[2017-18] Lithuania (and Russia) in hiking shoes – Pėsčiomis per visą neriją / Пешком через всю косу / The Whole Spit on foot

DESCRIPTION: this trail was researched in September 2017 and April 2018. It is meant as a 6-days trip, crossing the whole length of the Curonian Spit, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, starting in Smiltynė, Lithuania, in the north, and finishing in Zelenogradsk, Russia, in the south. In Lithuania, the trail will have you walking along the windswept beach of the Baltic coast, on the scrubby dune ridge, in the old forest of Juodkrantė, along the peaceful Curonian Lagoon, past a few pretty resort towns and villages. In Russia, it's a long (and somewhat monotonous) walk down the Baltic coast, with side visits to the national park's discovery trails and villages

START: Smiltynė New Ferry Terminal, on the northern tip of the Spit, just across Klaipėda Strait

FINISH: Zelenogradsk Promenade, in the resort town of the same name (ru. Зеленоградск), the Russian gateway to the Curonian Spit

DISTANCE: 125 km

MAPS: Lithuania: Curonian Spit (Briedis). For a map of the Russian part, see here: http://park-kosa.ru/images/schema.jpg

RESUPPLYING: there are convenience stores along the trail in Juodkrantė, Pervalka, Preila, Nida (in Lithuania) and in Rybachy (ru. Рыбачий) and Lesnoy (ru. Лесной) (in Russia)

RESTAURANTS: many to choose from along the trail

CAMPSITES / ACCOMMODATION: since wild camping is not allowed on the Lithuanian side of the Curonian Spit, and there's only one camping ground on the Russian side, my suggestion is to travel light and rely on indoor accommodation in both Lithuania and Russia

⚠ this trail crosses an international border. It is very likely that you’ll need a Russian visa, which must be obtained beforehand. Also, note that crossing the border on foot is not allowed. You will have to get on a bus in Nida and hop off in Morskoe (ru. Морское)