Route description
Start your tour in the harbor city of Klaipėda which has its originin in the German-founded brick castle of Memelburg in the 13th century. Bike through Giruliai Forest to the North and explore the Seaside Regional Park. After crossing a former Soviet military polygon you‘ll find yourself on a historical border between the German Reich and the Russian Empire!
Visit Palanga – a coastal resort town famous for its old wooden villas and the Amber Museum. Relax in the broad sandy beaches enjoying beautiful coastal scenery and lapping sea-waves that will leave you tempted to take a dip!
Where to eat
Start your tour with a bite in one of Klaipedas countless restaurants like the Navalis restaurant which is more on the sophisticated side by being the hotspot for buisness people and even local celebrities. Or you could pay a visit to the steak house Momo Grill. The Herkus Kantas Pub on the other side has a great and relaxed ambience and food is really good and affordable. This is a favorite among tourists and locals.
Your next food stop could be in Giruliai, the harbor district of Klaipedas. Karkle is coming up next on your tour and is beckoning you in for a break by offering mostly hotels that include restaurants or cafes. Palanga on the other hand has many choices for gourmet fans and bikers who just need a small snack in case the hunger creeps on you. The last food stop is Sventoji, where you'll find everything your heart desires like cafes, ice-cream shops and fancy restaurants- all of this for reasonable prices.
Highlights of the tour
Sights along your way are the Seaside Regional Park that includes the Dutchmen’s cap Olandu kepure – a 24-meter-high cliff, the fishmen's village of Karkle and Plaze Lake, the former lifeguard station in Nemirseta.
Explore the Palanga Botanical Park and Amber Museum with the amber processing studio in Palanga. You can also pay a visit to the church of St. Mary.
Head towards the beach area of Palanga to find the J. Basanavicius Pedestrian Street and find many lovely cafes and restaurants. There's also a pier heading 470 hundred meters into the sea. You may want to make a stop at the cable bridge over the Sventoji River.
The Samogitian Pagan Sanctuary (Zemaiciu alka), a reconstructed paleoastronomic observatory and pagan place of worship from the 14th century is also a great for a rest in between.
The impressive sculpture of ‘the Fisherman’s Daughters’ in Sventoji is the last point on your must-see list.
Variations
You can either make the tour starting in Klaipedas and ending in Sventoji or make it the exact other way around by starting in Sventoji and ending your tour in Klaipeda.
Getting here
It's fairly easy to come by plane because there's the international airport in Palanga/Klaipeda (PLQ), the Kaunas (KNU) international airport and the Vilnius (VNO) international airport. Those are all not too far away and easy accessible.