Introducing Klaipėda

Sea port Klaipėda, 315km west of Vilnius, is the springboard to the natural beauty of the Curonian Spit. But as Lithuania's third-largest city, it is worth a stop in its own right, notably for its Germanic flavour and architecture that reflects its fascinating past as Prussian capital Memel. The city was destroyed in WWII, during which it served as a Nazi submarine base, but a teeny weeny patch of its Old Town survived unscathed - as did one tower of its once magnificent red-brick castle.

Straddling the narrow strait where the Curonian Lagoon opens into the Baltic Sea, the city is Lithuania's only port of call for Titanic-sized cruise ships, and a vital sea link for cargo and passenger ferries between Lithuania, Scandinavia and beyond. Klaipėda celebrates its rich nautical heritage each July with a flamboyant five-day Sea Festival (www.juros.svente.lt).