Curonian Spit

The Curonian Spit is a narrow, 98-kilometre sand-dune peninsula that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea and is shared between Lithuania and Russia. The spit is recognised for its dramatic mobile dunes, coastal forests and small historic fishing settlements.

Key attractions include high shifting dunes, forested sections and the resort villages of Nida, Juodkrantė and Pervalka where visitor services, dune viewpoints and local museums are concentrated. The landscape is notable for active geomorphological processes and for being an important corridor for migrating birds.

The spit developed over millennia through wind-driven accumulation of sand and has been shaped by both natural processes and human settlement. Large-scale stabilisation and planting of forests took place historically to limit dune movement in settled areas.

Geographically the Curonian Spit runs between Klaipėda and the Kaliningrad region, forming the western shore of the Curonian Lagoon and the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea; the Lithuanian portion lies within Klaipėda County and is accessible from Klaipėda and the Neringa municipality.

• Length and division: The spit is about 98 kilometres long in total, with roughly 52 kilometres lying in Lithuania and the remainder in the Kaliningrad region of Russia.
• UNESCO and timing: Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its combined natural and cultural values; best visited outside the peak of summer to avoid the largest crowds.

What to See #

• Neringa settlements: The resort settlements of Nida, Juodkrantė and Pervalka which contain visitor facilities, dunes viewpoints and small museums about local history and nature.
• Curonian Lagoon: The Curonian Lagoon side, a shallow coastal embayment separated from the Baltic Sea by the spit and important for bird migration and fishing communities.
• Dune landscapes: Extensive mobile sand dunes and coastal forests that demonstrate active dune formation and shifting sands along the Baltic coastline.