World Heritage sand dunes in Lithuania
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If you’re chasing World Heritage sites or just want to go somewhere peaceful while you’re in the Baltics, I think a trip to the Curonian Spit in Lithuania is a good choice. On a map, you can see the Curonian Spit heading up the south Lithuanian coast, but it actually starts in Kaliningrad (that strangely disconnected part of Russia).
This spit of land is a long, skinny strip of pine forest with fantastic beaches, and you can reach it by ferry from the mainland Lithuanian city of Klaipeda. It was registered on the World Heritage List in 2000 because of the sand dunes which start shortly before the Russian section. The last time I was there, a film crew was on site at the dunes, and I guess they were filming a desert scene in northern Europe – a rare sight.
According to some people, the fantastic beaches are great for swimming at, but I was there in mid-summer and only dipped a toe in – it was freezing. There was an elderly local woman there swimming nude, so obviously it’s warm enough for some, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:32 am
The beach looks beautiful. I would never have thought of Lithuania as a travel destination, but after reading your post, and seeing that photo, I would. Thank you for expanding my world-view.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:48 am
Gail, happy to hear that you enjoyed the post, written by Amanda Kendle, and it made you think that you’d like to visit somewhere you hadn’t previously considered.