Klaipėda, Nida, Juodkrantė, Palanga & the Curonian Spit
Lithuania's coast is short — about 90km — but it carries the country's best beaches, a UNESCO-listed sand spit, and a distinct history as Memelland, the corner of East Prussia that only became Lithuanian in the twentieth century. It divides neatly into three: Klaipėda the working port city, the Curonian Spit reached by ferry, and Palanga the resort town.
The Curonian Spit is the reason most people come. It is a narrow sandbar shared with Russia, reached by ferry from Klaipėda, with a vehicle entry fee of around €10. Nida sits at the far end on the lagoon side, so you will want a bike or scooter to cross to the sea-facing beach. Juodkrantė is halfway along and worth stopping at for the Hill of Witches sculpture trail.
Palanga is the busiest beach in Lithuania and unashamedly a resort — book accommodation well ahead in July and August. The Amber Museum in the Tiškevičius Palace is genuinely worth the visit even if museums are not usually your thing. The water is colder than southern Europe but refreshing when the sun is out, and the season is realistically June to August.
Palanga Airport (PLQ) is the closest arrival point, though it has fewer flights than Vilnius or Kaunas.
Places we would actually book ourselves.
A modern luxury hotel right in the heart of Palanga, with a proper spa — salt room, sauna, bathing pool. One of the cosiest, most Nordic-feeling reception areas on this coast, good even for a winter break. Not especially set up for children, though taking them is apparently possible. Pricey. Its own restaurant, Monist, is in the Michelin Guide (see the Eat section) — worth booking even if you're not staying here.
Right on the lagoon and walkable to most of Nida, with rooms including a kitchen and bedroom. Parking is included, which matters — convenient parking is scarce in Nida itself.
Restaurants, cafés and bakeries worth the detour.
A charming small bakery in a Curonian Lagoon fishing village, open Wed–Sun from 9am — fresh pastries and local herbal tea. Go early.
A cosy ice-cream and coffee stop in Kintai, on the lagoon shore road up towards Klaipėda.
Right on the yacht marina in Nida — a relaxed terrace, good breakfasts and pizza, and one of the better views in town.
Consistently rated among the best pizza in the whole country — expect a short wait in season.
Fish and chips served from a boat moored in the lagoon — a genuinely unusual, dog-friendly spot with a gently rocking dining room.
A well-loved beach restaurant right on Melnragė, serving modern, international dishes — reserve ahead for evenings.
Widely regarded as the best restaurant in Klaipėda, and has featured in the Michelin Guide's Main Selection for two years running (not starred). A seasonal, minimalist à la carte menu — the octopus, halibut and tuna tartare come particularly well recommended. Closed Sundays; book ahead, it's genuinely popular.
One of only a handful of wineries in Lithuania — fruit wines from raspberry, gooseberry and blackcurrant. About an hour north of Šilutė.
A small private craft brewery in Klaipėda old town — book a tasting with the owner-brewer, who has thirty years of experience.
A café-shop from Lithuania's best-known cheese brand, on Vytauto street in Palanga — cheesecakes and desserts built around their signature Džiugas cheese, plus good coffee.
The larger of the two Džiugas cheese cafés on this coast, beautifully situated right next to Mastis Lake in Telšiai — cheese boards, pastries, and Samogitian midus (mead) alongside the coffee.
Housed inside the Monist SPA Hotel, and newly added to the Michelin Guide's Main Selection in 2026 (not starred). A warm, nature-led seasonal menu built on traditional Lithuanian flavours given a modern lift — the sea bass with parsnip purée and the quince-hazelnut layer cake come recommended. A cosy bar for a pre-dinner drink too.
Traditional Lithuanian cooking in a warm, lively 'grandmother's house' setting on Basanavičiaus street — genuinely big portions, and an English menu.
An excellent, unpretentious Italian coffee and ice cream spot right on Basanavičiaus street, close to the pier.
Tucked away at the southern end of Nida — the smartest sit-down dinner setting in town, and family-friendly with a sandpit and play area for children.
Beaches, parks, viewpoints and walks.
A large aquarium and museum inside Nerija Fort, a complex built in the late 1800s, on the Curonian Spit — reachable by ferry from Klaipėda.
Dolphin and seal shows next to the Sea Museum — a separate ticket, and a highlight for families.
One of the cleanest, and arguably the nicest, beaches in Lithuania — reached via a ferry onto the Curonian Spit (a small entry fee applies, around €10). Nida town itself sits on the lagoon side, so you'll want a bike or scooter to cross to the sea side.
A wide, clean stretch of sand on the Curonian Spit side, a short walk from the Sea Museum ferry landing.
Klaipėda's town beach, right across the road from Baltas Ruonis, next to the historic Northern Pier.
A big, slightly kitsch dinosaur theme park between Klaipėda and Palanga, straight out of the 1990s in the best way — life-size dinosaurs, bouncy castles, a lake, and a roughly 50-metre water slide.
Palanga's main beach — wide, soft sand backed by pine forest, restaurants and stalls along the promenade, and the busiest stretch of coast in this whole guide come summer.
A long wooden sea bridge out over the Baltic — the single best sunset spot on this coast, with benches the length of it and a piano player some evenings.
Palanga's main pedestrian street, running straight down to the pier — restaurants, ice cream, street music, and where the town's evening life actually happens.
What happened here, and what is left to see.
A German WWII coastal-defence bunker at the port's Northern Pier, used to track ships entering Klaipėda. Explorable, with sweeping sea views from the top.
A UNESCO-listed forest trail of more than 80 wooden folklore sculptures, built up since 1979 on a hill long associated with midsummer legend.
One of the world's great amber collections, inside the 19th-century Tiškevičius Palace and its botanical park — pieces with prehistoric insects and plants trapped inside, and the palace rooms are worth the visit on their own.
This is one of four regions covered. The interactive map and the ready-made itineraries cover all of them together.