Klaipėda City Municipality

Klaipėda is at the mouth of the River Danė, which flows into the Curonian Lagoon, the freshwater lake enclosed by the Curonian Spit; the lagoon here discharges into the Baltic. Its harbour is ice-free, a valuable site on this cold sea, so it's been fought over many times. The castle was built by the Teutonic Knights in 1253 and for much of its history the city was part of Prussia. German-speaking people called it "Memel" for the larger river feeding the lagoon further south, nowadays the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Timber export have long been the port's main trade, along with other agricultural produce such as wool.

After the First World War Memel and its hinterland were declared a "Free City" similar to Gdańsk / Danzig, but newly-independent Lithuania annexed it in 1923. Nazi Germany grabbed it in 1939: after the Second World War it reverted to the far-from-independent Lithuanian SSR, a communist satellite state of the USSR. That grey empire broke up in 1990 and Klaipėda like other Baltic cities developed modern western industries.

1 Tourist Information Centre (Klaipėdos turizmo ir kultūros informacijos centras), Turgaus gatvė 7 (200 m northeast of the castle). Mon-Fri 09:00–18:00, Sat 10:00 – 16:00, Sun 09:00 – 16:00. (updated May 2025)

Climate:

The best time to visit Klaipėda is around May to September, with warm weather best for vacation activities. Having a maritime climate, Klaipėda's seasons are usually mild, though there may be some atypically hot or cold days every few years. While rain is a common occurence year-round, most of the precipitation and thunderstorms usually cluster around late summer and autumn. Additionally, snow may fall as early as October and as late as May.

By train:

1 Klaipėda railway station (in the north of town). The original Prussian yellow-brick station was built in 1881. Most station facilities are now in the adjacent red-brick building of 1983, with its distinctive helmeted tower like a lanky sentry. It has left luggage lockers, toilets and a snack bar. (updated Jul 2023)

Destinations:

Vilnius – Trains run every couple of hours, take 4½ hours and cost €25 (2023). They go via Kaišiadorys, Jonava, Kėdainiai, Radviliškis, Šiauliai, Telšiai, Plungė and Kretinga.

Kaunas – There are no direct trains, but you have to change in Vilnius or Šiauliai, for a 5-hour journey.

Šilutė – 4 local trains per day, taking 1 hour.

By bus:

2 Klaipėda Bus Station (Klaipėdos autobusų stotis), Butkų Juzės g. 9 (just outside the railway station). It's fairly clean and modern, with cafes and a waiting area. (updated Jul 2023)

Buses run from Palanga, Vilnius, Kaunas and Riga airports and centres as above. There is also a bus connection from Liepāja. Vlasava, Kautra and TOKS buses run hourly from Vilnius town via Kryžkalnis to Klaipėda (4 hr), where they take a 20-minute break then continue north to Palanga town, the airport and Šventoji. They also run hourly from Kaunas (3 hr); some start from Druskininkai and Alytus.

By road:

From Vilnius and Kaunas, follow A1 northwest. It's a fast dual carriageway.

From Riga, follow A8 / A12 to Šiauliai, then A11 west.

By plane:

3 Klaipėda Airfield (KLJ IATA) (7 km east of Klaipėda, near the A1/E85 highway). A privately run airport focusing on sports aviation and charter services. (updated Jul 2023)

Nearby international airports:

Palanga Airport (PLQ IATA), Palanga – The closest airport, 36 km north. It has limited seasonal destinations, which include London Stansted and Dublin by Ryanair, Oslo by Norwegian, Riga by Air Baltic, and Copenhagen by Scandinavian. Bus 31 runs between the airport, Palanga and the Klaipėda bus and railway station every 30 min.