The 98km-long Curonian Spit, a Unesco World Heritage Site, divides the tranquil Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. Here, tall, windswept sand dunes and dense pine forests teem with wildlife. The 50km of the spit lying in Russian territory are protected within the Kurshskaya Kosa National Park. It’s a fascinating place to explore or to relax on pristine beaches. The visitor centre is located at the 14.7km mark, 2km north of Lesnoy on the lagoon side of the spit.
© Tsuguliev/Shutterstock
Kurshskaya Kosa National Park
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
24.38 MILES
Strung along the banks of the Pregolya River are several ships, a submarine, maritime machinery and exhibition halls that together make up this excellent…
23.09 MILES
Housed in the 19th-century Dohna Tower on the southern shore of the Upper Pond (Верхний пруд), this is a terrific introduction to…
-
21.39 MILES
The 52m-high Parnidis Dune is simultaneously mighty and fragile. Past settlements around Nida have been engulfed by the moving sand dune but this is a…
-
22.6 MILES
This delightful woodland cemetery features some fine examples of krikštai (wooden grave markers). Their origins hark back to Lithuania's pagan roots and…
-
24.27 MILES
Photos displayed inside this Unesco World Heritage site attest to how dilapidated the cathedral was until the early 1990s – the original dates back to…
-
22.54 MILES
In an old fisher's hut on the northern side of town is this museum and shop devoted to amber. Staff introduce the mythic and supposed health-boosting…
-
22.73 MILES
Curonian Spit's three defining traditional crafts, fishing, crow-catching and amber collecting, are explained within this small regional museum. Look out…
-
23.71 MILES
Housed in a reconstructed 1912 concert hall built on the banks of the pretty Lower Pond (Нижний пруд), this museum features an impressive diorama upstairs…
Nearby attractions
1. Museum of Russian Superstitions
0.03 MILES
Baba Yaga, Father Frost and the various ghouls, sprites and spirits that make up Slavic mythology are all gathered together here – in carved-wood form –…
0.07 MILES
This museum offers basic information about Kurshskaya Kosa National Park’s habitat and history. The complex is also home to more than 100 carved-wood…
3. Fringilla Ornithological Station
2.69 MILES
Fringilla Ornithological Station is a bird-ringing centre, in operation since 1957, where enormous funnelled nets can trap an average of 1000 birds a day;…
9.63 MILES
Housed in an old brick water tower, the Murrarium features the largest private collection of cat-themed art in all of Russia, a feline-fixated country if…
12.05 MILES
One of Kurshskaya Kosa National Park’s most remarkable sights is this aptly named forest, where the pines have been sculpted into twisting shapes by the…
21.39 MILES
The 52m-high Parnidis Dune is simultaneously mighty and fragile. Past settlements around Nida have been engulfed by the moving sand dune but this is a…
21.77 MILES
On the promenade, this impressive sundial is decorated with an eye-catching mosaic of the zodiac.
21.84 MILES
The elaborate 25m-high water tower just off ul Lenina is the symbol of Svetlogorsk. The tower was designed in a vaguely art nouveau style by architect…