is light, with the usual dash of pepper or dill and regularly a splash of sour cream. Sometimes a cheese or tomato sauce is added, often with mushrooms or peppers. On the snack side, pelmeni are boiled or deep-fried dumplings filled with meat, cheese, potatoes, or vegetables. Salads, often with smoked and marinated fish, are also prominent. Soup lovers will definitely enjoy the hearty vegetable soups, with ingredients like broccoli, cabbage, or beetroot (barščiai or borscht).

Official language of the country is Lithuanian, closely related to Latvian. Stalin's "resettlement" policy, whereby local "counter-revolutionaries" were sent to Siberia and Kazakhstan and replaced by other ethnicities, means that about 15% of the population comes from somewhere in the Soviet bloc. Klaipeda even has about 30% Russians. Visitors to Lithuania will be happy to notice that English is widely understood by the younger generation, although the older people are more familiar with German or Russian.

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There is a small airport just east of Klaipeda, but only recreational flights depart from here. The nearest international airport is located 30km north, in Palanga, and has regular Lithuanian Airlines flights to Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Tallinn. Other international airports not to far away can be found in Kaunas or Vilnius, as well as in Riga or Liepaja (Latvia), mainly servicing European destinations.

A great way to come to Klaipeda from Northern Europe is by ferry boat. Lisco Ferries is offering services to Kiel, Sassnitz (Germany) and Karlshamn (Sweden). Scandlines has a service to Århus (Denmark). Prices are competitive and all lines have the possibility to bring over your own vehicle. Long distance bus services are normally the cheapest way to come to Klaipeda from abroad, although promotional plane or ferry tickets are sometimes cheaper. Eurolines Baltic offers direct bus services to Russia and Belarus or other European destinations via Kaunas and Vilnius, while their competitor Ecolines offers direct services to Western European destinations a few times a week.

Rail travel is available from the Klaipeda train station, located 1km north of the old town, but the trains are few and slow. The nearby bus station offers more regularly direct services to many Lithuanian destinations like Kaunas or Palanga. For the Curonian Spit, you should first take a Keltas ferry across the Curonian Lagoon to Smiltyne and then transfer to a minibus. The old ferry terminal is located right in Klaipeda old town. A new one is opened for larger vehicles a few km south of town. During busy times, a ferry crossing is made every 15 minutes.

The town was founded as Memelburg as a garrison fort in the 13th century by the crusading German Teutonic Knights. Prussia took control of the town and for the next centuries it formed the border with the powerful Grand Duchy of Lithuania. For the next centuries, the Prussian rule proved to be a blessing for the town as it kept on growing and prospering due to the excellent location of its port facilities. After WWI the freshly independent Lithuania acquired the region, which already had a large Lithuanian population. Memel was officially renamed into its Lithuanian name Klaipeda. After the German occupation during WWII the Soviet Union invaded the country and made it the Lithuanian Soviet Republic. With the collapse of the USSR, Lithuania finally gained back its independence in 1991 and is now a member of both EU and NATO.

A thing you may notice immediately when you visit Klaipeda is the lack of churches. The ones not destroyed during WWII were razed by the communists during the aftermath of the war. The few churches now are newer additions and not worth visiting. The town, however, is still full of German-style 17th and 18th century Fachwerk-houses (half-timbered) providing the face of the city. Examples of this architecture can be found anywhere in the old town, like in the unofficial centre of Klaipeda, Theatre Square. Here you will also find the 200 year old bright white building of the Klaipeda Drama Theatre. The building's balcony became infamous as the place from where Hitler announced the German annexation of the town in 1939. In front of it is a small statue in commemoration of one of the most famous Klaipedans, the Prussian German poet Simon Dach. In the small but pleasant streets behind the square are small statuettes of a mouse and a cat. See if you can spot them.

Other landmarks in the city include the "Meridianas" schooner ship on the Dane river and the 13th century ruined Memel Castle near the river's mouth. The Museum of Lithuania Minor (Didzioji Vandens Street) is a rather interesting museum of the history of the Klaipeda region. Just northeast of the city, about 1.5 km away from the centre, lies the interesting sculpture park with over 100 statues of Lithuanian artists.

