- Where to go to sunbathe?
- Weather features of a beach holiday in Lithuania
- Estate of Biruta
- On the sea festival in Klaipeda
- Things to Do in Neringa
The Republic of Lithuania is easy enough to find on the map of Europe. It occupies a place between Poland, Belarus, Latvia and the Kaliningrad region of Russia, and its shores are washed by the waters of the Baltic Sea. Not too hot summers and frequent rains prevent the republic from becoming a leader among beach holiday destinations. But Lithuania does not need this: hotels on its coast regularly welcome their share of admirers of dim Baltic beauties.
Where to go to sunbathe?
The main resort villages and beaches of Lithuania are concentrated in the region of three cities on the Baltic coast:
- Klaipeda is the main Lithuanian port and the third largest city in the country. From here they get to the Curonian Spit, the reserved silence and purity of which can become the main reason for choosing a beach holiday in Lithuania as an option for spending a vacation.
- The Neringa resort is located on the protected lands of the Curonian Spit. The main feature of the local landscapes is the unusually high dunes. The main beaches are located in Nida and Juodkrante.
- For many years Palanga had the status of a dacha village, where residents of Vilnius flocked for the weekend or for the whole summer. Now guests from many countries who prefer mild and cool weather, deserted beaches and clean air saturated with pine aromas rest here.
The best beaches in Lithuania stretch along the coast of the Curonian Spit. Some of them have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag certificate. The cleanest are in the Neringa region.
Weather features of a beach holiday in Lithuania
The Baltic Sea can hardly be called warm, and therefore the swimming season in the republic is rather short. The country's climate is classified as maritime and transition to continental:
- Although the first sunbathers appear in Klaipeda at the beginning of June, only the hardened ones dive into the sea. The air and water temperature in the first days of school holidays is + 20 ° C and + 17 ° C, respectively, but by the end of the month it becomes comfortable to take air and sun baths. The warmest sea is in August, when the thermometer in the waves of the Baltic shows up to + 24 ° С.
- Palanga receives its first holidaymakers closer to mid-June. The sea remains cold even then, but the air warms up to + 22 ° С. The most comfortable time for swimming comes at the resort by the first days of August, when the thermometers are confidently kept at + 23 ° C in water and + 24 ° C in the air.
- On the beaches of Neringa, precipitation falls slightly less than the average in the country, and in summer there are more sunny days here. Holidays in Neringa are especially suitable for families with children. The sea in the area of the Curonian Spit is usually 2-3 degrees warmer than on other beaches in Lithuania.
Estate of Biruta
On the lands where Palanga hotels are built today, once lived the priestess Biruta, who became the wife of the ancestor of the Lithuanian princes.
In the century before last, fishing flourished in Palanga, until the next owner of these lands decided to turn an unknown village into a rich seaside resort. Palanga received marble baths, a hotel complex with a summer theater and restaurant, and luxurious English gardens with a rose garden and ponds. The discovery of springs of thermal and mineral water and therapeutic peat mud turned the resort into a health resort that successfully competes with the leading European ones.
Today Palanga is a few dozen well-maintained white beaches, complexes of hotels and sanatoriums and tourist infrastructure, which will be the envy of many resorts of world importance and fame. Many travel companies organize a beach holiday in Lithuania in Palanga, but you can plan a trip and book a hotel yourself. Reviews and photos of previous guests will help you get an idea of all possible accommodation options. The private sector is also very popular in Palanga, where rooms, apartments and houses are rented to visitors.
Lovers of outdoor activities will not be disappointed either. All conditions for surfing and volleyball are created on the beaches of Palanga. Here you can rent a jet ski or jet ski, play tennis or go horseback riding. Fans of swimming in warm water will love the city pool, which is heated to comfortable temperatures.
On the sea festival in Klaipeda
Choosing this resort as a location, book hotels in advance. Tours to Klaipeda are very popular among both local residents and foreign fans of cool rest on the cleanest Baltic beaches of Giruliai and Melnraže or on the white sand of Smiltyna on the Curonian Spit.
A special influx of tourists happens at the resort on the last weekend of July, when the city celebrates Neptune Day. The god of the sea, sailing along the river Dane, brings with him a rich cultural program with fairs, theatrical performances and exhibitions of products of local artisans. The Sea Festival is accompanied by a sailing regatta.
Musicians come to the city for numerous festivals. In the first days of summer - for a jazz festival in the Old Town, at the end of June - for a folk festival, and in August - for a grandiose festival of opera and classical music.
Things to Do in Neringa
Not only ideal opportunities for a beach holiday, Lithuania attracts guests. After a few hours in the Baltic sun, it is especially pleasant to take an educational excursion or an exciting walk. When choosing where to spend your time in Neringa, pay attention to the Ethnographic Museum, whose history goes back over a hundred years. The exposition is carefully thought out and made with love by Lithuanian historians and ethnographers. It recreates the life and living conditions of fishermen a hundred years ago.
No less popular with the guests of the resort is the Amber Museum, where unique specimens of fossilized resin of relict trees are collected. The exposition of the Museum of Natural History tells about nature, and in the dolphinarium our younger brothers organize exciting performances for kids and their parents every day. Guests of Neringa also love excursions to the Dune of Witches, where a collection of wooden sculptures by local craftsmen is located at a height of 40 meters.
