Klaipėda

Klaipėda is a city in Lithuania Minor, the narrow northwest coastal region of Lithuania. It's the country's third-largest city, with a population in 2023 of 158,420, and a busy industrial harbour.

The city has historic sights but isn't pretty-pretty like Vilnius Old Town, and draws mostly local tourism. The big attraction is the Curonian Spit, a remarkable 99 km peninsula of sand dunes - Smiltynė at its north tip is part of the city and is reached by a five-minute ferry ride from downtown. Facilities in the northern third of the spit are therefore described on this page, while those in the centre are described on the Nida page. Its south is part of Kaliningrad Oblast, an exclave of Russia.

Understand
Klaipėda is at the mouth of the River Danė, which flows into the Curonian Lagoon, the freshwater lake enclosed by the Curonian Spit; the lagoon here discharges into the Baltic. Its harbour is ice-free, a valuable site on this cold sea, so it's been fought over many times. The castle was built by the Teutonic Knights in 1253 and for much of its history the city was part of Prussia. German-speaking people called it "Memel" for the larger river feeding the lagoon further south, nowadays the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Timber export has long been the port's main trade, along with other agricultural produce such as wool. After the First World War Memel and its hinterland were declared a "Free City" similar to Gdańsk / Danzig, but newly-independent Lithuania annexed it in 1923. Nazi Germany grabbed it in 1939: after the Second World War it reverted to the far-from-independent Lithuanian SSR, a communist satellite state of the USSR. That grey empire broke up in 1990 and Klaipėda like other Baltic cities developed modern western industries.



By train


Destinations:
 * Vilnius – Trains run every couple of hours and take 4½ hr and are €25 (2023). They go via Kaišiadorys, Jonava, Kėdainiai, Radviliškis, Šiauliai, Telšiai, Plungė and Kretinga.
 * Kaunas – There are no direct trains, but you have to change in Vilnius or Šiauliai, for a 5-hr journey.
 * Šilutė – 4 local trains per day, taking 1 hr.

By bus


Buses run from Palanga, Vilnius, Kaunas and Riga airports as above. Vlasava, Kautra and Toks buses run hourly from Vilnius town via Kryžkalnis to Klaipėda (4 hr), where they take a 20–min break then continue north to Palanga town, the airport and Šventoji. They also run hourly from Kaunas (3 hr); some start from Druskininkai and Alytus.

By road
From Vilnius and Kaunas follow A1 northwest. It's a fast dual carriageway.

From Riga follow A8 / A12 to Šiauliai then A11 west.

By plane


Nearby international airports:
 * Palanga Airport, Palanga – The closest airport, 36 km north. It has limited seasonal destinations, which include London Stansted and Dublin by Ryanair, Oslo by Norwegian, Riga by Air Baltic, and Copenhagen by Scandinavian. Bus 31 runs between airport, Palanga town and Klaipėda bus / railway station every 30 min.


 * Kaunas Airport, Kaunas – Linked by the direct Ollex bus four times a day, taking 2½ hr to Klaipėda via Kryžkalnis highway interchange.


 * Vilnius Airport, Vilnius – Far more flights than Kaunus. Ollex bus runs from the airport (4 hr, 5 per day, €25) via the outskirts of Kaunas. Toks bus between Vilnius city and Klaipėda also runs via Vilnius airport.


 * Riga Airport, Riga – Linked by direct Ollex bus every couple of hours, taking 4½ hr (€30).

By boat


Ferries:



See below for the ferries across the channel from Smiltynė on Curonian Spit. With the right documentation it's possible to drive up the Curonian Spit from Kaliningrad Oblast in Russia, crossing the border near Nida, and on north up Highway 167 to the ferry terminal. Bicycles are also permitted across that border but not pedestrians, and there is no public transport across.

By bus
The city stretches north-south along the coast, so many routes are from the university quarter to the bus and railway station then south along H Manto gatvė across the bridge into Old Town, continuing down Tiltų g towards Acropolis shopping centre. For example Bus 8 runs every 5-10 min down this spine along Taikos Prospekt. Bus 9 runs every 10 min closer to shore, passing by Old ferry terminal, the castle and south to New ferry terminal and the shipping port. For routes and timetables see Klaipėda Transport website.

