Curonian Spit - vacation at sea. Curonian Spit, Lithuania: attractions, hotels, weather, recreation Curonian Spit Lithuanian part map
The whitish sandy beaches of Neringa stretch in a strip 25-70 meters wide along the coast of the Baltic Sea. They are equipped according to all European standards, including special descents, telephones and toilets for the disabled, and are kept impeccably clean. This allowed local beaches to acquire the honorary “Blue Flag” - an international certificate guaranteeing the safety and environmental friendliness of the territory.
Tourist Information Centers:
- Nida - Tajkos, 4, tel.: 8 469 523 45, fax: 8 469 525 38, [email protected]
- Juodkrante - L.Rezos, 54, tel.: 8 46 534 90
How to get there
By plane or train to Vilnius, Kaunas, Kaliningrad, then by bus routes Vilnius-Nida, Kaunas-Nida, Kaliningrad-Nida. Bus schedule on the website. From Klaipeda, you can only get to Kos by ferry. The old ferry (lit. Senoji Perk?la) connects the final bus stop in Smiltyne and the center of Klaipeda, transporting passengers only. The new crossing is equipped with ferries transporting all types of transport. Domestic routes: Nida-Smiltyne bus, minibus connecting Nida bus station with the beach (only in summer), bus from the old ferry crossing to the Maritime Museum. If you prefer to use your own or rented car, then the only Zelenogradsk-Klaipeda highway is at your service. It passes through Lesnoye, the outskirts of Rybachy and Juodkrante, with exits branching off to the rest of the villages. Throughout its entire length, the highway has only one lane in each direction. Entry into the territory of the National Park is paid. The Alksnine post is equipped with payment machines that accept only cash and only banknotes; change is issued in coins. When paying on the panel, you need to select one of the buttons corresponding to the vehicle being paid for. Thus, travel for a passenger car with a capacity of up to 9 people in the summer will cost 5 EUR. The nearest ATMs are located next to the crossing.Part of the European cycling route R1 runs along the Lithuanian side of the Curonian Spit - from Nida to Smiltyne. In the vicinity of other villages there are local bicycle paths. The bicycle routes Nida - Klaipeda, Klaipeda-Palanga-Latvian border and Klaipeda - Silute - Rusne are also open.
Popular hotels in Curonian Spit
Entertainment and attractions of the Curonian Spit
The northern half of the Curonian Spit, which is part of Lithuania, is the Curonian Neria National Park (26.5 thousand hectares), which in 2000 was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The uniqueness of the Curonian landscape lies in the endless sand dunes, reaching up to 70 meters in height and stretching in a continuous chain for tens of kilometers. The spit is also located on the White Sea-Baltic migration route for migratory birds, which stop here to feed and rest. The approximate number of feathered “nomads” reaches 10-20 million per season, among them there are rare endangered species. The exhibition of the Kursiu Neria Museum of Nature tells in detail about the geographical and geological features of the formation of the landscape, about archaeological finds, about the flora and fauna of the region.Sights of Neringa
You can get acquainted with the history of the region and the Curonians, the people who originally inhabited these lands, in the Historical Museum of Neringa (Pamario St., 53, Nida). Here are finds from the Stone Age, an exhibition dedicated to traditional local crafts, including crow catching, photographs, documents and items from family and state archives. Another source of local history is the Ethnographic Fisherman's Estate (Naglyu St., Nida), located in one of the residential buildings of Old Nida (circa 1900). The decoration, furniture, utensils and the organization of the interior itself represent a living illustration of the fishing life of the late nineteenth - early. XX century. Here, near the house, there are 4 original fishing vessels: from a boat to a kurenas.
Sights of Nida
The miniature Amber Museum (20 Pamario St., Nida) tells about the origin of Baltic amber, its rich morphology - external features: from transparency to different shades, and the history of local fishing. Here you can also see a unique collection of inclusions - minerals with insects inside. The museum's gallery offers designer jewelry and accessories that differ from most local products in their original modern design. And in the exhibition hall of the Nida cultural center “Agila” (street, Taikos 4) you can view and buy paintings, graphic works, sculptures and photographs by Lithuanian artists.
Sights of Juodkrante
Near the village of Juodkrante lies the Mountain of Witches - a sacred place professing the old Vedic cults, the Curonians. During the Inquisition, pagans from all over Europe flocked to this mountain, then resting on a small island and perfectly protected from the “guardians of law and order” by shallow waters, to worship the forces of nature and the Mother Goddess. In the XIX - early In the 20th century, residents of Lithuania Minor loved to celebrate the summer solstice here - Jonines. Guests, choristers and musicians from Klaipeda, Tilsit, Rusne came to the spit on sailing boats and small steamships. During the Nazi era, they tried to revive ancient Germanic and Aryan cults on the mountain. At the end of the 1970-1980s, a park of wooden sculptures appeared on a sacred hill, carved by Lithuanian craftsmen and illustrating scenes from local ancient beliefs and epics. In the gallery of Daiva and Remigijus Zadeikis (G. Rezos str. 13, Juodkrante) - Weathervane Galleries - you can find out about all the secrets of Kush weathervanes, the color, shape and combination of plot elements of which are by no means accidental. This space also hosts various ethnographic and historical exhibitions and fairs selling paintings, graphics, sculpture, ceramics and products made of flax and amber.
