A day trip to Šventoji

From the hotel to the Monkey Bridge it is about 15 kilometres on the coastal cycle path. The path is part of EuroVelo 10 and runs through pine woods and dunes, away from cars almost all the way. At a relaxed 12–15 km/h the ride takes an hour or a little more each way.

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• There are bike-hire points in both Palanga and Šventoji, for example Kurortų pramogos (tel. +370 699 92580).
• In Palanga, cycling is not allowed on the pier or in Birutė Park, nor on J. Basanavičius Street from 1 June to 1 September.
• Stop by the sea after a storm on the way: people pick up amber on the Šventoji beaches too.

Palanga’s local buses are run by UAB Vlasava. From the hotel, the easiest is to walk to the “Centras” stop (about 15 minutes): from there bus No. 3 takes about 25 minutes to the “Tiltas” stop, right by the Monkey Bridge. Bus No. 4 leaves from platform 14 at Palanga bus station (about 22 minutes’ walk) and runs past Šventoji and the Būtingė church to the Būtingė terminal.

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The timetable changes with the season, and off-season there can be gaps of two hours between buses, so check before you go: bus No. 3, bus No. 4. You can pay the driver in cash or by card, or use the Ticket Klaipėda app.

• The Monkey Bridge (1973) sways with every step. It is the symbol of Šventoji and the place everyone meets.
• The Star of the Sea church tower. The viewing platform is about 40 m up, 200 steps from the ground. From the top you see the harbour, the sea and, on a clear day, Palanga. It opens in season, but a visit has to be arranged in advance with the parish priest on +370 687 17613.
• The wooden Stella Maris chapel (1929) on the riverbank. The story goes that fishermen who survived a storm brought the building materials by barge. Its bell was cast in Königsberg in 1608.
• The Fisherman’s Daughters (1982): three girls in the dunes by the harbour entrance, looking out to sea.
• The Samogitian sanctuary: twelve oak posts on a dune where the old seasonal festivals are held.
• The lighthouse (1957, 39 m) is fenced off, so it can only be seen from outside.

Šventoji was a port as early as the 13th century, and in the 17th century English merchants traded here. In 1701 the Swedish fleet destroyed the harbour and blocked it with stones and sand. After the First World War Šventoji belonged to Latvia, and in 1921 an international arbitration commission gave it to Lithuania.

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On 11 September 2026 work began on two new outer moles: a southern one 647.5 m long and a northern one of 402.5 m. The work will take about two years. A 9 m wide promenade is planned on the southern mole, but for now the river mouth is a building site: expect fences, and do not count on a walk along the mole.

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Archaeologists found 42 Stone Age settlements around Šventoji, but there is nothing to see of them on site: the finds are kept at the Palanga Amber Museum and the Lithuanian National Museum.

The south beach at Šventoji runs for 5.4 km and is divided into zones: general, women’s, men’s, nudist, accessible and a 300-metre section where dogs are allowed. It lies north of the women’s beach, but always follow the signs on the spot.

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Across the Monkey Bridge is the north beach, which runs all the way to Latvia. Border marker LT-LV 0001 stands where the border reaches the sea, about 4 km on foot over the sand from the bridge. There is no road, so take water and an ID.

• Du malūnai, Šventosios g. 6: a family restaurant with home-baked bread, gira and smoked fish, a playground outside and a play area inside.
• Vikingas, Kopų g. 6, and Nendrinė pastogė, Miško takas 24: open in the summer season.
• Prieš vėją, Jūros g. 38: on the cycle path, daily in summer and at weekends off-season.
• Auksinės kopos, Jūros g. 30: a hotel restaurant for when everything else has closed.

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Opening hours change with the season, so check before you set off.

• Midsummer (Joninės), late June: a fair on Jūros Street, songs at the Samogitian sanctuary and a fire ritual at the river mouth.
• Lamprey fishing: in 2026 the Šventoji lamprey-fishing tradition was added to Lithuania’s inventory of intangible cultural heritage.
• Baltic Unity Day, September, in Palanga and Šventoji.
• Christmas-tree lighting on the pedestrian square, early December.