What to do in Klaipeda

[kaymoz]

Our stop in Klaipeda proved to be one of our favorite days in our 14 day cruise with Oceania in August/September 2018.  I had researched a bit and learned that a "barrier island" lies near the city, called the Curonian Spit, which evidently known for its sand dunes.  This intrigued us.  But we also felt we wanted to see the town, and while we could have wandered about on our own, it seemed more efficient to arrange a tour with a guide.  One of the reviewers had recommended Regina Labas (labas.regina@gmail.com), and luckily when I contacted her, she was available on the day that our ship would be in port.  I explained to her that we wanted to spend some time on the Curonian Spit and tour the town, and wondered if it might be too ambitious to do both since the journey to the island involved a ferry each way.  She told us it could work.  Not only did she outline HOW to make this work -- detailing the schedule we could follow to do both, starting with a visit to the island in the morning and a tour of the city with her in the afternoon, BUT she offered to meet us as we left the ship and guide us to the ferry terminal.  I was very grateful fro this help -- while we are pretty competent independent travelers, we probably would not have made the proper connections with any peace of mind without her pointers, especially since there was a closed bridge to negotiate!  The ferry worked fine, thanks to her guidance, and we had a lovely visit to the island with a hike through a gorgeous forest and some time on a beautifully kept beach.  Then we managed to make it back to the ship in time to catch a quick bite for lunch before meeting Regina on the dock for our city walking tour at 1 pm.   She was most informative and seemed to sense the kinds of things we would like to see and hear about  -- such as the many statues scattered through the city, each with its own story, and the before & after stories for many buildings that have been restored (including some from her own childhood).  Her knowledge of history and ability to communicate it in interesting and relevant ways is especially noteworthy.  As we walked about the city, it became obvious that her connections there are solid and heartfelt.  Several people we crossed paths with greeted her enthusiastically;  I felt like we were in good hands with her.  BOTTOM LINE:  If your ship stops in Klaipeda, don't stay on the boat.  Reach out to a local guide like Regina to help organize your day, whether you want to spend the entire day on the island, or in the pleasant city, or do both like we did.

[satie37]

The town itself does not have much to offer.  We did a full day excursion to the now defunct Russian nuclear silos.  It was an amazing and very informative excursion.  We really got a sense of what was happening for the local population during that time.  The underground living quarters and museum were compelling an of course we actually saw the missile silos.  In addition we stopped in a national park and had a traditional lunch on the way back to ship.  

[Mim Lloyd]

We were decidedly underwhelmed by the town when we visited, not helped by the drizzly rain. Maybe it's better outside of the town but we wished we could have had an extra day in Copenhagen or one of our other port stops rather than Klaipeda and a lot of our fellow passengers thought the same.