Aquarium
At the northern tip of the Curonian Spit in the Smiltyne region, in a German bastion fortress from the second half of the 19th century, the Maritime Aquarium Museum (website) is located. The museum complex includes many thematic exhibitions dedicated to marine flora and fauna, the history of Lithuanian shipbuilding, shipping, military and merchant fleets. The restored central redoubt houses aquariums that are impressive with their exotic life; on former gun platforms and ramparts there is a collection of ancient anchors collected throughout Lithuania; the life of Pomeranian fishermen is shown in an ethnographic exhibition set up on the site of a former fishing village - traditional huts are lined up here and ships on which fishermen went out into the Atlantic and the Baltic Sea. The aquariums contain about 40 species of fish from Lithuanian rivers, lakes and the Baltic Sea (catfish, chub, barbel, grayling, eels, sabrefish, whitefish, etc.), tropical freshwater fish (including the huge moray eel), invertebrate inhabitants of coral reefs (starfish, mollusks, sea urchins, etc.). The museum is also famous for the richest collection of rare species of corals and shells in Lithuania. The exhibition of prepared animals, according to scientific taxonomy, covers the entire spectrum of marine animals: from sponges to birds and mammals. In the outdoor pools you can observe penguins, seals, and sea lions. There is a dolphinarium a stone's throw from the museum. During the summer season, colorful performances are held here with the participation of Black Sea dolphins and California sea lions. The dolphinarium also has a dolphin therapy center.
Amateur fishing
The Curonian and Klaipeda Lagoons are excellent places for fishing. Bream, perch, pike-perch, roach, raw fish, herring, etc. readily bite here. Ice fishing for burbot and capelin is also very popular here. In the Baltic Sea, flounder, herring, cod and halibut are caught from boats. You can fish from the shore with a float rod at any time of the day and without “documents” in compliance with the rules of amateur fishing. Fishing at a distance of more than 500 meters from the shore and using various fishing equipment is permitted only with a special license issued by the Ministry of Nature Protection; for a fishing raid in the Baltic Sea, permission from the border police is required. The total weight of fish caught per day should not exceed 5 kg per person.- Nature Protection Agency of the City of Klaipeda st. Birutes, 16, tel.: (8 46) 21 71 06)
- Nature Protection Agency of the city of Neringa, Taikos Ave., 2, tel.: (8 469) 5 12 32)
The reserve of the same name located on its territory is included in most tours of Kaliningrad and the region. But there are also many independent travelers here who want not only to touch nature, unspoiled by civilization, but also to enjoy the silence, cleanliness and European quality of service.
Description of the famous braid
The Curonian Spit on the Lithuanian side is famous for its resort town of Neringa, which includes 4 former fishing villages that have preserved the flavor of the 19th century - Nida, Juodkrante, Pervalki and Preili. Lithuanians have lovingly preserved the thatched houses that look like gingerbread houses from afar.
The villages themselves, surrounded by greenery and surrounded by forest, promise an unforgettable holiday in one of these houses, some of which have been converted into hotels, and others into bars, museums and restaurants. Local establishments are distinguished by folkloric interior design, which gives them a cute charm.
The pride of these places (Curonian Spit) are dunes, some of which reach a height of 70 meters. Vacationers also note the amazing beauty of the embankments and beaches, equipped with the latest technology - there are telephones, convenient descents for the disabled, and toilets. For their cleanliness, they were awarded the famous Blue Flag, this certificate of quality and environmental friendliness, which is awarded only to truly worthy beaches in the world.
In summer, you can watch sailing regattas from the embankment, and August is truly rich in festivals. The Curonian Spit (Lithuania) awaits jazz lovers in early August, and in the middle of the month there is a festival of reconstruction of the life and everyday life of medieval Lithuanians. Here you can not only watch artisans at work, but also learn from them or buy their work. At the end of August, the hotels of the Curonian Spit are filled with film fans, artists and directors who came to the international festival “Baltic Wave”.
Those who do not like unnecessary fuss and noise can relax in secluded villas or mini-hotels with equipped beaches, delicious local cuisine, clear sea and European service.
Way to get there
Travelers who are interested in how to get there should not worry about the Curonian Spit, they just need to choose a method of transportation:
Whatever method you choose to visit the Curonian Spit Nature Reserve (Curonian Spit, Lithuania), you should think about the route and overnight accommodations in advance.
Park "Cursiu Neria"
This famous park is located in the northern part of the spit. It covers an area of 26,500 hectares, the most unique part of which are the dunes. Sand hills stretch for tens of kilometers, wherever you look, which environmentalists and enthusiasts are trying to preserve from destruction.
The landscape of the spit is truly unique; it is not for nothing that millions of birds migrating north and back have chosen it as a resting place. During the season, ornithologists count up to 20 million birds, among which there are rare species.
Watching them is another type of ecotourism. Hundreds of people climb the dunes or specially equipped observation towers to monitor the behavior of the birds.
The most popular is the Parniggio dune, which is rightly called an ornithological observatory. Migratory birds should be observed from March to May, but the greatest impression is made by their return from August to November, when they are joined by their grown chicks.
The wild boars that live here are no less delightful to travelers. The Curonian Spit (Lithuania-Russia) is not only their homeland, where nothing threatens them, but also an opportunity to communicate with people from whom these semi-wild animals beg for food. Well, where else can you find a wild boar standing on the road in the hope that the car will stop and something tasty will fall to it?
Another reason to come to these parts is the opportunity to observe the oldest colony of cormorants and herons, which settled here during the Middle Ages. During this time, hundreds of generations of birds have changed, and they continue to live where they are protected.
You can learn about the local landscape and its changes over a thousand years, about the plants and animals that were here and disappeared, and about those that grow today, at the Curonian Spit Museum. The border with Lithuania divides the reserve into 2 parts, but does not make it any less unique.
Neringa Historical Museum
The Curonian people once lived on the spit. They had their own legend about the appearance of these places. One ruler had a daughter, Neringa, who was a giant. Her purpose was to help fishermen during a storm, for which she had to go into the sea and pull ships to the shore. Travelers lost in the forests, whom she led to the nearest villages, also knew her kindness.
One day, people managed to anger the god of the winds, who sent a hurricane so strong that Neringa could not pass through the huge waves to the ships. Then she collected sand in her apron and began to throw it into the sea until dry land was formed there, on which people took refuge. In honor of their salvation, they named the sandy shore Neringa, where the city of the same name later appeared.
