Klaipėda County

A vacation in Klaipėda County is a vacation by the sea: the region holds Lithuania's entire Baltic coastline, including the beach resort of Palanga, the port city of Klaipėda and the Curonian Spit with its shifting dunes. For centuries the area was shaped by German culture and known as the Memel Territory, a legacy that still shows in its architecture and culture of remembrance.

Landscape and Location

The county stretches along the Baltic Sea and around the Curonian Lagoon, which is separated from the sea by the roughly 98-kilometer-long Curonian Spit. The Lithuanian part of the spit forms the municipality of Neringa; the southern part belongs to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. To the south, the county reaches the Memel Delta near Šilutė, with its wet meadows and rich birdlife. The coast north of Klaipėda is characterized by sandy beaches, pine forests and steep cliffs such as those near Karklė.

Sights in Klaipėda County

The Curonian Spit is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The shifting dunes near Nida are among the highest in Europe; from Parnidis Dune, with its sundial, you look out over sand, lagoon and pine forest. Nida preserves blue and brown fishermen's houses, and the summer house of Thomas Mann, who spent three summers here, is now a cultural center. At Juodkrantė, more than 80 wooden sculptures from Lithuanian legends line a forest path on Witches' Hill, and nearby a large colony of cormorants and gray herons nests. Klaipėda, formerly Memel, is Lithuania's oldest city; in the half-timbered Old Town stands the Ännchen von Tharau fountain, and at the harbor you'll find the Castle Museum. The Sea Museum, housed in an old fortress at the tip of the spit, shows seals, penguins and dolphins.

Palanga and the Coast

Palanga is Lithuania's most popular beach resort, with a long sandy beach and a pier where you can watch the sunset. In the Tyszkiewicz Palace park, the Amber Museum occupies a palace with thousands of specimens, many with insects trapped inside. On summer evenings the pedestrian street Basanavičiaus fills with cafés and music. Kretinga has a winter garden in its manor palace, and the area is linked by a bike path along the coast. North of Palanga lies Šventoji, a quieter beach resort with a fishing harbor. To the south, Šilutė is the starting point for excursions into the Memel Delta: at Cape Ventė, with its lighthouse and bird-ringing station, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds pass by in the fall, and Rusnė, on a river island, preserves the wooden houses of fishermen.

Food and Drink

On the coast, people eat smoked fish, above all eel, bream and herring, which you can buy at smokehouse stands in Nida and Juodkrantė. Kepta duona, fried dark bread with garlic, is the classic accompaniment to beer. Klaipėda is home to a brewery with a long tradition, and in July the city celebrates Sea Days with concerts and ship parades.

Getting There and Best Time to Visit

Palanga Airport has connections to Riga, Oslo and several German cities. Ferries link Klaipėda with Kiel and Karlshamn. You reach the spit by a short ferry crossing, and cars are charged an environmental fee. June through September is considered the best time to visit; the Baltic Sea is warmest in July and August.