Klaipeda is Unexpectedly Charming
A SMALL CITY THAT SHOWCASES a HISTORY OF BELONGING TO several COUNTRIES
Klaipeda is the third largest city in Lithuania and the country’s only major seaport. Historically, it’s been a part of Prussia, Germany, and Poland; as an historic Baltic Sea port city, it also has ties into Scandivia. You can see this history in its Old Town - which is full of German and Swedish architecture, and has a grid-based street plan unusual for the area.
I went into Klaipeda not expecting much because the to-do lists generally available online tend to make it seem dull. I was surprised to find a super liveable city that prioritized green spaces and walkability. From a fresh produce market in city center, to a charming old town, to a sculpture garden - the city out-delivers for its size.
Memorable for me is that Klaipeda is home to the oldest brewery in Western Lithuania. Or, as my travel companion and I liked to quip: “Klaipeda is home to the oldest brewery in Klaipeda.” To be fair, though, Svyturus Brewery was founded in 1784.
Stroll through OLD TOWN
The main attraction of Klaipeda is its old town - which largely looks German in architecture with Swedish influences; you’ll find plenty of the half-timber houses common to those areas. The location most people head to first is Theater Square, where you’ll find a market with local vendors largely selling amber and linen - both famous local goods. I recommend just wandering around because this whole section of the city is cute - but definitely also check out the produce market at Senasis Turgus for its enormous, fragrant dill and the largest zucchini you’ve ever seen.
As you walk, keep an eye out for street art as the city has some interesting sculptures around.
VISIT THE GREEN SPACES
Klaipeda feels half park as there’s little green spaces everywhere. Definitely check out both sides of the canal; the north side with the kids playground has the cutest little submerged public trampolines - and the south side is a defense complex now built into a star shaped common space.
If it’s open, also go to the Klaipeda sculpture garden. It was closed for renovation while we were there but somehow we were able to get in and wander amidst the construction crews. From what we could tell, it’s really cool - and will be much nicer post construction.
SPEND SOME BEACH TIME ALONG THE CURONIAN SPIT
From downtown Klaipeda, you can take a short ferry to the Curonian Spit - a 60 mile sand dune shared by Lithuania and Russia that splits the mainland from the Baltic Sea, forming the Curonian Lagoon. Without a car, heading over would essentially just be taking a beach day near where you’re dropped off. We didn’t have quite enough time to go, but we looked at the dune from our cruise ship as we pulled away and it is a beautiful beach.
