17 Best things to do in Curonian Spit
In June 2022 we made a 2-week road trip in the Baltic States. We started in Vilnius (Lithuania), rented a car, and explored as much as we could on the way to Tallinn (Estonia) while stopping by Latvia.
The Curonian Spit was our third real stop, and it was our favourite of all Baltic States. The Curonian Spit is a unique place to visit that offers stunning, unique, and breath-taking natures. The spit is surrounded on one side by the open sea, on the other by the Kurisches lagoon and on its end a land border with Russia. It has wild beaches, super cute villages, huge and magnificent forest as well as dunes.
We allowed 2 nights there and it was a blast. We wouldn’t recommend any less that that. If we had more time, we would even stay longer there just to take it easy and relax.
If you too are planning a trip to the Baltic states and to the Curonian spit which you should, then let‘s dive in these Best things to do in Curonian Spit
Table of Contents
Mapping the day
Get our full Baltic States Map
Why pin one by one when you can get them all at once?
Getting to the Curonian Spit
Getting to the Curonian Spit is not that hard at all:
- By car, you just need to get to Klaipeda new ferry terminal and take the ferry. It cost 18.3€ that you pay at the tool the ferry. On the way back, there isn’t anything to pay. It takes 5min and departs 45 times a day.
- By foot or Bike: You can either take a ferry in the old or new ferry terminal.
- You can also get there by bus depending on where you start your journey.
Once on the spit, there will be a fee to enter the national park. For us it was 30€ as June is already the high season (from 1st June to 15th September). In low season it cost 5€ from 01 November to 30th March and 10€ from 01st May to 31st May and 16th September to 31st October. By foot, bike, electric car, it is free.
Moving Around
The Curonian spit is 98km long for 0.4 to 4km width. It has a Lithuanian side and a Russian one. The part that we are visiting here is the Lithuanian one and measure 52km long. So, moving around will be easiest with a car and allow you to do lots of things. In June, it was super easy with a car there and there was free parking everywhere except for Nida. But we heard that in July/August, it can be more complicated to park as there are much more cars.
The parking on the main attractions is indeed quite small and can only accommodate a few cars.
But there are also, lots of bike lane to go around. Actually, the whole island can be biked. But doing on foot will be really challenging.
When to Visit
You can visit the Curonian Spit all year round but be aware that temperature varies from the extreme 30°C in summer to freezing -25°C in winter. Also, the length of the day varies a lot from 4h in winter to almost 18h in summer.
The touristic season is mostly July and August and is made of local tourism. Generally, the Baltic states are not the most touristic countries in the world nor in EU.
The best time to visit it in term of weather are from May to September but we would without a doubt recommend June as the best month to visit it. Out of 16 days in the Baltic states, we only got 2 of them with rain. It wasn’t yet too hot and wasn’t too cold and really enjoyed it.
Where to Stay
- (€): Prie Ąžuolo
- (€€): Come2rest – Smilga
- (€€€): Vila MAY
We choose to stay in Juodkrante, the city in the middle of the island. Which was for us the best things to do. It is super easy to park and free. It is located in the center, so you have more reach to get by the island and the place is super nice.
What to Eat
We would recommend to picnic on the Curonian spit. We made one in Nida. We bought some food in the supermarket Maxima and then went across on the coast to enjoy. There is also free public toilet nearby which was convenient.
Things to do in Curonian Spit
Juodkranės smėlio skulptūros
On the coast of the lagoon in Juodkrante, you can see sand sculptures made from sculptors from Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine on the theme of the land of Kursians. Unfortunately the sculptures don’t last all year round as after the first frost, they start to crack, explode, fall apart a little and crumble.
Sound Catcher
The sound catcher is located in the forest and can be reach on foot. It is well marked and super easy to go by. The sound catcher is huge and remind of a large megaphone.
There you can experience the sound of nature. Put your ear on the smaller opening or stepped in it you will be able to catch lots of sound from nature. It is recommended to stay half an hour. Then, an array of forest sounds, not caught by human ears, can be listened to
Juodkrantė Lighthouse
A bit further from the sound Catcher, you can find the Juodkrantė Lighthouse. Constructed in 1950; 900 metres away from the coastline. Unfortunately, the lighthouse is locked and we couldn’t get on its top.
Hill of Witches
The Hill of Witches is a natural forested area filled with nearly 100 carved wooden sculptures. The original sculptures were mostly carved by Samogitian folk artists (further sculptures have been added since) and illustrate Lithuanian folk tales.
Educational Dendrological Trail
We recommend doing this trail as with it you can make a nice loop and see the sand sculptures, the sound catcher, the lighthouse and the hill of witches. We did it the afternoon when we arrived. It isn’t too long (7-8km) and make you go through the stunning forest of Juodkrantė. One of the nicest forests we have ever seen.
