Palanga off-season

The first to close are the seasonal kiosks, outdoor terraces and summer attractions, and in October J. Basanavičius Street looks half empty. But the cafés and restaurants in the town centre, by the pier and in hotels usually stay open all year, as do the bakeries, the market and the spas.

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Even so, off-season opening hours get shorter and change without warning. Before heading to a specific address it is worth calling or checking that place's social media, as there is simply no other reliable way.

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Birutė Park is open all year round and is at its most interesting in winter: without the leaves you can see the whole structure of the park, designed at the end of the 19th century by the French landscape architect Édouard François André.

Autumn and winter storms are the main reason locals look forward to the off-season. After a strong west wind, amber is washed up on the shore, and everyone goes out to look for it, from children with little buckets to people with long-handled nets.

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The best time is the first few hours right after the storm, before the waves wash away the freshly deposited band of seaweed. Anyone may collect amber, and the only equipment you need is waterproof boots and patience.

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The pier is open in winter too. It is closed temporarily during the strongest storms or when it ices over, but on an ordinary windy day walking to the end of it is one of the best things you can do in Palanga in November.

• Nemirseta, about 6 km south of Palanga centre; there is a short botanical nature trail through the dunes.
• Olando kepurė, a cliff more than twenty metres high near Karklė, in the Seaside Regional Park. One of the most impressive spots on the Lithuanian coast, and certainly not a summer sight.
• Šventoji, about 13 km north. Off-season it is almost empty, but the harbour and the seafront can be reached all year round.

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You can walk to Nemirseta simply along the beach from the pier. The walk takes a couple of hours each way, and it is one of the most beautiful short hikes on the Lithuanian coast; just work out in advance how you will get back.

Palanga Concert Hall (Vytauto g. 43) has been open since December 2015 and stands on the same spot where the summer stage used to be. Off-season, most of the resort's concerts take place here.

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The Kurhaus building at Grafų Tiškevičių al. 1 houses the Palanga Culture and Youth Centre: concerts, plays and festivals go on in winter too. Worth knowing: it is a cultural venue, not a restaurant, and the name misleads many people.

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From 16 September to 14 May the Amber Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday 10.00–18.00 and Sunday 10.00–17.00. An off-season ticket costs €6, a concession €3; in summer the same tickets cost €8 and €4.

In December Palanga švyti begins, the winter events season with the lighting of the resort's Christmas tree and the Palangos ledas ice rink near the sea. The exact date of the tree lighting varies from year to year, so it is worth checking with the Palanga Tourism Information Centre (Vytauto g. 94).

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January and February are the quietest months. That is when it is easiest to get a table in Palanga without a booking, and a night's stay costs a fraction of what it would in July.

• September: the beach is already empty, but the town is still running at full capacity. Perhaps the best compromise if you want both quiet and open doors.
• October and November: storm season, with the biggest waves, amber on the shore and an empty pier.
• December: the Christmas tree, the ice rink and the only time of year when people come to Palanga again for something other than the sea.
• January and February: the emptiest and the cheapest. Dress warmly and plan short walks.
• April and May: the park comes back to life, the days get longer, and until the lifeguard season starts on 15 May you can still have the beach to yourself.