The Neringa Historical Museum tells in great detail about the events from the first settlement of people here to the present day. More than three hundred years ago, the local population, without thinking about the consequences, began to cut down forests to build ships, and when their houses began to be swallowed up by the dunes one after another, a decision was made to replant the area, which continues to this day. To achieve this, grasses and plants with highly intertwined root systems were planted. A net of roots stopped the sand, and later trees were replanted on the dune-free lands, which are now protected and are cut down only when they are in danger of falling from old age.
To preserve the thin layer of earth and the dunes themselves, the reserve has installed decks from which it is not recommended to leave. The weather on the Curonian Spit allows you to walk here at any time of the year, although in winter fishermen are more common than tourists.
Nida
This city, which was once a settlement of the Curonians, is today the capital of this region. It’s simply amazing how people were able to preserve the flavor, life and homes of the people who once lived here. For many tourists, the Curonian Spit, which differs even from what can be seen on the mainland, is an island of a completely different life.
Here, every house is original, and the local architectural style is not found anywhere else - neither in Lithuania, nor in Germany, nor in Finland, nor in Latvia, countries from which the people from which became the future Curonian people with their own language and culture.
Each building in Nida has its own carved decoration and platbands. The Curonians were not only fishermen, but also woodcarvers and crow catchers. You can learn about their life in the small museum “Fisherman's Life”. In Nida, even the cemeteries are a tourist attraction.
The Curonians had their own custom of burying the dead. Instead of a cross at the head of the grave, they placed krishtas at the feet - carved wooden posts with different shaped tops. They were buried to the depths of the grave, since this people believed that during the Last Judgment the resurrected would be able to get out of them by grabbing the shaft.
Admirers of Thomas Mann can visit his house-museum, and amber lovers will find a whole gallery of this beautiful sunstone.
Amber Museum
Every year thousands of people are attracted to the Curonian Spit. A vacation, the cost of which will cost from 2,500 rubles per night per room, is considered inexpensive, given that these places are rich in attractions, beautiful landscapes, that there is a clean sea and European service.
The pearl of Nida is the Amber Museum, where guides will lovingly tell you the most romantic legends about the origin of this stone and all its deposits in Lithuania. Amber of various shapes and sizes is presented here; untreated stones are especially impressive with their pristine quality.
In addition to the exhibitions, the museum has a section dedicated to the work of jewelers, where their works from already processed different colors are exhibited. In the gallery you can buy both amber separately and products with it. The variety of shapes, colors and sizes is simply mind-boggling, but the prices for this stone are quite high.
Those who are lucky enough to get to the amber exhibition will have more luck. There the prices are more affordable, and the choice is much wider, since “amber” craftsmen from all over Lithuania come to see it.
Juodkrante
This village is of interest to everyone who is attracted to the otherworldly and witchcraft. The Witch Mountain, near which it nestled, was for many centuries a gathering place for pagans, who performed their rituals here until the 19th century.
The pilgrimage of pagans to this region was especially numerous during the Inquisition, when people were burned at the stake for the slightest accusation. People from all over Europe came here, and the Curonian Spit was their natural protection.
The mountain is actually a dune covered with pine forest. Today there is a stunning wood museum, where master carvers embodied in this material all the beliefs and fears of the Curonians who once lived here. For example, there are many witches and dragons, there are merman and gods of pagan Lithuania.
The image of the wooden old man embodies the legend of a storyteller who knew thousands of stories about evil spirits and told them to everyone who wanted to listen. God Perkunas demanded that he entertain him with them all night, for which he promised a bag of gold. The storyteller replied that he could not tell under duress, for which he was sent to Witch Mountain as punishment.
In Juodkrante, no less interesting is the gallery of weather vanes, which were built by the Curonians. They are of different shapes and colors, each of which symbolizes a story from the life of this people.
Maritime Museum
If the weather on the Curonian Spit has turned bad, then you can spend the day in the interesting Maritime Museum - the Aquarium. It is located in a 19th century bastion fortress built by the Germans in the Smiltyne region. Among the exhibitions presented there are stands dedicated to marine life, the history of shipping and shipbuilding, and the place of the gun platforms was taken by anchors, which were brought here from all over the country.
The redoubts contain aquariums in which 40 species of marine life thrive. On the site of the former fishermen’s village, near the bastion, an ethno-village appeared, where the houses, utensils, and household items of the Pomeranian fishermen who lived here were reproduced, even their ships and boats on which they went to the Baltic to fish.
The inhabitants of the aquariums are representatives of Lithuanian rivers, lakes and the sea, as well as guests from the tropics - catfish, chub, grayling, saberfish, eel and exotic starfish, a huge freshwater moray eel, sea urchins and a collection of corals.
The equipped outdoor pools are inhabited by penguins, seals, and in the summer, a dolphinarium with Black Sea dolphins operates next to the bastion.
Where to stay
Even at the height of the summer season, the Curonian Spit is accessible to newly arrived guests. Vacations, the cost of which here ranges from 10 euros per night at a campsite and up to 4,500 rubles. in the hotel is considered one of the best and inexpensive in European style.
As vacationers note, the only drawback of the spit is that this place is somewhat congested with motorists, although most of them come only for a night or two.
The most popular are the hotels of the Curonian Spit, some of which are converted fishermen's houses, fully equipped for a comfortable stay. For example, Nidos Banga 3 is the guest house of Hermann Blode, who founded a creative colony for artists there at the end of the 19th century. Today these are 3 villas, equipped with cozy rooms and a restaurant with national cuisine.
Villa Elvira, located in the middle of a pine forest, is very popular among guests of the Curonian Spit. This hotel has only 9 rooms, but each of them has a bathroom and satellite TV. Guests have access to a common lounge with a fireplace and leather furniture, located in the basement of the house. The hotel has a garden equipped with picnic pavilions and barbecues.
For travelers who like not only to look at the sights, but also to spend a useful holiday, the Nidos Seklycia hotel is suitable. There is a spa where you can relax in the infrared sauna, large Jacuzzi or steam room. For business people there is a conference room for 35 people.