Avikalnis Observation Deck
On your way to Nida, you can make a first stop at the Avikalnis Observation Deck. There is a small parking in front and from there it is a 5-min walk to the observation platform. There you can see a representation of the “sheep and the volves”. On sheep hill (Avikalnis), you can see many pines that have a large diameter trunk and a widely spreding crown. They are called the wolf trees. In the forest of straight slim pines theses look like wolves in a flock of sheep.
Grey Dunes
The grey Dunes is just a bit further and has a much bigger parking as it is one of the top things to do in Curonian spit. There is a 5€ entrance fee per person there (that we didn’t actually pay as when we arrived at the opening hour 9am, there was nobody there).
The Grey dunes are part of the Nagliai strict nature reserve that sprend on 1699ha. With a highest point at 59.9m.
The trail to the Grey Dune is also called the educational path of Nagliai strict nature reserve. It is a 1.1km on way trail with an elevation gain of 50m. The first part of the train is on a wooden path and then on sand. At the end there will be a small observation tower.
Artist Dune
The artist dune or Preila dune are located in the town of Preila. During the Soviet times, several painters liked to paint on it, therefore, its second name was started to be used among the people of Preila. There are easily reachable by a wooden paths and stairs. It takes around 10-15min one way.
Preila
Preila is a small settlement and is super cute to visit. It was one of our favourite places on the spit. Small but super cute with a nice lagoon view. We just strolled a bit in there and would have loved to rent a house there for a few days.
Vecekrug Dune
The Vecekrug Dune is located in the Karvaičiai Landscape Reserve is is 1.3km from the main road. There also there is a parking for 4/5 cars.
The trail follows first the forest and then go out on the dunes where an observation deck is located as well as a small bench. It is a nice place to relax for a while.
Mizgiris Amber Museum
If you are interested in Amber, this is the place to go. This brand-new museum displays amber sing different ways of art with the purpose to present the forest and the river where amber is being collected. Entrance price is 9€ and the museum is closed off season.
Nida Fisherman's Ethnographic Homestead
This is the place to go if you wish to discover and see where people lived in the past. Housed inside a traditional fisherman’s cottage, this little museum is packed with authentic furniture, household items and the general detritus of the local fishing industry.
Nida
Nida is a must-to-do things in Curonian spit. It is the biggest and westernmost town on the spit with 2 385 residents. It is a cute fisherman town filled with colourful houses. Located between the lagoon on one side, the pine tree forest on the other and the dunes nearby it is a nice place to stroll around.
Nida’s pier
A cool thing to do in Nida is to simply walk along its coast and till the end of its pier. You can go as far as you want.
Parnidis Dune
The Parnidis Dune rises up to as many as 52 metres above sea level. By car, there is a small parking for around 10 cars in front of the dunes. Than it is a 5-min walk to the Sundial, a giant sun clock. From there you can access a viewpoint where you can see the surroundings of the town of Nida: the old lighthouse, the Bulvikis Cape, the Sklandytojai Dune and so on…
From there you can also see Russia and its border and if you wish to get more of the dunes and can go and walk on it. The edges of the Dunes are restricted but inside if free to go.
Bear Head Observation Deck
This observation deck is located 5-min from the main road. From there, you can see in a Dunes that looks like a bear head.
This part is also much more industrial as the port is right there.
Beaches
Pick up one of the beaches along the coast of the Curonian spit and go there for a walk. Put your feet in the water to try the Baltic Sea water. Be ready, it will be freezing. And if you are adventurous enough swim in it.
If you wish to walk along the beach, the complete left side of the spit is a beach, and you can walk from the northernmost to the southernmost part.
Be careful, it is really windy on the beach.
More things to do in Curonian Spit
If you want more things to do in Curonian Spit, you can consider:
- Thomas Mann Culture Centre
- Lithuanian Sea Museum
An amazing 3-day Curonian Spit Itinerary
Day 1 (Afternoon)
- Drive to the Curonian spit
- Drop your car and take your accommodation
- Walk the Educational Dendrological Trail
- Juodkranės smėlio skulptūros
- Sound Catcher
- Juodkrantė Lighthouse
- Hill of Witches
Day 2
- Drive and visit the Avikalnis Observation Deck
- Hike the Grey Dunes
- Walk on the Artist Dune
- Stroll in Preila
- Go all the way to the Vecekrug Dune
- Lunch on the coast of Nida
- Visit Nida
- Mizgiris Amber Museum
- Nida Fisherman’s Ethnographic Homestead
- Nida’s peer
- Walk on the Parnidis Dune
- Walk on one of the Beaches
Day 3
- Drive to the Bear Head Observation Deck
- Walk on a Beaches
- Take the ferry back
Nieko taip pat nevėlu, bet po pietų galima patiekti šaukštus – Nothing is too late either, but spoons may be served after lunch
Get our full Baltic States Map
Why pin one by one when you can get them all at once?
