On his first visit to the country Mark Bibby Jackson spends a few days in coastal Lithuania enjoying fabulous food, amazing beaches, and the wonderful birdlife.
Egidijus slows the engine down and lets his boat drift through the delta. He explains how the area is full of birdlife, cranes, bearded tits, terns … His voice drifts off, as I spot a bird resting on a dead tree across the water. It is a white-tailed eagle. Another in our small group spots a pair of this majestic bird taking off from a nearby tree. Before long we are spotting eagles everywhere at least a dozen of them. Egidijus explains we are most fortunate. We certainly have been with the weather. The clouds that dogged our first two days in Lithuania have lifted to reveal a glorious blue sky.
Birdwatching on the Nemunas Delta
One of my colleagues explains how birdwatching is most definitely part of mindfulness, I nod pleasantly although at the moment my mind feels full of nothing. Just a pleasant numbness as I contemplate how beautiful life can be. We pass along the river with no name as I take up position at the front of the boat, not so much to spot more birdlife as to blank out all other noise and listen to the delightful birdsong.
Egidijus runs his birdwatching tours in the Nemunas Delta while his sister Ruta looks after the guest house in which we have spent the night. It is very much a family affair.
The previous evening, I checked in while my colleagues had a try at Blokart sailing on the nearby Nida airfield. This meant I had first choice of room and was rewarded with a balcony overlooking the small bay on the Curonian Spit.
This slim stretch of land which Lithuania shares with neighbouring Kaliningrad (we ventured within a kilometre or so of the Russian border) is dominated by sand.
There is a fragility here as well as an inherent danger; not from the Russians but from nature.
The previous day we climbed the sand dunes in the Nagliai Strict Nature Reserve. Along the way we pass a notice board explaining how between the 17th and 19th centuries at least 14 villages were wiped out by the rolling sand. There is a small statue to commemorate them. Now the sand like the rest of the spit is protected. It’s a very pleasant stroll towards the coast where we can glance across the sea and towards the mainland.
Palanga
A couple of days earlier we landed at the tiny Palanga airport before being shuttled the few miles into town.
Palanga was made popular towards the end of the 19th century as a holiday resort. Tiškevičius Manor, built in 1897, now houses the city’s Amber Museum which has a fine collection of the rock that can be found all along the shores. Some of the amber is 50 million years old, and within it you can see small insects: mosquitoes, ants, flies and cockroaches that have been trapped here throughout the ages.
Surrounding the manor house is Birutė Park’s botanical gardens, which you can wander around for free.
I am surprised by the beauty of Palanga. Nestled in trees it reminds me of Le Touquet and is roughly from the same period and has some French touches, including the design of the botanical gardens. The buildings, even a brutalist block, seem in keeping with nature. It is all low level with no high rise Soviet style buildings. Even the hoardings are in balance with their context with trees painted to create a pleasant backdrop.
We stroll through the town towards the beach. In recent years rising temperatures driven by climate change have meant places such as Lithuania have become ‘coolcations’, as opposed to the hot Mediterranean nations.
What Lithuania has as an advantage over some Nordic coolcation destinations is its highly competitive prices. We dined at excellent restaurants enjoying turbot, sea bass and sturgeon as well as local dishes such as their pink soup (šaltibarščiai), a cold beetroot soup so spectacular they even have a festival to celebrate it in the capital Vilnius. All this at a fraction of the price you would pay in the UK.
Klaipėda
I would have loved more time to explore Palanga and its beach but the aim of the trip was to have a dip in various places in coastal Lithuania so the following morning we moved to Klaipėda, which is the third largest city in the country after the capital Vilnius and Kaunas.
Often on trips I am amazed how ‘poorer’ nations such as Lithuania can afford to invest in cultural projects that are too expensive for the UK. EU-funding is one factor for this, but throughout our brief stay not only did I detect a distinct pride in being Lithuanian but also a different set of priorities than in the UK.
The castle in Klaipėda is a case in point. The original castle was built in 1252 before being destroyed in the 19th Century.
We were fortunate enough to be shown around the new tower built to the same spec as the previous one shortly before it officially opened on 23 May 2026. It is a wonderful piece of architecture creating a great space to be used for cultural projects. Modern metallic materials are fused with red bricks built to the exact measurements of the original. It is a very impressive space.
After visiting the local Leiciu Memelhaus microbrewery and enjoying yet another fantastic meal at Meridianas we find ourselves running behind schedule.
Fortunately, our guide Angelina used to be an F1 driver in a previous life and we make it to the ferry taking us across the water to the Curonian Spit just as the doors to the ferry are closing.
