Introduction

The third and final country on our Baltic Road Trip was Lithuania. Entering from the north we stopped at the renowned Hill of Crosses before continuing on to the coastal town of Klaipeda, gateway to the Curonian Spit National Park. We finished our journey in Vilnius, the historically rich capital, with a stopover on the way at a fairytale castle on an island in a lake.

Hill of Crosses

As the name says, this is a hill with a lot of crosses on it, in fact over 100,000.

Its beginnings go back to an uprising by locals in 1831 and it reached its peak in the 1960s, under the anti-religious rule of the Soviets.

The people of the area would secretly visit the hill at night and plant crosses, in defiance of the local authorities.

It continues to be a popular site for religious pilgrims and tourists.

The Curonian Spit

The Curonian Spit is a thin spit of sandy land on the Baltic Sea that stretches from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad in the south to just opposite the Lithuanian town of Klaipeda in the north, beyond which is an opening to the sea.

This landform creates a large lagoon known as Kurisches Haff or Curonian Lagoon. If you expand the map at the bottom of this post, you can get a picture of the long skinny spit. It is around 100 kms long, and between 400 metres and 4 kms wide. Half is in Russia and half in Lithuania.

Our plan was to take Bryan (our hire car) across on the car ferry from Klaipeda and drive the 50 kms to Nida, the most southerly Lithuanian town, stopping at various sights along the way. It was a busy Sunday morning when we boarded the ferry for the short, 10-minute crossing.

Our first stop, shortly after disembarking, was at a nearby beach, where steps up a sizable sand dune provided views of the sea and coastline.

It was windy, wild and evocative.

But not overly inviting for a dip in the sea.

We made a couple of stops on the way to Nida, arriving around midday where a local market was happening.

We took a pleasant walk along the promenade beside the lagoon.

Some colourful local houses caught our eye.

And some brave windsurfers.

Out of the bracing wind it was warm and pleasant.

A 1.7 km walk took us to Parnidis Dune.

The dune is 53 metres high with good views in all directions.

An elevated viewpoint provides an unobscured view south to the frontier with Russia.

With a no-man’s land between us and them.

Also, here there is a 13.8 m high obelisk which is a sundial.

Returning to Bryan we headed back north. We stopped at another beach to see if things had warmed up for a swim.

Unfortunately, not. The wind kept blowing.

But it didn’t stop a hardy father and son making sandcastles by the shore.

We’d read that the Witches Hill at the town of Juokrante was worth a visit, so we stopped off to check it out.

The forested hill is an open-air sculpture park inhabited by witches, goblins and other interesting characters.

These have been created by local artists.

It was a pleasant and novel walk.

Back in Klaipeda we found a quirky Mexican restaurant for dinner. Not very Lithuanian. Sorry.

Trakai Castle

Just 28 kms from Vilnius is Trakai Castle. Sitting on an island in Lake Galve it looks like something out of a Disney film.

It is, in fact, a Gothic Castle dated from around 1400 built by Grand Duke Vytautas for its defensibility.

Inside the red brick towers is an extensive museum.

As a very popular tourist destination there are plenty of options for eating, drinking and boating along the adjacent lake shore.

Within the castle grounds there is some handy torture equipment available for dealing with difficult teenagers.

The internal structures of the castle are well preserved and make for interesting exploration.

Vilnius

The last stop on our Baltic Road Trip was the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. Like Tallinn and Riga before it, Vilnius has a fascinating history with plenty to see. Much can be accessed on foot.

Here are some of our highlights.

Cathedral Square

Here can be found the magnificent Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania. The buildings on this location have been through various iterations since the 4th century, with the current Baroque palace having been built in the 17th century.

Next door to the palace is Vilnius Cathedral, full name the Cathedral of St Stanislav and St Vladislav.

vilnius cathedral and belfry is on the left, grand dukes palace on the right

It has a separate free-standing belfry, which is an unusual feature.

Lots of Churches

A walk around Vilnius’s Old Town will provide you with an array of interesting churches. Including:

The Church of St Casimir and the Jesuit House.

St Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church.

And this one too. Can’t remember its name.

Gediminas Castle and Museum

A knacky funicular takes visitors to the top.

Fortified buildings have stood on the hill since Neolithic times.

The brick tower and structures were built in the 15th century by Grand Duke Vytautas of Trakai Castle fame.

The views of the city from here are panoramic.

It’s not hard to see why it was such an important strategic location for the town’s defence.

Gates of Dawn

This is the last remaining of the five 16th century entrances into Vilnius through the now defunct city walls.

Republic of Uzupis

This is a self-declared micronation in the suburbs of Vilnius, home to artists and other independent minded folk.

Unfortunately, when we visited it was a public holiday, with most things closed, and not much doing.

Town Hall Square

Another open square in the Old Town with some important buildings.

Including the Town Hall.

Bastion of the Defensive Wall

This imposing structure is 400 years old and today houses a museum describing the defence history of Vilnius.

Conclusion

The above-described attractions are just a small taste of what Vilnius has to offer. Here is a link to the city’s official tourism website for more information and additional options.

We said farewell to Bryan when we arrived in Vilnius. ‘His’ work was done. The decision to hire a car for our exploration of the three Baltic States, and travel from Tallinn to Vilnius, was a good one.

We were able to fit a lot more in than if we’d relied on public transport to get around. The roads were good and the traffic not overly busy or hysterical.

So ended our trip through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Our next stop was Krakow in Poland on our way to Tatras Mountains. And that’s where you’ll find us in Part 3 of our travels through Eastern Europe.

Ken and Cally