In Klaipeda there are 2 ferries that go from Klaipeda to ‘Curonian Spit’ (Kuršių Nerijos). The old ferry (in old town) is only suitable for pedestrians. The new ferry, for cars… is located more to the south.

For more than 5000 years waves and wind have been forming ‘Curonian Spit’, this gives it his beautiful and fascinating look. Geologically speaking this is the youngest part of Lithuania. During centuries there was a small piece of sand rising from the see, it became bigger and bigger and separated the see for a small lake. The sand came from the East and ended up in the Lagoon. “Kuršių Nerija” is since 1991 a national park to make sure that the nature remains preserved.
Now still the dunes are constantly moving, they move from 5 to 15 cm a year. Because of this movement a lot of villages had to be moved several times. In the 18th and 19th century some villages totally disappeared in the sand. On the Eastern side of ‘Curonian Spit’ there a big lagoon that only has a connection to the see in Klaipeda (fresh water), on the Western side you have the Baltic see (salt water).
The small piece of land is 97 km long and has a surface of 180 km˛. Half of ‘Curonian Spit is part of Lithuania and the other half is part of The Russian Federation.
During your trip to Nida you will be able to se the beautiful nature that ‘Curonian Spit’ offers. I you keep a sharp eye you will be able to see some wild animals (fox, deer, hare...).  Near the road you will sometimes see that the ground is rummaged, that’s the work of the big amount of wild boards that you can find there. Unfortunately it is very difficult to spot them. ‘Curonian Spit’ is also a paradise for birdwatchers. All the villages on “Kuršių Nerija” are located on the Eastern side, before 1992 nobody could enter the Western side, this was used for military purposes.

Tip
If you want to go to sunbathing on the beach you need to look at the signs at the beaches, some beaches are preserved for woman and other for man and other beaches of for both.
 
Juodkrante

Juodkrante is the second biggest village on ‘Curonian Spit’ It is the only village that remained free from the moving sand dunes. In the bay of Juodkrante there was a huge amount of amber found.

Witches hill

Witches hill was created in the 80’s by some local artists. The big park is full of wooden sculptures from the Lithuanian mythology, like Perkūnas, the most important pagan god, and Neringa, a girl that turned into a giant and saved sailors in need. Children will enjoys this trip because you can use some sculptures as a slide or swing.

U will find the entrance of this hill on the right side of the road.

Dunes
If you leave Juodkrante you can see along the road some parking spots. In most of the spots there is a sign that you can park for 1 hour maximum. In only one place you can park for 2 hours. If you stop there and you go though the forest, you will see the amazing dunes.

Nida

Nida is located next to the border with Russia; this village had to be moved several times to escape the moving dunes. In documents that were found of 1429 and 1497 is said that Nida was located 2 km southerner than it is now. In the winter there are around 1500 inhabitants in Nida, during the summer this can be around 10.000. Nida is a known tourist destination for Lithuanians and Germans. In Nida there is the sunniest weather of all ‘Curonion Spit’.
If you go towards the border with Russia you can see the dunes arise out of nowhere. These dunes were formed during the years and are very vulnerable; it is not allowed to walk next to the path.
Tip: You could go and check out the dunes in the morning at sunrise, than the dunes get an orange glow.
Nobel price winner Thomas Mann lived in Nida during the summer of 1930-1932. His house is still there and inside there is a small museum about his live.