Each hotel room has a bathroom with heated floors, satellite TV, a minibar, bathrobes and slippers and the necessary bath accessories.
Camping and guest houses
The Curonian Spit also offers guest houses equipped with the latest technology. For example, Vasara (Nida) offers rooms with a DVD player, independent heating and satellite TV. They have seating areas with upholstered furniture, a table and a tea/coffee set, and a bedroom with modern beds and hypoallergenic bed linen. Guests can cook or reheat food in a shared kitchen, although the nearest café is only 50 meters away.
But the Curonian Spit offers relaxation not only in Nida. Guest houses Neringa and Juodkrante can also boast of their amenities. For example, “Oro Pervalka” is an excellent example of a combination of price and quality. This guest house offers its guests superior rooms with all amenities. It is chosen by those who are used to actively spending their holidays. By renting a bicycle here, you can take walks around the area and not have to depend on finding parking for your car when sightseeing.
For people with personal transport, there is a campsite on the Curonian Spit (Lithuania). Its location is simply unique. Situated between the Parniggio dune and the sea, it is just a hundred meters from the white sandy beach and the ancient site of the Stone Age people.
Guests here will find cozy rooms in the winter and a place where you can park your car and pitch a tent in the summer. Vacationers have at their disposal clean toilets and showers, a shared kitchen equipped with several stoves for cooking. Even in high season, you can find shelter here, and there are never queues at public areas.
And the friendly staff attract travelers here year after year. The Curonian Spit is not only the largest spit in the world, but also the most comfortable for both recreation and life.
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Nature reserve of the Curonian Spit
Do you want to take a break from the bustle of dusty cities and enjoy the pristine beauty of nature? Welcome to the sea coast of Lithuania - to the unique natural reserve of the Curonian Spit!
Only here you can see the “wandering” dunes and hear how the sands quietly “sing” to the whisper of relict pine trees and feel the heady honey aroma of cachim growing on the sand dunes! Only on the Lithuanian coast with soft, white sand and quiet waves can you see incredibly beautiful sunsets! And every evening they will be unique, but always bewitchingly beautiful!
The beauty of the Curonian Spit is attractive at any time of the year: in early spring, when colonies of migratory birds flock here; cool summers with gentle sunshine, sandy beaches and an abundance of berries; in the fall, when lush forests are painted in rainbow colors and the smell of mushrooms attracts mushroom pickers into the forests.
And in winter, when the snow falls on the fluffy paws of the fir trees, the high dunes turn into fun slides - a real haven for sledding and skiing!
This is one of the ecologically clean places in the Baltics, which is distinguished by its unusually picturesque nature.
The purest iodized sea air, unique beaches with blue flag status, some of the highest dunes in Europe, forests rich in mushrooms and berries - all this attracts numerous tourists from different parts of the world.
All this virgin natural beauty is located 25 km from the resort of Palanga and 1.5 km from the port city of Klaipeda; you just need to take a ferry and cross the Curonian Lagoon, admiring the landscapes surrounding you from the water!
The Curonian Spit is a narrow (0.400m – 3.8 km) sandy peninsula, 98 km long, washed by the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon. This national nature reserve is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rare plants listed in the Red Book grow here, endangered species of birds are found, and wild animals feel safe here and are almost not afraid of humans, because hunting is prohibited here and animals boldly approach vacationers, begging for treats.
It was on the Curonian Spit in 1901 that the world's first station for ringing birds flying from Europe to warm countries and northern Africa was opened. This is one of the oldest migration routes. About 20 million birds fly over the Curonian Spit in autumn and spring, stopping here to rest!
History of the Curonian Spit
Back in the 9th century, pagan Curonian tribes lived in the forests of the Curonian Spit - hence the name of the spit. In the 11th century, the Vikings settled in these places, and from the middle of the 13th century, these lands were taken over by the Teutonic Order, for which the spit was the link between the lands around Königsberg and its Livonian possessions. The Order built guard structures here and strictly monitored the order and ecology of this forest region, so the sacred forests of the Curonians remained untouched.
With the fall of the Order, massive deforestation began on the spit, which led to catastrophic consequences: sand gradually began to cover roads and buildings, turning everything in its path into desert, and piles of sand moving under the influence of the wind swept away entire villages. 14 fishing villages disappeared under a pile of sand.
In 1791, the sand dunes finally displaced the last inhabitants of the village of Karvaichyu (German: Karwaiten), who unsuccessfully fought the onslaught of the sand elements, and in the end were forced to leave their homes.
The poet, professor of philology, and rector of the University of Königsberg, Ludwig Reza (author of “The History of the Lithuanian Bible”), who was born here, sadly wrote after visiting his native place: “... everything that is overgrown with moss is all that remains from those times.” Now there is a high Karvaichu dune, under the sand of which the village of the same name is buried.
At the end of the 19th century, the Prussian government, seeing that the sands began to threaten navigation of the Curonian Lagoon and the Memel Canal, decided to stop the destructive force of the sand dunes. This is how the strengthening of the rolling sands began on Kos.
In 1768, professor at the University of Wittenberg I.D. Titius wrote a project on the formation of the landscape of the Curonian Spit, which formed the basis for restoring the natural balance of these places. In 1810, work began to strengthen the unstable slopes of the “wandering” dunes with special weaving from brushwood and planting herbs and forests. This huge, labor-intensive fight against the sands continued for almost 150 years. It is still underway; the dunes are constantly being strengthened and protected from the destructive force of the wind.
Thus, the Curonian Spit, thanks to man-made labor, again blossomed with the lush greenery of forests and regained its former beauty.
Three centuries ago, an international Prussian postal route was laid along the spit, connecting Russia, Prussia and Paris by the shortest route, along which mail was delivered and many royal persons repeatedly passed through, including Tsar Peter the Great, King Frederick I of Prussia and Queen Louise, Friedrich Wilhelm III, Russian Emperor Alexander I and many others. The postal route along the Curonian Spit lost its significance only in 1832, as a new postal route Tilsit (Sovetsk) - Taurage - St. Petersburg was opened.
