Klaipeda

We are 4 adults looking for a private tour in Klaipeda. If you have done any, please let me know how it as and whether you would recommend it. I understand this city was destroyed during WW2 and the best option might be an excursion to the barrier island.

We are 4 adults looking for a private tour in Klaipeda. If you have done any, please let me know how it as and whether you would recommend it. I understand this city was destroyed during WW2 and the best option might be an excursion to the barrier island.

Do a Google search. I thought Klaipeda was a big zero, especially coming after such blockbuster ports as St. Petersburg, Tallin, and Gdansk, but there are several cruisers who have posted about successful visits there. (Admittedly, some of the posts are quite out of date.)

Here are several links:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=480430

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1474798

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2060290

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2232473

We are 4 adults looking for a private tour in Klaipeda. If you have done any, please let me know how it as and whether you would recommend it. I understand this city was destroyed during WW2 and the best option might be an excursion to the barrier island.

My family group of 10 adults did a 2-hour tour with Regina Labas in Klaipeda earlier this year. You have to be prepared that this city is not as developed as the others you will visit so while that is good (not very commercialized, lots of personality) it can also be a turn off for some people (not many tour options, nothing "life changing" to see.)

For two hours, we learned about the history and culture of Klaipeda and Lithuania. There are many statues - big and small - all over the town, and the stories being them are interesting. Most of them are not people - they are mice, dragons, ghosts, ect. Two hours was a good amount of time for this, no need for longer. And the cost is very reasonably - 60 EUR total for all of us! Regina's email is labas.regina@gmail.com.

After the tour we ate lunch at a local place - food and beer was very good - and then we walked along the canal and rented a paddle boat for an hour for 3 EUR. This was a perfect activity as we had beautiful weather.

Some of the family went on to visit the castle museum, but I was ready to go back to the ship and enjoy a relaxing afternoon.

If you have time, i think you have visit Curonian Spit. How long you are going to stay in Klaipeda port?

In any questions, you could write info@klaipedahostel.com

We are 4 adults looking for a private tour in Klaipeda. If you have done any, please let me know how it as and whether you would recommend it. I understand this city was destroyed during WW2 and the best option might be an excursion to the barrier island.

Klaipeda was one of our port stops in June 2014. I was a bit apprehensive about this one as the ship's excursions did not really appeal to us. Encouraged by MightyQuinn's post from 2009 we decided to do the self tour. There was a band welcoming the ship, and a shed at the end of the gangway giving out tourist maps outlining the self tour. Another folk band played at the town square. The best thing for us was on the return to the ship we waited at the 19th century pedestrian swing bridge while it was manually opened to let boats pass (on the hour I think, but not sure). There was also a photo op at the Black Ghost statue here. I think I agree with MightQuinn on this one, it was a pleasant surprise for us. I've copied the 2009 post if it's of any help:

Klaipeda is a delight! When we disembarked our HAL ship in June/08, we were met by tourism officials who gave us maps & general info. We had no fixed plans so we decided to do a self-guided walking tour that was included in the info package. This was a great decision. We ended up seeing virtually all of Klaipeda over the span of a 2-hour leisurely walk.

We started in Old Town (about 10 min walk from ship) which is a compact area full of half-timbered buildings & monuments. We went to Theatre Square & saw the famous statue of a little girl with her back symbolically turned to a balcony where Hitler once stood to proclaim Lithuania as part of Germany. There was a small craft market set up here but very few vendors. Next we went to a local Farmer’s Market on the outskirts of Old Town. This was an open-air collection of fruit & vegetable stalls, flower stands, clothing & shoes vendors, as well as an enclosed building filled with meat, eggs & cheeses. Slice of life moment. Our walking tour continued along the banks of the Dane River at the edge of town. We passed Jonas Hill which is part of Klaipeda’s ancient fortification system. We crossed a bridge over the Dane River that was ladened with engraved padlocks put there by newly-weds who then threw the keys into the river as a sign of their everlasting love! We walked along lovely tree-lined streets & boulevards full of stately homes once owned by merchants & aristocrats until we arrived at the final place on the self-guided walk, Sculpture Park. This was a beautiful park full of about 100 modern stone sculptures as well as a huge war memorial. Very impressive. On the way out, we visited a tiny Russian Orthodox Church that was on the edge of the property. We retraced our steps for part of the way back, although we detoured along the main shopping street. We found a restaurant that we had read about in advance, Stora Antis, where we had an outstanding meal & Svyturys beer. The local herring with sour cream was exceptional! Thus fortified, we wandered around downtown a bit before returning to Old Town & the ship. I highly recommend this self-guided walking tour as a great way to explore Klaipeda.

Klaipeda was one of our stops on our recent cruise. From my research prior to the cruise, this port did not seem to have much to offer as far as sightseeing. Some of our friends did a walking tour with the company that we used for all of the other ports, but were not overly impressed, especially after the other ports. DH and I decided to DIY it and just stroll through the town, which turned out to be very nice.

When you leave the ship, walk to the left toward the canal. There is a bridge that opens every 30 minutes by 2 men who turn the wheel manually. It was very interesting to watch. We would have totally missed that there was even a bridge there if we hadn't gotten there just in time to watch the opening.

We also had some beers and a nice lunch at one of the outdoor restaurants. The beers were very inexpensive (about 6 euros for 4 beers).

It was a great wind-down day.

Thank you all for your advice. We will be in port long enough to go to the Curonian Spit. The ship offers several excursions and we will stick with them for this long excursion. This will be a nice change from old towns and castles.

We're doing this one in July - http://www.klaipedahostel.com/en/Around%20the%20Curonian%20Spit%20%E2%80%93%20a%20UNESCO%20world%20heritage%20site/. We have a group from our roll call. Didn't want to go here without going to Curonian Spit!