According to wholevehicles.com, Neringa is a city and part-time resort located on the Lithuanian part of the Curonian Spit. There is unusual nature, the highest dunes in Europe and wonderful healing opportunities. The resort is a narrow peninsula with a length of 97 km, separating the Curonian Lagoon and the Baltic Sea. Families with children and the elderly come here, as the local climate is favorable for health.
The most developed tourist centers of Neringa are Nida and Juodkrante. In Nida, neat multi-colored houses with thatched roofs, perfectly smooth roads, flower beds everywhere. Almost every house is a cafe, beer bar or hotel. Nida is considered a more prestigious resort than Juodokrante, which is why prices are higher there.
How to get there
Train Moscow – Klaipeda (travel time – 20 hours) or trains Moscow – Vilnius and Moscow – Kaliningrad (travel time – about 15 hours). Or — a flight to Vilnius, then by bus for about 5 hours.
From Klaipeda to the territory of Neringa can be reached by ferry in Smiltyne. Ticket price: adult – 10 EUR, children from 7 to 10 years old, disabled and elderly people – 7-8 EUR, children under 7 years old – free of charge (without a seat and with a document confirming age). Then you can get there either by your own transport or by minibuses, which regularly depart from the first ferry crossing. At the checkpoint in Alksnin, a fee must be paid for entering the territory of Neringa, which is a national park.
History
Back in the Middle Ages, fishermen chose these places, at the beginning of the last century they were pushed aside by noble Lithuanians and wealthy tourists from all over Europe, they began to massively build their summer residences here, thereby turning the Curonian Spit into a popular resort. Thomas Mann also liked to relax here, now in his villa there is a whole museum complex, which will be interesting to visit not only for fans of the work of this world-famous writer and one of the laureates of the Prize. Nobel.
But Neringa became a full-fledged city only in the second half of the 20th century, when 5 small fishing villages (Nida, Pervalka, Preila, Alksnina and Juodkranta) were turned into a single administrative unit. Neringa is a unique city, one of a kind, because most of it is covered with untouched protected forests. There are no high-rise buildings, public transport and any production facilities.
Hotels in Neringa
Even hotel complexes in the usual sense for us are absent in Neringa. Tourists are offered to stay in small private hotels decorated in the national style, most often three-star hotels. But here you will feel, if not at home, then like visiting the most hospitable hosts. Depending on the level of the hotel and the season, which peaks at the end of July-mid-August, housing prices per person can range from 30 to 100 EUR. You will not only be provided with the most comfortable living conditions, but they will also be happy to tell you about the features of the local holiday and advise which places you need to visit first.
Beaches
The beaches of the Curonian Spit are among the best on the entire coast of the Baltic Sea. A strip of pure sand 25-70 m wide stretches along the entire coast of Neringa. In 2001, the beaches in Nida were awarded the Blue Flag for ecological cleanliness that meets world standards, and in 2004 the beaches of Juodkrante were also awarded it.
Entertainment and attractions of Neringa
And there really is something to see in Neringa – this area amazes with the richness of natural landscapes and cultural and historical heritage. Here, untouched centuries-old pine forests coexist with huge coastal dunes overgrown with grasses and shrubs.
These dunes, by the way, are considered one of the highest in Europe.
On one of them, which bears a somewhat mystical name – the Dune of the Witches, near Juodokranta, at a height of more than 40 m, there is an exposition of wooden figures carved by craftsmen. Nearby is the Museum of Miniatures.
You can learn more about the features of the unique nature of the Curonian Spit at the Museum of Nature, which tells in a fascinating way the history of the development of the landscapes of the region, as well as those unusual plants and animals that inhabit it. In the immediate vicinity of the museum there is a dolphinarium, where the audience is given a lot of positive emotions.
No less interesting promises to be a visit to the original Ethnographic Museum, located in the house where the family of a hereditary fisherman once lived. It should be noted that although tourism has become the main occupation of local residents and the main source of their income, they never forget about their “fishing” past, moreover, they turned it into one of the “chips” of the resort region. In particular, the aforementioned house-museum has more than a century of history, however, at the end of the last century, it could not resist the onslaught of the elements, and it had to be rebuilt. The restoration was approached very meticulously, and now the house looks exactly the same as hundreds of years ago, colorfully illustrating the life and customs of Lithuanian fishermen.
People come here, first of all, for relaxation in the literal sense of the word. Walks in the National Park, holidays on the coast can be diversified only by visiting museums and classical music festivals. And summer evenings can be spent on the cozy verandas of numerous cafes and restaurants serving national cuisine and fish cooked in all sorts of ways.
In Nida: Thomas Mann House Museum, Amber Museum and Ethnographic Cemetery. Finally, in Smiltene you can visit the Natural Museum of the National Park and the Dolphinarium.
