Cycling the coast

The cycle track on S. Dariaus ir S. Girėno Street is lit and paved, and it belongs to the coastal route that runs for more than 100 km in Lithuania, from the Latvian border to Nida. Almost all of it is asphalt. Between Būtingė and Klaipėda it is signed with red national route “10” signs.

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To the west the track joins Meilės alėja, the seaside promenade heading north. To the east it meets the Vytauto Street cycle path heading south. Whichever way you choose, you get on the bike right outside the hotel.

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Times on the map are worked out at an easy pace of about 12 km/h, without stops. On an e-bike, Šventoji is about 45 minutes away.

The first kilometre follows Meilės alėja, which you share with people on foot, so in summer you ride slowly here. Walk your bike across the square by the pier. Then comes about 2.5 km of asphalt on Naglio alėja, and after it about 3.6 km of path through the coastal pines, past the Vanagupė and Kunigiškiai beaches.

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Part of Ošupio takas is a living street, where local cars may also drive. The last 1.2 km into Šventoji has a separate cycle lane 4 m wide. In Šventoji, cross the Monkey Bridge, call in at the Samogitian sanctuary, and walk to the Fisherman’s Daughters sculpture in the dunes.

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The tourist office’s official route carries on to the Miškas visiems picnic site in Būtingė, about 20 km from Palanga centre in all. The last 3.3 km to the Latvian border run on the busy A13 main road. Do not take children there.

The Vytauto Street path runs along the edge of Birutė Park, not through it, and takes you past a section of the old Grand Duchy border towards Nemirseta. Beyond it begins a dedicated cycle path: almost 7 km of asphalt through the coastal forest to Karklė, past Lake Plazė and its bird hide.

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In Karklė you will find the park visitor centre, shops and a restaurant. Close by is Olando kepurė, the highest cliff on the mainland coast. Leave the bike by the paths and keep to the marked trails: the cliff is eroding.

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You can ride back the same way (about 33 km there and back). Buses run from Klaipėda to Palanga every 30 minutes, but we could not confirm whether you can take a bike on board, so ask the carrier. Palanga bus station offers to send a bike separately for €20.

As you cannot ride in Birutė Park, there is no loop around it. Instead there are two there-and-back rides that end by the sea:

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• North, to Kunigiškiai: along the promenade and through the pines, about 13.4 km in all. For a shorter ride, turn back at Vanagupė, which makes about 7.3 km.
• South, to Nemirseta: through the pines to the dunes viewpoint, about 13.5 km in all. The shortest option is to turn back at the old border section, about 5.8 km.

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Under the Lithuanian Highway Code all cyclists and passengers under 18 must wear a helmet, and that applies on cycle paths too, not only on the road. On the carriageway, children aged 8 and over may ride only with an adult.

Kurortų pramogos (Vytauto g. 86 and 42, and Jūros g. 30 in Šventoji) is open all year; in the cold season book by phone on +370 699 92580. It has city, electric and children’s bikes and velomobiles. You must be 18 or over and show ID to rent, and prices are on their website.

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Amber Drop (Jūratės g. 37) charges €5 an hour or €25 a day for a city bike, €8 and €45 for an e-bike, and €4 and €20 for a children’s bike. A bike with a child seat is €6 and €30, with a trailer €8 and €40. You can also refill water and pump up your tyres there.

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Ask at reception about bikes and where to leave them at the hotel.

• Wind. Westerly winds prevail in Lithuania, and both routes run north–south, so the wind usually comes from the side. In the open stretches by the dunes it can be strong.
• Terrain. Flat. The highest point on the whole coast is Olando kepurė, about 24 m above the sea.
• When. Late May, June and September are quieter on the paths. In July and August Meilės alėja is full of people on foot.
• A paper map. The Palanga Tourism Information Centre (Vytauto g. 94) hands out a free leaflet of cycle routes around Palanga.