Lithuania Minor Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Lithuania Minor is a region in Lithuania.

55°33′54″N 21°21′50″E

Map of Lithuania Minor

• 55.712521.1351 Klaipėda is Lithuania's third largest city.
• 55.54237521.1200722 Juodkrantė is a village on the Curonian Spit near the spooky "Hill of Witches".
• 55.30397321.005323 Nida is a village among the dunes of the Spit.
• 55.3521.4834 Šilutė is a quiet market town near Nemunas river delta and wetland.

• The Curonian Spit stretches for 99 km from Smiltynė near Klaipėda through Nida into Russian Kaliningrad, a bootlace of sand dunes and pine forests.
• 55.29721.3781 Rusnė is a village and river island in the Nemunas Delta.
• 55.34221.1922 Cape Ventė is a peninsula projecting into the Curonian Lagoon, a bird-watching site.

Lithuania Minor is culturally and scenically very distinct from the rest of Lithuania. Until the 20th Century, the region was controlled by Prussia, leaving a German influence on the language (the word "biški", meaning "little" and only used in the region, comes from the German "bisschen") and architecture (red brick and tile roofs is common on older buildings).

The region contains the Curonian Spit, which makes up about half of Lithuania's coastline, and the Curonian Lagoon.

Palanga (PLQ ^IATA) is the regional airport, 35 km north of Klaipėda. It has limited flights and most visitors will do better to fly into Vilnius (VNO ^IATA) or Kaunas (KUN ^IATA) and hire a car, which you need to get around this region. You might also consider Riga (RIX ^IATA) for an extended tour of the Baltic regions.

The only major city is Klaipėda. Highways and buses from Vilnius, Kaunas and elsewhere converge here. Klaipėda also has ferries from Germany and Sweden, and is a frequent calling point for Baltic cruises.

Klaipėda has trains every couple of hours from Vilnius, taking 4 hr 30 min via Kaišiadorys, Jonava, Kėdainiai, Radviliškis, Šiauliai, Telšiai, Plungė and Kretinga.

Kaunas is closer than Vilnius by road yet with poor public transport connections, travel either by Vilnius or Šiauliai for a five hour journey.

This region borders Russian Kaliningrad. For all practical purposes the crossing on the Curonian Spit near Nida is closed. The nearest open crossing, with correct documentation, is Panemunė / Sovetsk.

The distances are not beyond cycling but realistically you need your own vehicle, best hired from your arrival airport.

Buses fan out from Klaipėda. This includes the Curonian Spit, where buses from Nida run up the spit to connect with ferries to the city.

Four trains a day run between Klaipėda and Šilute, taking an hour.

• Klaipėda is mostly modern but has a castle, an old town quarter and several museums.
• Smiltynė is the north tip of the Curonian Spit, a short ride by foot- or car-ferry from Klaipėda. There's a couple of museums.
• Hill of Witches is modern wood sculpture near Juodkrantė on the spit.
• Nida has museums of its fishing-folk.
• Nemunas river delta is a rustic area for fishing and bird-watching, accessed via Šilutė.

• Beaches are long and sandy. The best are along the Atlantic shore of the Curonian Spit, exposed to the Baltic and suitable for wind-surfing. For kiddy-bathing you might prefer the sheltered east-facing lagoon shores.
• Football: Klaipėda has a top-tier soccer team. The Lithuanian playing season is March-Nov.

Klaipėda has the best selection, but expect a trad Lithuanian menu everywhere, with little leavening of other nations' cuisines.

The tap water is clean and safe to drink.

Lots of pubs, and even the small villages have cafes serving alcohol.

Klaipėda has breweries.

Beware traffic, safeguard valuables, and keep a close eye on children with water activities, same as anywhere else.

• Palanga in Samogitia region is the country's main beach resort.
• Kaunas in Sūduva region is mostly modern but with an old centre.
• Kaliningrad Oblast the exclave of Russia is nowadays difficult to access for western passport holders.