Smiltyne
The village of Smiltyne (German: Sandkrug) is part of the protected Curonian Spit National Park and administratively belongs to the city of Klaipeda. You can only cross here from Klaipeda by ferry, which runs frequently and on schedule from the Old and New crossings. A settlement arose on the site of an inn founded in these places in 1836. The owner of a local tavern had the sole right to ferry service to the city of Memel (Klaipeda).
In 1871, when the Prussian government decided to strengthen the moving sand and plant forests, the village began to turn into a recreation area, where a Kurhaus was built for the entertainment of vacationers.
Now, in the vicinity of the ferry crossing, several picturesque German-built houses, typical of Prussian resorts, have been restored.
After the war, the descendants of famous Russian noble families lived in these houses: the Potemkins, Aristovs, Guryevs, who, by the will of fate, were abandoned to these places. Now there are exhibitions telling about the history of the village.
Directly from the old ferry crossing, paved paths begin that lead through a wonderful pine forest to the white sandy beaches of the Baltic Sea. 800 meters of a pleasant walk, and you are on one of the beautiful beaches of Smiltyne. There are four of them - general, female, male and nudist. Everyone can choose a holiday according to their taste.
At any time of the year there are many people here who want not only to sunbathe, but also to simply take a walk, breathe in the sea air, saturated with iodine and the coniferous aroma of pine trees. Here you can go to a cafe, have a snack or drink a cup of delicious hot tea.
Bath lovers can take a steam bath right on the seashore and immediately dive into the cool Baltic waters. By the way, there are many winter swimmers who visit this steam room and swim in the sea all year round.
A kilometer south of the ferry crossing is the Smiltyne Yacht Club, where you will be offered:
rental of not only watercraft, but also bicycles - 3 euros per hour, 9 euros per day;
trips on yachts or boats around the port (ship for 5 people - 60 euros, for 8 people - 90 euros);
along the Curonian Lagoon towards Nida (price per person - 100 euros / first hour and 60 euros / remaining hours);
fishing in the sea or bay - 350 euros for 4 people.
Maritime Museum-Aquarium
In the northern part of the Curonian Spit is the main attraction of Smiltyne -. The Museum of the History of Lithuanian Shipping is located in the premises of the former 19th century defensive fortress of Kopgalis and was first opened to visitors in 1979.
At the end of 2017, after a three-year reconstruction, 24 updated aquariums and a new transparent 25-meter tunnel were opened to the public, above which you can watch two-meter sturgeons, huge stingrays and other fish swimming in a large aquarium. Now it is considered one of the largest aquariums in Europe. In the outdoor pools it is fascinating to watch the behavior of funny penguins, seals, and sea lions.
Located next to the museum Dolphinarium of the Curonian Spit. In summer, colorful water shows with the participation of Black Sea dolphins and sea lions are held here. The dolphinarium also houses a special dolphin therapy center for adults and children.
At 9 km of Kosa there is the village of Alksnines. To the left of the road, there is a huge boulder raised from the bottom of the Curonian Lagoon - this is a monument to Soviet soldiers who died during the liberation of Klaipeda at the end of January 1945.
At the end of the 19th century, this place was the site of a manor where the family of a dune overseer lived, working to stabilize the ever-moving sands.
There is also a checkpoint where an environmental fee is collected for entering the territory of the protected national park. This fee is payable only one way, when you leave Smiltyne and head to the resort villages of Neringa.
Neringa and resort villages of the Curonian Spit
The Lithuanian part of the Curonian Spit, 52 km long, is called Neringa. It unites 4 resort villages: Nida, Juodkrante, Pervalka and Preila (the number of residents of Neringa is about 3,500 people).
These beautiful resort villages are located on the coast of the Curonian Lagoon, along the picturesque highway connecting Lithuania with the Kaliningrad region. Just 1.5 km from the villages, behind high dunes, stretch the wide sandy beaches of the Baltic Sea, recognized as one of the cleanest in Europe.
Traveling by car along the road running between the bay and the sea, at 9 km there is a unique place where the expanses of the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon open up before you at the same time. Here you can also see a sad picture - more than 200 hectares of forest that burned out in 2006, which was destroyed due to the fault of people who handled fire irresponsibly. Now small seedlings are growing here, which only after many years will be able to become a real forest again.
All the villages of Neringa are united by a beautiful 52 km bicycle path, which runs through the picturesque places of the reserve. Along the way there are convenient rest areas for cyclists. Traveling by bicycle will bring great pleasure to lovers of active recreation.
These uniquely beautiful places have also been chosen by artists. The famous films “Treasure Island”, “Bay of Fear” and others were filmed on the Curonian Spit.
The resort villages of the Curonian Spit are not a place of noisy entertainment and vibrant nightlife. If you are more attracted to the fun-filled resort life, then 25 km away is the famous Lithuanian resort of Palanga, from where you can quickly get to the Curonian Spit.
In Neringa it’s nice to just relax, enjoy the aroma of the forest and sea, be alone with yourself, forgetting about the bustle of big cities. Problems and hectic life remain beyond the invisible border.
This is facilitated by the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of quiet resort villages, where no one is in a hurry, no one is pushing anyone, no one is angry, no one is nervous, and people, meeting you on a walk in the forest or by the sea, smile warmly at you as if they were good friends. This is what this “little country of smiles” is like, called Neringa.
The Legend of Neringa
A long time ago, where the Neman flows into the sea, in a fishing village there lived a kind giantess girl named Neringa. She had a kind heart and hardworking hands. She often saw how the formidable Sea King brutally dealt with fishermen who were catching fish in the sea, and they returned home without a catch. Neringa asked the sea king for mercy for them, but he was cruel and unbowed. And the depths of the sea swallowed the ships, and the fishermen died.