There are many places to stay in Klaipeda. On the top end Europa Royal Hotel, located just next to Theatre Square, offers standard double rooms for around 100€. Just north of the Dane river, 1km away, is the excellent Vecekrug Hotel, offering better rooms for similar prices. Good middle class hotels (around 50€ per double room) are Hotel Aribe or the Pajuris Hotel, offering lots of spa facilities for an extra fee and located 6km north of the city but reachable by public bus. Near Vecekrug is the excellent Litinterp Guesthouse offering B&B-style accommodation and self-catering apartments for around 20€ per person.

Palanga municipality is one of the smallest in Lithuania, with only 20.000 inhabitants. It occupies a roughly 4km wide strip on Lithuania's northwest coast and runs for 20km from the tiny hamlet Nemirseta, a former border post between Lithuania and the German Empire, all the way to the Latvian border. The two major settlements within the municipal border, Palanga proper and Sventoji, attract a multiple of their population as tourists every summer. The town even ranks first in the most visited places by locals but fails to attract foreigners.

The main reason for tourists to come to Palanga is the excellent sandy beach, brushing the Baltic Seacoast for the full length of the town and beyond. The at times 200m wide sand strip is lined with dunes and pine trees. The busiest beaches are located near the 400m long Palanga Pier aka The Sea Bridge, offering excellent views of the surrounding beaches and dunes. Take care, however, when strolling on the beach front as some beaches are designated for women or men only (although small children are allowed). Normally the single-sex beaches are signposted well, and if you do end up in the wrong place, just turn around as some people might get offended.

Apart from the beach there are a few other interesting sights in Palanga town, which can easily be covered on foot. A good starting point is Palanga's main square on the intersection of Vytauto and Kretingos Street. You can pick up a map at the nearby Tourist Information Centre. Also on the square is the brick neogothic St. Mary's Basilica with its bright red and white interior. Just south of the church, the partly pedestrian Basanavicius Street runs for 1km towards the pier and the beaches. This street is lined with souvenir stalls, ice-cream carts, cafés and restaurants, often situated in brightly painted wooden houses giving the town a certain charm despite the summer crowds. And did I mention the absence of high-rise buildings so characteristic for seaside resorts world-wide?

From the "impossible lovers" statue of Jurate and Kastytis the Meiles Alley runs south between pine trees and along the coast. Signs point towards the women-only and mixed beach. About 1km south, across the Dariaus and Gereno Street, is the Palanga Botanical Park. This landscape garden is shaped by French garden architect Édouard André, and features a greenhouse, swan ponds, statues, and beaches. In the southwest is the Birute Hill, dedicated to pagan priestess Birute with an artificial cave and a memorial. The main attraction, however, is the 19th century Tyszkiewicz palace. The neo-renaissance building now houses the interesting Palanga Amber Museum, dedicated to the "Baltic Gold". Polished and unpolished amber stones are on displays, often with animal or vegetable inclusions and in varying sizes, as well as ancient amber jewelry. Entrance fee is only €1.5 so this is a must-see when visiting the town. Vytauto Street runs east of the park and the main square is a short walk back north.

Juodkrante is a village on the Curonian Spit, about halfway between Nida and Smiltyne, both at namely around 25km. Although there are only 700 permanent residents, the village is the third largest settlement on the peninsula after Nida and Rybachy (Russia). The town's name translates as "black shore", a reference to the original German name Schwarzort ("black village"). It probably stems from the dark pine forests surrounding the town. Schwarzort was founded in the 14th or 15th century on the Baltic Sea coast. Two centuries later it was moved to its present location on the Curonian Lagoon after the decimation of its population by an outbreak of the Black Death and large dune-shifting sandstorms. One hundred years later it had grown to a flourishing fishing village. The discovery of amber in 1850 turned the village in a prosperous trading post. Soon after hordes of tourists followed course and constructed spacious wooden villas, several of which can still be found today. The town, Prussian-German at that time, Lithuanian since 1923, became an important resort town until the Nazi and later Soviet occupation of Lithuania. Twenty years later tourism was again on the rise, although at first only for high party officials and Soviet businessmen. Since Lithuanian independence national and international visitors are pouring again over these shores.