A single paper ticket costs €0.80 from a kiosk and €1 from the bus driver. Validate your ticket immediately on boarding.

Further out, Bus N1 runs down the spit every two hours, connecting with the ferries at Smiltynė old ferry terminal. It carries bikes and goes to Juodkrantė and Nida, taking 65 min.

Klaipėda scrapped its trams in 1967. There is interest in restoring them, but the cost looks prohibitive.

By taxi
The easiest way to call a taxi is with the eTAKSI app for smartphones, or call +370 633 44 553.

In 2023 flagfall is €1 then €0.80/km, so a ride from the bus / railway station to Old Town might be €3.40.

By boat
Two ferries routes exist between Klaipėda and Smiltynė on Curonian Spit, foot passengers as well as vehicles.

For foot passengers:

For vehicles (mostly, but also foot passengers):

There is an ecological fee of €5 for cars and motorbikes, and €15/20 (off-/high-season) for campers for entering entering Neringa municipality, which contains most of the Curonian Spit on the Lithuanian side.

Ferries no longer sail direct from Klaipėda to Jaodkrantė or Nida.

By bicycle
Bikes are a good way to explore the Curonian Spit.



Curonian Spit
This untied bootlace of the Baltic stretches for 99 km from Zelenogradsk in Russia. Its north tip is Smiltynė, the beach resort of Klaipėda, reached by a short ferry ride from downtown (see Get Around).
 * See Nida for the middle section of the spit.
 * See Kaliningrad Oblast for the southern section in Russia.
 * See Nida for the middle section of the spit.
 * See Kaliningrad Oblast for the southern section in Russia.
 * See Nida for the middle section of the spit.
 * See Kaliningrad Oblast for the southern section in Russia.
 * See Kaliningrad Oblast for the southern section in Russia.

Do

 * Beaches – The west coast of the Curonian Spit is sandy throughout its length, backed by forest and sandhills. Smiltynė, the north tip just across the channel from downtown, is obviously the busiest. Giruliai and Melnragė beaches are north of town.
 * FK Banga play in A Lyga the top tier. They're based 15 km east in Gargždai.
 * FK Banga play in A Lyga the top tier. They're based 15 km east in Gargždai.
 * FK Banga play in A Lyga the top tier. They're based 15 km east in Gargždai.
 * FK Banga play in A Lyga the top tier. They're based 15 km east in Gargždai.

Events

 * Music Spring Festival – The next is probably on 30 March 2024, tbc.
 * Sea Festival – The next is probably on 19-21 June 2024, tbc.
 * Klaipėda Castle Jazz Festival is probably next on 20 June 2024, tbc.
 * Parbėg laivelis Folklore Festival is held in July in odd-numbered years, but didn't happen in 2023.

Buy
Amber is a traditional Baltic giftware, the semi-precious fossil of long-drowned pine resin.



Budget

 * Cheap lunch: restaurants and bars usually serve an inexpensive two-course menu-of-the-day from 11:30 to 14:00.
 * Local specialty is cheese fingers - lots of places serve these as a snack or starter.
 * Hap's Kebabs within the bus station is open daily 10:00-21:45.

Mid-range

 * Friedrich's Passage is an Old Town alley lined with eating places. Its south end opens onto Tiltų, its north onto Šaltkalvių by the Blacksmith's Museum.

Drink

 * Brewery: Švyturys ("lighthouse") is at Kūlių Vartų g 7 in Old Town and offers tours. Their gastropub is open M-Th 16:00-00:00, F 16:00-02:00, Sa 13:00-02:00, Su 13:00-23:00.

Stay safe
Klaipėda is a safe place but like anywhere you have to use common sense. Try to walk with a confident air and not look lost.

Connect
As of Aug 2023, Klaipėda and its approach highways have 4G from all three national carriers, with 5G in city centre.

Go next

 * Nida on the Curonian Spit is reached by ferry to Smiltynė then by road. To go further south down the spit you need the relevant documentation to enter the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast.
 * Palanga is a lively beach resort north towards the border with Latvia.
 * Vilnius is Lithuanian's charming capital, with a well-preserved baroque centre.