Klaipeda, Lithuania

[Radbooks]

Hello all!

 

Our cruise on the Nieuw Statendam just changed the St. Petersburg days to Klaipeda, Lithuania and a sea day.  Any tips for that port? I'm excited to go there, just don't know anything about it... yet. 🙂

[carlsbadbruin]

Hi, we're on your cruise! It looks like they also added a day in Visby, Sweden. Both old towns look like fun to explore.

[Radbooks]

18 minutes ago, carlsbadbruin said:

Hi, we're on your cruise! It looks like they also added a day in Visby, Sweden. Both old towns look like fun to explore.

Are you on the July 6th Nieuw Statendam or a different date? I got a letter from Holland tonight and it only shows the Lithuania port and a sea day.

[carlsbadbruin]

We're on the June 10th 12 day "Jewels of the Baltics."

[BklynBorn47]

Just FYI - We loved Klaipeda! 
 

From my website – May 2018

Curonian Spit (the source of 90% of the world's amber)

http://www.brigs.us/2018-May-Europe/Lithuania7.htm

http://www.brigs.us/2018-May-Europe/Lithuania9.htm

 

Klaipeda - The city

http://www.brigs.us/2018-May-Europe/Lithuania8.htm

[Radbooks]

Thanks for sharing the pictures! Fun to see some places we might go too. 🙂

[Host Jazzbeau]

From Klaipeda you can go to Palanga which has a Botanical park and a 19th century Neo-Renaissance style mansion that houses the largest Amber Museum in the Baltics.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

On 3/10/2022 at 6:53 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

From Klaipeda you can go to Palanga which has a Botanical park and a 19th century Neo-Renaissance style mansion that houses the largest Amber Museum in the Baltics.

Ooh, I love amber!  I have treasured small pieces from my trip to Lithuania almost 20 years ago.  Our July cruise stops in Klaipeda!

[mrsmck3]

On 3/10/2022 at 5:53 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

From Klaipeda you can go to Palanga which has a Botanical park and a 19th century Neo-Renaissance style mansion that houses the largest Amber Museum in the Baltics.

Hi please share how you traveled from the cruise ship terminal to Palanga.  Thanks

[Host Jazzbeau]

On 3/10/2022 at 6:53 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

From Klaipeda you can go to Palanga which has a Botanical park and a 19th century Neo-Renaissance style mansion that houses the largest Amber Museum in the Baltics.

 

27 minutes ago, mrsmck3 said:

Hi please share how you traveled from the cruise ship terminal to Palanga.  Thanks

Sorry, I don't know the answer to that.  Our cruise is not until August, and this shore excursion is included from the cruise line (Noble Caledonia).

 

Here is their description:  Founded in 1252 by the Teutonic Knights of East Prussia, Klaipeda was annexed by Hitler in 1939 and almost destroyed towards the end of World War II. This Morning we explore the old town of Klaipeda including a stop in Theatre Square before strolling along the atmospheric narrow streets where in the past craftsmen used to live and work. Continue towards the resort town Palanga where, after a walk through the Botanical park, we arrive at a 19th century Neo-Renaissance style mansion which houses the largest Amber Museum in the Baltics. Here we will learn all about “Baltic gold” before returning to Klaipeda, where we can enjoy a drink and live music in a nearby restaurant before sailing this afternoon.

[alwayscruisetime]

We wanted to visit the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania which wasn't an option on any of the ship-organized excursions, but Klaipeda Tours ( www.klaipedatours.lt ) was able to customize a private tour for us that combined a visit to the Hill of Crosses (our favorite stop of the whole cruise) as well as the Cold War Museum (where Russian missiles were housed unbeknownst to the Lithuanian people - the missiles that were later central to the Cuban Missile Crisis) and then a stop for lunch at a traditional Lithuanian restaurant for real down-home cooking - no one there spoke English.  Our guide, Mindaugas, was outstanding, and the communication with the company was easy.  We would highly recommend.  We were picked up literally steps outside the gate at the port and dropped there with time to spare, despite the fact that it was quite a distance to cover everything that we wanted to see.

[bearette]

We rented a car and went to see the same museum, it is in a very nice National Park area with biking and hiking trails. We Googled and found a hotel, with a cafe that had a nice lake beach that rented paddle boats, we would have partaken if we weren't wearing jeans. We stopped at some pretty scenic stop markers along the way back too.