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Visiting The Beach In Lithuania: Klaipeda and Palanga

Posted by Emily Henkel on 10/28/18 11:29 AM

ILP adventure

If you’re volunteering or visiting Lithuania in the summer months, you should think about visiting the beach! 

Lithuania is constantly surprising us. We knew this place would be filled with castles and cafes, but cute beach towns? We’re smitten. Our volunteers living in Lithuania get the chance to see and do more in the small country of Lithuania and that includes taking a weekend to visit Klaipeda and Palanga.


Interested in life in Europe?
See what volunteering in Lithuania is like, right here. 



Before you hop on a train to visit for yourself or wander out for the weekend, here are the details to know: 

  • Where Is Klaipeda? 
  • Things To Do 
  • When Should I Visit? 
  • How Long Should I Stay? 
  • How Do I Get There? 
  •  

Where Is Klaipeda? 

Found on the northwest coast of Lithuania, the city of Klaipeda is the third largest city in the country, but it feels like a quiet fisher’s town. Klaipeda’s a charming stop over for a few Baltic cruise lines, and with city streets that are oddly reminiscent of small German towns, we can see why. 

The city sits right on the Black Sea, and has a narrow strip of land just to the south that’s fun to check out. The strip is called the Curonian Spit (it’s UNESCO site) that you'll need to explore. And if you have time, we also recommend heading north to the coastal town of Palanga. 

ILP Adventure - Lithuania

Things To Do 

Visit Klaipeda

The city itself is just darling. You’ll find an old sea port, a cruise port, and a charming town lined with shops, stores, and houses to explore. Mostly we suggest just walking around (camera in hand) before visiting Palanga and the Curonian Spit. 

Volunteer in eastern europe

Swim In The Black Sea 

In and around Klaipeda, you can hang out at a couple of beaches. The most popular is Smiltynè (which is actually on the Curonian Spit, by the way, so keep reading for info on how to get there).

Smiltynè has wide, sandy beaches and gets quite popular in the summer time so you may need to battle some crowds. Giruliai and Melnragė are also popular beaches with a pretty coastline. If you’d like to take a dip, pack your swimming suit and dive right in. As a head’s up, even in the summer time the Black Sea can be a bit chilly, but on a warm day, it’s refreshing.

Explore The Curonian Spit

Just south of the small city of Klaipeda is a narrow strip of land that separates the Black Sea from the Curonian Lagoon. One ILP Volunteer said the Spit was her favorite part of their weekend in Klaipeda. It’s partly owned by Lithuania, and partly owned by Russia, but the area is blanketed with white sand dunes and a stretch of coastline, dotted with little villages and forests.

We've got all the tips to help you plan your trip to the Spit right here.

ILP Lithuania

Visit The City Of Palanga 

Found just about 30 minutes north of Klaipeda, you can easily take a bus to Palanga, which is another cute coastal town. The main pull in Palanga is the long stretch of sand (backed by sand dunes and pine trees) and the “L” shaped iconic pier. In the summer time, this place is a vibrant sea-side resort for locals wanting a bit of sun and sand. You’ll also spot tourists from Russia, Germany, Poland, Sweden and other nearby countries. 

In the warmer months pop-up shops will line the street leading to the pier selling everything from amber rings to colorful scarves and yummy ice cream! You can find vendors renting pedal boats, bicycles, horse-riding along the beach if you’re interested. Past groups loved getting horses from this vendor. (address Klaipedos pl.34, Palanga). 

The Basanavičiaus pedestrian street is also a cute place to check out; you’ll find restaurants and cafes, and some fun little shops to peek into. Along the boardwalk, you’ll find jewelers selling rings (amber and stones are a huge commodity here, so you can get some nicely priced jewelry) along with scarves, or sweet treats like ice cream. 

There is also a large manor home that used to be belong to the Tiškevičiai family; inside, houses the largest amber museum in the Baltic States, and the grounds create a botanical garden that is lovely to walk through in the spring and summer.

Getting To Palanga: Check out bus timetables and prices (it'll just be a couple of euros) here. 

ILP adventure

When Should I Visit? 

If you're expecting a warm sunny beach, it's a definite summer activity. Past groups have visited in the middle of September, but the water was too chilly to swim in, and things were starting to close down. The same goes for the beginning of Spring.

During the fall and spring months, it's still fun to come to come hang out at the beach and catch the view, especially since you'll have the area all to yourself without the summer crowds. If you've ever visited the windy, cooler temperatures at the Oregon coast, it's similar to that. Not swimmable, but still beautiful.

If you’ll be in Lithuania in late June, July or August, that is the time to visit if you’re looking for a warm day at the beach. You can still visit in shoulder seasons, but these coastal cities tend to shut down a bit and you can tell that several vendors and stands will be closed and deserted for the season.

Semester abroad in eastern Europe

How Long Should I Stay?

Really a question for the volunteers not already in Klaipeda: We really, really recommend making a weekend out of it. Especially if you want to visit Klaipeda, Palanga and the Curonian Spit, you’ll need a full weekend in this part of Lithuania. It also makes sense to stop off in Siauliai (which is two hours away, and home to the famous Hill of Crosses) either on your way there or your way back. 

There are several AirBnBs and hostel options for this part of the country; we suggest booking in Klaipeda since you can visit Palanga on a day, and then you’ll be right in Klaipeda on the day you want to take the ferry over to the Curonian Spit. Past groups have even done a 3-day weekend here. 

How Do I Get There? 

Past ILP groups have talked to their Local Coordinator about hiring a van to drive you which is very convenient if you can work that out (and not too expensive, since you’ll spit the cost with your ILP group).

But if that’s not an option, don’t worry. You can easily reach Klaipeda from Vilnius; it’s about a 4 hour ride. You can book tickets herePrices look to be around 14 to 17 euros for a second class ticket, but you can pay more for a first class ticket if you’d like. 

+ Getting Around Klaipeda 

It’s easy. There’s a city bus system in place, as well as taxis, but you can walk to most places you’d be interested in seeing. You can pay for your bus ticket directly to the driver; get help seeing where the buses go with this interactive map.

Most of the Old Town district is walkable, but you can also often find vendors who will to rent you a bicycle if you’d prefer to ride around (which is a fun option, by the way).  

Buses can also take you up to Palanga, which we get to later. 

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Dying to see more of Lithuania?

I do not blame you. Our ILP volunteers in this country get to call some of the coolest cities their home, and get every weekend off to see places like Palanga or hop over to another country ... anyone up for a weekend trip to Latvia? 

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Topics: Europe

Hey friends!

We are ILP, a Utah-based non-profit org that has service abroad opportunities for college-age volunteers. We love travel so we're sharing all our tips for making the most of your time living abroad + seeing the world, and how to do it all on the tiniest budget.

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