Then the hardworking giantess collected a whole dune of sand into her apron and poured it into the path of the Baltic waves. The storm raged for twenty days and nights, but Neringa kept pouring sand and pouring sand, and all the villagers helped her.
So a long sand spit grew, and a calm bay lay between the sea and the shore... The villagers were very grateful to the giantess girl, so the resulting peninsula was named after her - Neringa.
Juodkrante
The resort village of Juodkrante (German name Schwarzort, which means Black Beach) is located 18 km from the ferry crossing. This is one of the ancient settlements of the spit. Now this is the second largest resort village of Neringa, located along the coast of the Curonian Lagoon. Neat houses with characteristic German architecture in the half-timbered style; clean courtyards with flowering flower beds and trimmed lawns. Paths leading into the forest and to the sea coast with fine white sand and unique dunes.
Small and cozy Juodkrante hotels, charming cottages, guest houses, restaurants and cafes. Everything here contributes to a pleasant and relaxing holiday.
There is a store in the village where you can buy all the necessary goods. There is also a local market where in summer you can buy local fruits and vegetables, wild berries, homemade dairy products and aromatic smoked meats.
But the main trade of local residents is the traditional smoking of freshly caught fish and eel. These delicacies can be bought here in a shop in almost every private home.
At rental points you can rent a bicycle and ride along picturesque forest paths, along the seashore, or ride along a bicycle path that goes all the way to the border with the Russian Federation.
There is also a rental of boats and pedalos, which you can not only ride, admiring the beauty of the village from the bay, but also fish, of which there is really a lot here.
And what places there are for berries and mushrooms! Especially blueberries, this healthy berry grows everywhere. You can collect it yourself, or you can buy it from local residents.
Juodkrante is an ideal place for a relaxing family holiday. For those who want to be alone with nature, take an evening walk along the beautiful embankment of the bay, listen to the quiet whisper of the surf, the cry of seagulls hovering over the water, admire the proud swans living in the quiet plant of the bay and enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds you.
And if you want noisy entertainment, shopping and other city pleasures, then Klaipeda is very close. A ferry crossing is a 15-minute drive away, from where a ferry departs every 20 minutes to Klaipeda.
A kilometer from the ferry crossing there is a large shopping and entertainment complex Akropolis, where you can spend the whole day with your whole family, and everyone will find entertainment to suit their interests.
History of the village
At the end of the 16th century, the population of the village numbered no more than 100 people. These were poor families of fishermen who were engaged in fishing and waged an eternal struggle with the sand advancing from the dunes. At the beginning of the 17th century, all the inhabitants of the village died from a typhus epidemic, and the sands completely covered it.
But at the end of the 17th century, fishermen settled here again and the fishing village of Juodkrante was revived in the old place.
At the end of the 19th century, amber mining was actively carried out here and even valuable prehistoric amber items were discovered, indicating the ancient roots of the settlement.
Already in the 20s of the 20th century, Juodkrante had the reputation of a resort. In Soviet times, there were pioneer camps, boarding houses and holiday homes for workers of the Lithuanian fishing industry. Beautiful wide sandy beaches framed by dunes and pine forests, clean iodized air have always attracted vacationers here.
In the village of Juodkrante there is one very mysterious and attractive place for tourists that you must definitely visit - this is the Witch Mountain: a sacred place of the pagan Curonian tribes, the habitat of the gods. It is located on a dune covered with centuries-old pine trees at an altitude of 42 meters above sea level.
In the 19th century and until the First World War, on the holiday of Jonines (Ivan Kupala), young people from Memel and Tilsit came here to have fun and look for fern flowers.
Now there are paths leading up the mountain, where mystical and fairy-tale heroes of the folk epic, made of wood, greet you at every step. These 65 sculptures were carved from solid oak by Lithuanian folk craftsmen. The collection is regularly updated.
At the entrance to Juodkrante, on a hill among the forest, a kilometer from the sea, the Juodkrante Lighthouse rises. This structure of a metal structure resembles a 65-meter gate, where a beam lights up every 5 seconds, giving a light signal to passing ships.
Fishermen, who have lived on the Curonian Spit since ancient times, created their own system of identification marks - weather vanes with carved symbols, which were installed on the mast of sailing boats of a special design - kurens.
They were carved with views of the local landscape, figures of birds, animals and symbols, by which one could find out the place of residence, family composition and income level of the fisherman. They were made colorful and delicate. An elk on a weather vane meant strength, a circle on its top meant a woman, and a cross meant a man.
Juodkrante has the only Miniature Museum in Lithuania. There are interesting exhibitions here and you can see rare exhibits.
Juodkrante is home to one of the largest colonies of gray herons and cormorans in Europe. There is an observation deck for tourists here, from where you can see how these birds build their nests and feed their chicks.
However, the cormorans took a fancy to the relict pines of the Curonian Spit and began to multiply intensively, which led to the destruction of the trees. Now local residents, foresters and environmentalists are concerned about what is happening, since the forest is disappearing before our eyes, and in addition, voracious cormorans are stealing the fish catch from the fishermen. This is a clear example when a person forcibly interferes and upsets the balance in nature.
Nida
Holidays in Nida
Small cozy Nida hotels and private hotels are a real piece of paradise among centuries-old pine trees: bright houses with tiled and thatched roofs, well-groomed courtyards with fragrant flower beds. Almost every house in the village is a place where you can find accommodation for the night.
On one side of the village there is a freshwater bay, on the other - the salty waters of the Baltic Sea, with high sand dunes and the coniferous aroma of slender pine trees, approaching close to the beach line. The unique nature of the protected area attracts tourists from different countries.
In Nida, everything is provided for a comfortable stay - cafes, bars, restaurants, there is a campsite for auto tourists and even an equipped beach for relaxing with your favorite animals. There are also separate equipped beach areas for women, men and nudists.
The wide and clean beaches of Neringa are recognized as one of the best in Europe and have blue flag status.
