The Curonian Spit: dunes, pine forest and Nida

Why go

Few places look like the Curonian Spit. On one side is the open Baltic with a wide white beach; on the other, a calm lagoon with fishing villages. Between them are pine forests and huge dunes of pale sand that shift with the wind. The spit is shared between Lithuania and Russia's Kaliningrad region, and the Lithuanian half is a national park and part of a UNESCO cultural landscape.

Nida

**Nida** is the main village, close to the Russian border. Its wooden fishermen's houses are painted blue and brown, with gardens of flowers and carved weathervanes, the kurėnas pennants once used to show which village a boat came from. The harbour has smoked fish stalls and a lagoon promenade for evening walks.

The **Thomas Mann Memorial Museum**, in the summer house where the Nobel prize winning writer spent three summers, sits on a hill above the lagoon. The **Neringa History Museum** and the **Fisherman's Ethnographic Homestead** show how people lived here.

The dunes

The **Parnidis Dune**, just south of Nida, is the classic walk: a wooden staircase leads up to a stone sundial and a sweeping view over the lagoon, the sea and towards the Kaliningrad border. Stay on the marked paths, as the dunes are fragile and protected, and do not cross the border zone.

Further north, the **Grey Dunes** near Pervalka and the **Nagliai Nature Reserve** are vast, silent fields of sand under which whole villages were buried by drifting dunes in past centuries.

Juodkrantė

**Juodkrantė** is the second village, known for the **Hill of Witches**, a forest trail lined with wooden carvings of witches, devils and characters from Lithuanian folklore, loved by children. North of the village, a huge **colony of cormorants and grey herons** nests in the pines, an extraordinary if noisy sight in spring.

Beaches and cycling

The Baltic beach runs the whole length of the spit, with dunes behind and plenty of space even in July. The water is cool and swimming is best from late June to August. A well marked **cycle path** runs through the forest between Nida, Preila, Pervalka and Juodkrantė, and on to Smiltynė. It is mostly flat and suits families; bikes can be rented in Nida.

Getting there

From Klaipėda, take the passenger ferry from the Old Ferry Terminal or the car ferry from the New Ferry Terminal to Smiltynė. Buses run down the spit to Juodkrantė and Nida. In summer, boats also run between Nida and Klaipėda on the lagoon. Vehicles pay an ecological fee to enter the national park; check the current details on Neringa's official site.

Where to stay

Nida has guesthouses, apartments and small hotels, many in traditional style. Juodkrantė is quieter. Summer is short and popular, so book months ahead for July and August.

Tips

Bring mosquito repellent in early summer, a windproof layer even on sunny days, and sun protection, as the white sand reflects strongly. Respect signs marking protected areas and the Russian border, and do not pick plants on the dunes.

Responsible travel

The spit's dunes formed after forests were cut down centuries ago, and they are held in place today by careful replanting. Walking off the paths damages the grasses that keep the sand from moving. Take litter away with you, keep dogs on leads in protected areas, and use the marked access points to the beach so the foredunes can recover.