The ferry ride is one of the shortest I have taken but it takes you to another world.
The Curonian Spit was listed by UNESCO in 2000 for its cultural value, but it is for its mass migration of birdlife and wonderful sands for which it is noted.
Some 5,000 people live in the main town Neringa but their numbers or multiplied 100 fold in the summer months by the tourists who flock here like the birds.
After our walk across the sands, we dine at Nerija Viesbutis restaurant which is noted as being one of the best in the whole of Lithuania with good cause. It is here we try šaltibarščiai which has a much more subtle and refined flavour than its colour would suggest followed by an amazing cod dish.
I return to Egidijus and Ruta’s home the sound of the sea lapping at the shore lulling me to sleep.
Breakfast at Prie Mariu is amazing, with homemade jam and paté, with produce selected from the local market.
The ensuing birdwatching boat trip is undoubtedly the highlight of our visit, but across on the mainland we have one more treat.
Ventė Cape Ornithological Station
At Ventė Cape Ornithological Station we meet Vytautas Jusys, who claims to have ringed more than a million birds, more than anyone else in the world.
The station was established in 1929 by Professor Todas Ivanauskas, making it one of the oldest in the world. Their traps are also the largest in the world, allowing them to ring between 60-100,000 birds each year.
Vytautas Jusys is a character with a slight look of Benny Hill. He shows us how the birds are trapped before ringing and releasing some birds including a robin. It’s not only birds he rings but bats and dragonflies. Next to it is the oldest lighthouse in Lithuania.
Bog walking in Coastal Lithuania
Frankly by now I have begun to lose track of all the wonderful food in this trip but our next dinner is quite memorable. Another family run affair (no McDonalds here), Mėlynasis Karpis is surrounded by fish ponds where sturgeon and carp are bred.
At first, I fear the worse. A friend once described carp as a Brillo pad covered in lard. Up to now I have never dissented from this view. However, the food here was in keeping with the rest of the country. The fish consommé made with sturgeon bones was outstanding, and the sturgeon to follow absolutely divine. Where carp was used it was done sparingly and avoiding the textural problem.
After such a fine feast we needed some exercise. Aukštumala Raised Bog is one of the oldest in the world. After a short drive we walked on a raised path in a landscape that would have made the Brontë sisters delirious. Bleak and barren bog land is something you either love or hate. I am in the former camp although some of our group were less keen especially when the weather closed in. I loved it.
Kretinga
The final part of our trip took us to Kretinga. We visited a Franciscan monastery where the monks still practice and the nearby Kretinga Palace with its Winter Garden, an upmarket greenhouse created by Count Juozapas Tiškevičius.
The highlight was our guide Antanas who doubles up as a stand up comic, no joke. The tour was so entertaining and enjoyable I almost forgot how long the day had been.
I did remember though as we turned in for the night at Atostogų Park, just outside of Kretinga, with a resemblance to Alton Towers.
While my companions enjoyed the amber sauna and mineral baths from their own well, I sampled a few of the beers while chatting with its manager Rai. He informed me about the place’s great sustainability practices using renewable energy as well as their own water, as well as very affordable prices, before I turned in.
313 Cable Park
I woke perhaps a little fuzzy; one of the beers I had was too many only I am not sure which one.
Fortunately, the drive to the airport was only a few miles which gave us enough time for one final treat, visiting 313 Cable Park, which is supposed to be one of the finest wake parks in the world.
I chatted with one of the wakeboarders from Sweden who has been here four times. He explained it was relatively easy to pick up before hopping into position to be lifted by the chain into the water. Within seconds he had missed a jump and landed flat on his face. Perhaps a surprising end to a most unexpected region. Coolcations in Coastal Lithuania? You can count me in, although perhaps I’ll skip the wakeboarding.
Flights to Palanga Coastal Lithuania
To visit coastal Lithuania Mark flew to Palanga Lithuania with Ryanair from London Stansted. He used Holiday Extras to park his car.
Holiday Extras is the market leader in UK airport parking, hotels, lounges, and transfers – and in 2025 its customers saved an average of £200 per trip by booking their airport parking in advance. Booking airport parking means you can enjoy more holiday with less hassle. Plus with Flextras, if you need to cancel or amend you can without charge. Four days parking at Short Stay Premium Parking Yellow Zone at Stansted Airport is available for £108 based on arrival on 22nd June 2026. For more information and to book, HolidayExtras.com or call 0800 316 5678.
*All costs supplied are the cheapest available rates for the product specified and therefore availability may be limited at this price. Prices are correct as at 19.05.2026.
Further information on Coastal Lithuania
For more ideas on what to do in Neringa, go to www.visitneringa.com.