The town of Nida is more popular, meaning that Juodkrante has retained its calm and charm. Prices, however, are similarly high for Lithuanian standards, meaning a two-person apartment will cost around €30 during low season although prices may vary greatly when the season advances. Double prices are not uncommon in July and August. Good addresses are the cosy B&B Prie Azuolo or the modern Egliu Slenis Hotel. Private apartments are also available and can be booked through Litinterp guesthouse in Klaipeda.

The main road from Smiltyne to Nida runs right through the village, hugging the Curonian Lagoon. The road is lined with 19th-century wooden houses. Many of them now contain a shop or café and in one chalet is the interesting and free Weathervane Gallery, displaying examples of this local folk art. The road runs almost into the simple red brick church. The small harbour just east has a good café, a marina and a copy of an old amber trading ship. The two best sights, however, are located a little out of the city. Witches' Hill is a forested dune just west of the town with several walking trails. Local folk artist made several wooden sculptures depicting Lithuanian folklore characters along the trails. The Nagliai Nature Reserve is a protected area starting 1km south of the town. The landscape contains some of the highest coastal sand dunes in Europe, housing rare plants and birdlife. Most parts of the park are off limits but a fenced-off walking track was opened recently in the south of the park. It can be reached by following the main road south to Nida for about 10km till you reach the parking place.

Occupying the southern end of the Lithuanian side of the Curonian Spit, the village of Nida is part of the Neringa municipality. The village has long been a small fishermen colony in Prussia and later in Germany. First settled around the 13th-14th century, the village has since been moved 2km north due to continuing sand drifts on its original location. In the beginning of the 20th century the attractive coast around Nida attracted many German artists like the expressionist painter Max Pechstein or writer Thomas Mann. After the German defeat in WWII, the nearly deserted village was enclosed in the Lithuanian Socialist Soviet Republic, a part of the former USSR. Due to its strategic location on the Baltic coast, the area around Nida became a holiday village, off-limits to all except senior Communist party officials. However, due to this secluded status the area remained intact and clean. After Lithuanian independence, the village saw a boost in national and international tourism, and nowadays it is one of the most visited places in the country, especially during the summer months, when Nida attracts a multiple of its 1500 inhabitant as visitors.

Inside the small town are a few attractions worth visiting. Nida's brick 19th century church is located right in the centre near the Curonian lagoon. It contains an interesting church organ and a much older cemetery with some intriguing gravestones. Next door is the Nida Amber Museum, displaying artefacts, decoration objects and jewellery made of this precious Baltic stone. Just north lies the summerhouse of Thomas Mann, now housing a small museum; 500m west of the town is Urbo Kalnas hill, the location of Nida's landmark, a red-and-white 19th century lighthouse. Half a kilometre south of the centre is the Parnidis sand dune, stretching into the Curonian Lagoon. It is topped by a large modern sundial from where you have an excellent view on the surroundings and at its foot is the popular Nida beach, the only blue flag beach on the peninsula. If you continue further south you will soon reach the Russian border which you should only attempt to cross at the official borderpost with a Russian visa in your passport.

Due to its status as a tourist magnet, it will come as no surprise that eating and sleeping is quite expensive for Lithuanian standards (although still cheap compared to similar attractions in other western countries). The cheapest accommodation (below €10 per person per night) is pitching your tent in the official Nida campsite near the beach on the Baltic coast, about 2km from the centre. A sauna, swimming pool, tennis courts, and bicycle rental are available, as well as apartment rooms for around €60 per double room. Other private apartments and small guesthouses offering similarly priced accommodation can be found in the city centre. Litinterp guesthouse in Klaipeda can also make arrangements. Hotel Nidos Smilte and Seklycia Guesthouse are more expensive but are clean and good.

The hills of Jonas and Ieva (John and Eve) are two dunes on the Curonian Spit near the village of Juodkrante. They contain some of the oldest patches of forests on the peninsula. Local legends say that on midsummer night (aka St. John's Eve!) evil spirits like witches and devils gather in these hills, so even during the heavy logging of the 15th century the woods were left untouched. To drive off these creatures wooden barrels were set afire and rolled down the hills into the Curonian Lagoon. Soon the haunted hills were nicknamed the Hill of Witches, a name that still sticks today.

