The usual route is ferry, straight to Nida, Parnidis Dune, ice cream on the promenade and back. That misses roughly half the reason to visit: between Smiltynė and Nida are three more settlements and kilometres of forest, dunes and shoreline.
This article covers activities across the spit. For Nida alone, read What to see in Nida?.
Climb at least one dune
Dunes are a main reason to visit, so include them in at least one day. Parnidis Dune in Nida is the best known, but there are also the grey dunes near Pervalka and Vecekrugas Dune in Preila.
Drive the whole spit, not just to its end
The forest road from Smiltynė to Nida passes different settlements: green Juodkrantė, small and quiet Pervalka and Preila, and the largest, Nida. Stops along the way are half the value of the journey.
Spend half a day in Juodkrantė
Often passed by, the first settlement after the ferry deserves a stop: the Hill of Witches, a long lagoon promenade and one of Lithuania's largest heron and cormorant colonies.
- Hill of Witches: with children or without, even in rain
- Lagoon promenade: quietest in the evening
- Bird colony: watch from the marked platform without disturbing it
A bicycle instead of a car
A cycle route links the settlements along the spit. It is one of the best ways to feel the distances and the land's narrowness. In summer cycling can be quicker than driving, especially when parking is involved.
Walk from lagoon to sea
Across much of the narrow spit, a short walk takes you from lagoon to Baltic. Try it consciously: less than a kilometre can separate a calm, warmer shore from the open, windy sea, with a huge contrast.
Things to do when it rains
Bad weather need not waste a day. The forest smells better in rain, the sea is more dramatic and crowds disappear. Real options include:
- Museums and memorial homesteads in the settlements
- Pine forest: trees provide more shelter than open dunes
- The sea shore during storms, keeping a safe distance from the water
- Driving along the spit with stops: different views in rain, but no less appealing
Tours run all year and poor weather is not a problem. Only storms and dangerous winds require a changed itinerary or another day.
How much time you need
- One day: either Nida alone or a drive along the spit with short stops. Both do not fit.
- A weekend: Nida, one small settlement and one dune, without rushing.
- A week: all four settlements, sea, forest and time to revisit favourites.
For a single day in Nida, I have a separate itinerary: Nida in one day.
What to avoid
- Trying to fully explore all four settlements in one day: you may see only car interiors and parking spaces.
- Leaving dune paths. Staying on them is a protected-area rule, not a suggestion.
- Planning a summer weekend without extra ferry time: queues form at the terminal.
For the bigger picture of dunes, forest, lagoon and sea, see the Curonian Spit guide.