Tourism and fishing are what the small resort village lives and trades on. In Nida there is a shopping center “Maxima”, a market where in summer they sell fresh fruits, vegetables, wild berries, famous Lithuanian dairy products and aromatic smoked meats.
There are cozy cafes and restaurants here where you can have a delicious lunch and taste fish dishes made from fish caught by local fishermen.
Delicious smoked fish is prepared according to ancient Lithuanian recipes - it is smoked over pine cones, which gives the fish a special aroma and unique taste. This is how fish was prepared in the old days for holidays and weddings. Be sure to visit the fishing manor “Pas Jona” - here you will find the most delicious, freshly smoked, aromatic fish and the famous Lithuanian beer!
History of the village
The settlement of Curonian fishermen was first mentioned in historical chronicles back in 1430.
During Prussian rule, a postal route passed here, where horse teams changed and continued their difficult journey along the spit. Then the road ran through Europe to Paris. The postal route operated until 1833.
At the end of the 19th century. In the resort village of Nida, a bohemian group of artists loved to spend the summer seasons, choosing one of the oldest hotels in Nida - the Hermann Blode Hotel (now it is the museum-hotel "Nidos Smelte").
Famous expressionists visited here: Max Pechstein, Lovis Corinth and others.
Not only artists loved to spend time in Nida, but also famous writers Hermann Suderman, Ernst Wichert, poets Agnes Miguel, Fritz Kudnig, and psychotherapist Sigmund Freud.
Nida was also visited by Nobel Prize winner Thomas Mann, who was fascinated by the beauty of the Curonian Spit and even decided to buy a country house in the fishing village, where he spent three summer seasons (1930-1932). Here he wrote a significant part of the trilogy “Joseph and His Brothers”.
Now, in the summer season, the house of the Nobel laureate hosts Thomas Mann's musical and literary cultural days, in which numerous guests from Germany, as well as members of the governments of Germany and Lithuania, come to participate.
Sights of Nida
Leisure
There are many rental points in Nida where you can rent a bicycle and ride along the numerous bike paths of the village, admiring the local beauty.
A bicycle path has been laid along the sand dunes of all resort villages of Neringa. Along the entire route there are rest areas with route maps. The alternating picturesque pictures of coniferous forests, sand dunes and seascapes delight vacationers.
Fans of boat trips will be able to admire the picturesque shores from the bay while riding on a yacht, kayak or local fishing boat with a sail - “kurenas”.
Fans of paragliding and windsurfing will also be interested in spending their leisure time here. Nida has mini golf courses, tennis courts, and basketball courts.
The Nida Gliding School invites high-altitude extreme sports enthusiasts to unforgettable glider flights from high dunes.
Every year during the summer season, the Nida Yacht Club initiates international sailing regattas. In winter, here you can ride a snowmobile across the endless expanses of the frozen bay and watch how local fishermen catch cucumber-smelling smelt. The picture is truly mesmerizing!
For lovers of hiking, there are trails: the Parnizh educational trail, the observation trail in Nagliai and the dendrological trail. Those interested can get acquainted with the interesting history of these places.
There are also surprisingly many mushroom and berry places here - a real haven for lovers of “quiet hunting”!
"Wandering" dunes of Nida
The main attraction of Nida is the highest and most unique sand dunes. Winds constantly blowing from the West move huge masses of sand towards the Curonian Lagoon, which is why the dunes were called “wandering”.
In those places where no human foot has set foot, the surface of the sand resembles a ribbed seabed, and a journey through the endless sand dunes creates a feeling of pristineness and desert loneliness. You are left alone with your thoughts, involuntarily feeling like a small grain of sand in a boundless sea of sand. This is especially felt when climbing to the observation deck of the “dead” dunes, stretching between the villages of Juodkrante and Pervalka.
In Nida, climb the highest dune Parnidje (52m) with a huge sundial representing a stone stele 13.8m high and weighing over 36 tons. The granite steps of the clock are the basis of the dial, on which symbols of calendar holidays are written, copied from ancient calendars.
This is a truly beautiful and unique place: from the observation deck there is a view of the widest part of the Curonian Spit - Bulviksky Horn, the surroundings of the resort village and the water expanses of the bay and the sea at the same time. Only from here you can see how the first rays of the sun rise from the water in the morning, and in the evening they hide in the endless waters of the Baltic Sea. And if you visit this place on a clear, hot day, you will be able to see a rare natural phenomenon - a sailboat flying above the sea horizon. This is a mirage standing in the air above the hot sands of the dunes and the surface of the water.
While walking along the streets of Nida, be sure to visit the private Mizgiris Amber Museum. Here you will see a lot of amber with inclusions - flies, mosquitoes, etc., and get acquainted with the history of amber mining on the spit. In the museum you can see an exhibition of individual amber products made by Lithuanian craftsmen, purchase exclusive beautiful jewelry and even taste amber tincture!
On Pamario Street there is a historical and ethnographic museum where you can see finds dating back to the Stone Age, rare exhibitions telling about the difficult life of local residents, their crafts and methods of survival. You will learn how, during the hungry years, crow catchers, crow catchers, caught birds for further salting them in barrels for the winter.
Next to the Evangelical Lutheran Church there is an ancient cemetery with interesting wooden tombstones - krikshta, combining pagan and Christian culture, characteristic only of the inhabitants of Lithuania Minor. This is a strange mixture of idols with crosses, carved from different types of wood (female and male) and placed at the feet of the deceased. Similar krikshta were installed until the middle of the 20th century. This indicates the long-term pagan religion of the Lithuanians (Lithuania was the last in Europe to adopt Christianity).
In the southern part of Nida, on the shore of the bay, there is a thatched ethnographic fisherman’s manor, built in 1927 and restored again in 1973. Here you will see authentic household items, clothes of the fisherman’s family, fishing equipment, an ancient sailing boat “Kurenas”, individual identification symbols fisherman's boats - weather vanes, which were attached to the mast of the ship and much more. In summer, here you can get acquainted with folk crafts, listen to ethnic music, and watch theatrical performances.