In 1979 the Lithuanian artist Sarapovas wanted to create a sculpture park on the hill together with the architect brothers Nasvytis. Although the sculptures would be entrenched in Lithuanian folk culture and could become a potential source of Lithuanian nationalism, the project was approved anyway by the Soviets. Sarapovas gathered around 50 fellow artists, all of them Lithuanian, to construct statues themed around regional folk legends. Wood, mainly oak, was chosen for the sculptures as this material is reminiscent to the long woodcarving tradition here. When Sarapovas died 2 years later, most of the sculptures were finished. Apart from a few replacements and newer additions, they are still available today and are visited by almost every visitor in the Curonian Spit. The brothers Nasvytis came to be known as two of the greatest architects in the country and are responsible for many modern buildings, mainly in Vilnius. Due to their involvement in the Lithuanian independence movement, Algimantas even functioned briefly as construction minister, while his brother Vytautas became a renowned university professor.

The hills can be reached from either side of the peninsula, with lots of walking trails crossing over to the other side. The main entrance is about 300m west of Juodkrante's church, near a few souvenir shops and a restaurant. The shops sell booklets about the hill. Since a few years there is also a children's playground with wooden seesaws and slides that look like the hill's sculptures. Another entrance is 300m south from here and is indicated by a giant wooden sign ridden by a witch. The trail that starts here is steeper. A few smaller trails start from different locations. The sculptures are always next to the trail. They generally depict different characters of Lithuanian folklore, although other images exist, like the wonderful Witches' Castle, a fisherman and his ship or even the devil himself. Sculptures originating from the ancient tales represent different witches and trolls, Perkunas, the god of thunder, Egle, the queen of serpents and Neringa, the gentle giantess who gave the area her name. Some of them have arms to swing, while others can be climbed or are shaped as benches or chairs. Despite the Christianity of the locals, they still put coins in the evil spirits' hands or mouth to ward them off. This exquisite sight is free to visit and is definitely fun with children.

The Curonian Spit is a long and thin sand peninsula in the Baltic Sea. It has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list because of its history of interaction between humans and landscape. This extraordinary feature was formed 5000 years ago when seasand was deposed along the curved Baltic coast of that time, blocking almost the entire coast. Subsequently the Curonian Lagoon, fed by the Nemunas River, turned into a freshwater body. More recent history starts with the foundation around 800 A.D. of Kaup, located in the south of the spit. The city soon flourished as a trading centre of amber, abundant on these coasts, but was sacked by the Danes in the 11th century. Like nearby Klaipeda, the spit was from then on part of Prussia. The peninsula contained only a few fishing villages like Cranz (Zelenogradsk) and Nida. After the WWI defeat of Prussia, the northern part was incorporated in independent Lithuania while the south was a part of the German province of East-Prussia. A USSR intermezzo left the border unchanged and now the spit is shared between Lithuania and the Russia's Kaliningrad province.

Most people, including me, only visit the Lithuanian part as most westerners may visit this country visa-free. However, the spit connects to the mainland only in Kaliningrad, so a boat ride is necessary if you only visit Lithuania. Smiltynes Perkela offers regular ferry services from Klaipeda for around €1 per person. The ferry arrives in the small village of Smiltyne, in the north of the sandspit. The village contains the Sea Museum Aquarium, located in a 19th century fort. From here regular minibuses head south to the other villages. A few kilometres south of Simltyne is the entrance gate to the Curonian Spit National Park. Private car drivers are required to pay €3 "environment tax". From here to the Russian border the municipality of Neringa occupies the rest of the Lithuanian part of the peninsula. It was named after a local legend of the giantess Neringa who was courted by a sea dragon. He began terrorizing the locals when she refused to marry him. She created a sandy defence strip to block the dragon and so the peninsula was born.

About three quarters of the N.P. is covered with dense forests, mainly with pines and spruces. The woods are mostly originating from a massive 16th century reforestation project, after that the cutting of trees proved disastrous for the sands. The Baltic west coast of the peninsula forms an excellent sand beach, requiring a short forest walk from Neringa's main road. A few villages dot the east coast, facing the quiet Curonian Lagoon. Juodkrante (in the middle of the Lithuanian part) and Nida (near the Russian border) are very popular with tourists. Both offer hotels, restaurants, and outdoor activities (sailing, cycling, angling). A partly forested dune system runs parallel to the east coast. The most beautiful and highest dunes are located just south of Juodkrante.