Best Time for Visiting the Curonian Spit
I am interested in visiting the Curonian Spit, possibly with a sidetrip to Kaliningrad. Now I would like to know the best time of the year to do so. I would like to avoid the crowds of the high and peak seasons. On the other hand, I would like to avoid the dead season (if there is one) as well, when most of the restaurants, shops and attraction are likely to be closed. Also note that I do not care about temperature.
Best Answer
I was never really in this region, but last summer when I went to Estonia, Russia and Latvia I thought about going to Kaliningrad and the Curonian Spit as well. For that I read a lot about the best time to go there.
Over the winter it can get a little bit cold, but you don't care about that- Nevertheless most attractions and other things tend to be closed over the winter. In the early spring season (March, maybe even April) you will have a lot of rainy day. The Lonely Planet Eastern Europe guide says:
Avoid March and early April - the "thaw" is the least pleasant time since the grey weather and general muddiness make walking about unpleasant.
In the high season during the summer (July, August) it can get very hot and a lot of tourists are in the region. It can get a little bit crowded. So I would prefer to go either on May/June or September/early October.
The Lonely Planet says the same:
The best months to visit are May, June and September.
Pictures about "Best Time for Visiting the Curonian Spit"
Is Curonian Spit worth visiting?
Curonian Spit (Kursiu nerija) is one of the most spectacular places worth visiting in Europe. It is a narrow (from 0,4 km till 4 km wide) and long (97 km) band of sand, which stretches along the Baltic Sea, in the western part of Lithuania.Where can you find the vast sand dunes of the Curonian Spit?
Its southern portion lies within Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, and its northern within southwestern Klaip\u0117da County, Lithuania. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared by Lithuania and Russia.THIS IS LITHUANIA?! The Curonian Spit
More answers regarding best Time for Visiting the Curonian Spit
Answer 2
For the Lithuanian side the high season is July and August, but really it is weather dependent. Expect much more people when the sun is shining in the weekend, since Curonian Spit is easily accessible from the mainland, and the access is from a large city (3rd largest city in Lithuania, large of course in relative terms, population 200k) Klaip?da. So when weather is good there is an influx of local population. Even in the high season crowds are manageable, since the prices are relatively high.
There are 4 villages in Curonian Spit, Juodkrant?, Pervalka, Preila and Nida. All the crowds are usually gathered in Nida, so you can try other 3 villages, of which I recommend Juodkrant?.
There is a cycling trail from Klaip?da to Nida (about 40km), which goes along the sea, it is never crowded.
The dead season is when bad weather starts in October and ends in April. There is a bit of activity in holiday season, but that's it. But since the main attraction of Curonian Spit is its nature, not restaurants, you can stay in Klaip?da for the attractions, and visit Curonian Spit for the sights.
Cannot give any advice for the Russian side, since I never been there. There is a bus from Klaip?da to Kaliningrad.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: KoolShooters, KoolShooters, KoolShooters, KoolShooters