The expanses of the Baltic Sea with wide beaches and the sound of the surf, the “singing” sand of endless dunes, a relict forest filled with pine aroma and amazing silence...
These pictures of the resort village of Nida fascinate with their unique beauty and make you come back here again and again.
Preila and Pervalka
8-12 km from Nida there are two more small and cozy resort towns - Preila and Pervalka. In the mid-18th century, residents of the dune-filled villages of Naglyu and Karvaychu settled in these places. Now there are just over 200 residents living here, who are engaged in fishing and tourism. About 1.5 km north of Preila rises the “dead” Karvaičiu dune, under the sand of which the village of the same name is buried. Near the village of Pervalka, in the bay at Cape Zhirgu, there is a 14-meter-high active Lighthouse, the signals of which are visible at a distance of 13 kilometers. The beaches here are no less beautiful and well-maintained than in Nida, and the forests are full of berries and mushrooms. And what amazing places there are for fishing lovers! The ecological pristine nature of these places is unique and attractive to tourists who want to take a break from the noisy bustle of big cities.
Yesterday I talked about the horrors of a Russian resort on the Baltic Sea. The people of Kaliningrad were excited, but they didn’t smell like their own.
Very close, an hour and a half drive from the kebab town of Svetlogorsk, there is the village of Nida.
He is the complete opposite. Lithuania's answer to what an inexpensive resort on the Baltic should be like.
1 Let's see what the Svetlogorsk embankment looks like. Already, the strip of the promenade is crowded with all sorts of merchants who interfere with the passage.
2 In Nida there are more than enough places for celebrations. If only for the sake of these endless pedestrian paths, you can cross the border, and at the same time see the beautiful Curonian Spit from both sides.
3 You can rent a bike and go explore the surrounding area. As far as I remember, there are also bikes in Svetlogorsk, but the terrain does not allow riding.
4 Let’s not idealize, there’s plenty of shit here too. The same advertising umbrellas with draft beer in plastic cups. Two weeks later I had already “forgotten” the photographs, and only then discovered that this was not Lithuania, but the same Svetlogorsk.
5 In fact, I saw a couple of burrs in Nida. The rest of the restaurants are not disgusting.
6 This is how street menus are designed in Russia. It’s generally unclear to the car what they forgot here - this is a pedestrian zone.
7 The same “inviting” menu in Lithuania. The meaning is the same, the difference is in the details. Well, they won’t go to this restaurant if they make a mistake. This is disrespect for clients.
8 And the umbrellas can be removed altogether! If it rains, people will move inside, there is enough space for everyone. In winter they won’t eat outside, this is the Baltic! It became interesting, do people generally not come to Svetlogorsk out of season?
9 Restaurant with a claim to design. At the same time, it is not at all expensive. And in general, it was set up in a Soviet building.
10 Children's corner.
11 The interior is simple. The decoration uses furniture from IKEA and wooden boxes, a lot of glass. It's inexpensive, looks stylish, what more do you need?
12 We need to come up with a concept. The “Vorona” restaurant appeared here not by chance.
13 The indigenous inhabitants of the Curonian Spit ate these birds and did not see anything indecent in it. They were called “crow biters”. Now such a dish will not be served to you openly, but a certain mystery remains.
14 There are many restaurants, all for a variety of pockets. But none can compare with Svetlogorsk.
15 They also sell gifts for grandmothers - beads with amber. Where would we be without him?
16 Yantar is not only for pensioners. A man made of a wooden ball decided to prove this. He also sells the famous Baltic stone.
17 But his amber is special. Beads and bracelets are made of pressed black amber, interspersed with regular amber. The man said something about nanotechnology, but I honestly forgot. This trinket looks much more modern. Costs twenty euros.
18 This is the Nida resort that our Svetlogorsk is located in. Despite the fact that they don’t even have a sea, only a bay.
The Curonian Spit is, without any exaggeration, considered a unique place. The thing is that it separates two bodies of water - the freshwater Curonian Lagoon and the salty Baltic Sea. On the territory of the Curonian Spit, the National Park of the same name was founded, where three villages are scattered - Rybachy, Lesnoye and Morskoye. This wonderful corner of our planet is one of the main attractions of Klaipeda, and Lithuania in general. On Lithuanian lands, the spit has a beginning and stretches to the city of Zelenogorsk, Kaliningrad region of Russia.
Tourists are attracted to this real paradise by the incredible richness of flora and fauna, the purity of nature, the highest dunes in Europe and, most importantly, the indescribable atmosphere of this region. In fact, the spit consists of sand, but over a long period of time a thin plant layer (about a few centimeters) has formed on it.
Under Soviet rule, as often happens with such places, this landmark of Lithuania was a closed zone. Only selected people with special permission could enjoy the beauty of these places. One of the main reasons for this policy is to prevent the escape of Soviet citizens to Swedish territory. Obviously, nature only benefited from this isolation, because it retained its pristine and purity.
Currently, the Curonian Spit is included in the list of protected natural sites. After all, only here and nowhere else can you see unique plant specimens. And in the forests there are rare animals and birds. Of course, all hunting in the reserve is prohibited, as is any production activity. This allows the local animals to get closer to people to some extent; they are not afraid and behave quite freely. For example, some representatives allow tourists to feed themselves or take pictures.
The climate in this amazing and fabulous place is moderate. It is simply ideal both for tourists from the city and for the flora and fauna. Severe cold and scorching sun are not observed here. Although it can still be hot on the dunes in the summer. This turns the reserve into a real beach. You can swim and then relax on the sun-warmed sand. Local residents have taken good care of the infrastructure. Tourists get everything they want. There are many different cafes and bars here, there is trade in fish, souvenirs and other things. And if something unexpected happens, then communication with the “outside world” is always at hand.
The Curonian Spit is an amazing place for a great holiday. And the few churches of Klaipeda, including the Church of All Saints, will tell you about the history of the city.