3 Days Getaway in Klaipeda: Lithuania's Baltic Gem

Klaipeda: There’s something about arriving somewhere by sea that changes how you see it. Most people fly into Vilnius or Palanga and forget that Lithuania even has a coastline worth talking about. I did it differently. I took the overnight ferry DFDS from Kiel, Germany, and by the time Klaipėda’s cranes and church spires came into view through the morning haze, I already felt like I’d earned the trip.

Klaipėda turned out to be a very different kind of Baltic destination, quieter, less polished, and much more interesting than I expected.

• I personally spent two days exploring Klaipėda, a charming and compact coastal city where two days are enough to discover its main attractions and enjoy its relaxed atmosphere. For travelers with more time, I’ve included an optional third-day trip to nearby Palanga, a lovely seaside destination worth exploring.

Getting There: A Ferry That Feels Like a Floating Hotel

The Kiel–Klaipėda crossing takes around 20 hours, and honestly, it’s part of the destination rather than just a way to get there. My cabin was small but genuinely cozy, a real bed, a porthole window, and just enough space to unpack for the night without feeling cramped.

The ticket included breakfast and either lunch or dinner, so I spent the crossing alternating between naps, deck walks watching the Baltic Sea roll by in shades of grey and green, and unhurried meals in the ship’s restaurant. No rush, no lines, no security theater, just water in every direction and Lithuania waiting at the other end.

If a 20-hour ferry isn’t your style, there are faster ways in. You can fly to Palanga, the small seaside city just 25 minutes north of Klaipėda, which is worth a detour in its own right. Or fly to Vilnius and take the direct train west, a comfortable ride of around four hours that cuts straight through the Lithuanian countryside. But if you have the time, I’d genuinely recommend the ferry at least once. There’s a kind of slowness to it that primes you for a slower kind of city.

Day One: Settling Into the Old Town

Klaipėda doesn’t try to impress you immediately, and that’s exactly its charm. The Old Town is compact, you can walk it in an afternoon, but it rewards a wandering pace rather than a checklist. Half-timbered German-style houses in mustard yellow and deep red line cobblestone streets that hint at the city’s centuries as Memel, a Prussian trading port, before it became part of Lithuania.

I spent my first afternoon simply getting lost around Theatre Square, home to a striking fountain and statue of Ännchen von Tharau, a local literary muse, right in front of the neoclassical Klaipėda Drama Theatre.

From there it’s a short walk to the Dane River, where old warehouses have been converted into bars and galleries. I had dinner at a small restaurant serving cepelinai, Lithuania’s beloved potato dumplings stuffed with meat, and it set the tone for a trip built around unpretentious, satisfying food.

At night, the Old Town lights up gently rather than garishly, this isn’t a city trying to be a nightlife capital, however, there were some bars by the river which you can enjoy the late evening with delicious cocktails.

If you’d like to discover more of what makes this overlooked Lithuanian port city worth visiting, The Baltic City Most Travelers Skip — And Why They Shouldn’t takes a closer look at Klaipėda and why it deserves a place on your Baltic itinerary.

Day Two: The Curonian Spit and the Sea

After Breakfast at the hotel, I headed to Klaipėda’s Sculpture Park, a leafy, slightly surreal open-air gallery scattered with Soviet-era statues relocated from around the city.

From there, I wandered along the waterfront promenade, past the old sailing ship Meridianas, now permanently docked and lit up like a beacon on the river and passed the Black Ghost sculpture as well. After completing my walk, I went to the Old Ferry Terminal, North Horn to catch the ferry to the other side.

No visit to Klaipėda is complete without crossing to the Curonian Spit, a narrow, otherworldly strip of land separating the Baltic Sea from the Curonian Lagoon.

A short ferry ride from the city center, which costs €1.50, gets you across, and suddenly you’re somewhere that feels closer to the Maldives than the Baltics, enormous shifting white sand dunes, some over 50 meters high, surrounded by pine forest.

I walked around and spent the day on the quieter beaches further along the spit. In case you would like to discover some attractions, you can find: The Marine Veterans Exposure Exhibition (Maritime Exhibition) and the dolphinarium.

The dunes near Nagliai are protected and stunning, and if you have more time, the villages of Nida and Juodkrantė further down the spit are worth an overnight stay for their fishing-village atmosphere and views over the lagoon. I only had a day, so I stuck closer to Smiltynė, but I left already planning a return trip.

By evening I had to head back to the ferry to sail back to Germany, but before that I stopped at Klaipėda’s biggest shopping center, called Akropolis, since it was close to the port.

Day Three (Optional): Palanga and the Amber Coast

Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to visit Palanga and the Amber Coast on this trip, so I want to be clear that this is a recommendation rather than a firsthand experience. But I’d highly recommend visiting if you have the time, since Klaipėda and this whole stretch of coastline are famous for their amber, and Palanga is meant to be one of the best places to see and buy it.

Palanga, the beach town just twenty minutes north of Klaipėda that’s practically synonymous with amber in Lithuania. Legend has it the stone washes up along this stretch of coast more than almost anywhere else in the Baltics, and Palanga’s Amber Museum, set inside an old manor house surrounded by botanical gardens, is supposed to be one of the best places in the country to see it up close, cases of it in every shade from honey to deep cognac, some pieces with insects trapped inside from millions of years ago.

Where to Stay in Klaipėda?

Klaipėda has a good range of places to stay, from historic properties in and around the Old Town to more modern boutique-style hotels.

I’ve selected two hotels for my trip, including the property where I personally stayed. Check out my full reviews of the Hotel Dunetton and the Old Mill Hotel.

Overall Impression of Klaipeda:

Klaipėda wasn’t known to me until recently, and I am also sure that it is not known to many of you, it isn’t a city that shouts for attention, however I was happy to discover it.

It’s not as polished as Vilnius or as postcard-famous as Riga, but that’s precisely its appeal, a working port town with real character, a gateway to one of Europe’s most unusual landscapes, and a slower pace that makes two days feel like plenty, yet somehow not quite enough.

Whether you arrive by overnight ferry, by plane into Palanga, or by train from Vilnius, it’s a corner of the Baltic well worth the detour, however Palanga would have to wait for another trip.