Klaipėda

There's a distinctly German flavour to Klaipėda (klai-pey-da). Lithuania's third-largest city, formerly known as Memel, was part of the Prussian Kingdom until the region wrestled to autonomy in 1923. Buildings in the compact, cobblestoned Old Town are constructed in the German fachwerk style – that is, with distinctive half-timbered facades. Beyond the orderly historic centre, the modern city sprawls into an industrial forest of cranes and shipyards, sliced in two by the Danė River as it meanders into the Baltic Sea.

Most people only catch a glimpse of Klaipėda as they rush headlong for the ferry to Curonian Spit, the birch-lined tendril of land across the lagoon. But spend a few hours – or even better, a day – and you’ll be rewarded by a town as rich in historic architecture as sculptures and street art, not to mention a bevy of bars in which to sip beers by the water.

Explore Klaipėda

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Klaipėda Castle Museum
The castle museum is spread across four exhibition spaces around Klaipėda's castle – two of these are located in atmospherically lit tunnels and deal with…
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Pranas Domšaitis Gallery
This gallery is renowned for the bold works by the Prussian-born expressionist painter Pranas Domšaitis (1880–1965), who spent his last years in South…
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Clock Museum
If you want to know what makes things tick, look no further than this niche museum that explores human measurement of time, from the earliest sundials to…
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Švyturys
Klaipėda is home to the country’s second-oldest brewery, where its biggest beer, Švyturys, has been brewed since 1784. Book through the tourist office or…
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History Museum of Lithuania Minor
This creaky-floored little museum traces the origins of ‘Lithuania Minor’ (Kleinlitauen), as this coastal region was known during its several centuries as…
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Klaipėda Sculpture Park
Established on the site of the main cemetery of the old Prussian city of Memel (Klaipėda in a former incarnation), in 1977, this L-shaped park became an…
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Farewell Statue
This poignant statue of a mother with a headscarf, a suitcase in one hand, and the hand of a small boy clutching a teddy bear in the other, stand outside…
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Black Ghost
If strolling near the cruise ship pier, keep an eye out for this grotesque hooded figure, clambering out of the water whilst clutching a lamp. Local…
B
Blacksmith’s Museum
This museum displays ornate forged-iron works such as ornate 19th-century stove doors and elaborate crosses salvaged from the town’s former cemetery …

K
Klaipėda Castle Museum
The castle museum is spread across four exhibition spaces around Klaipėda's castle – two of these are located in atmospherically lit tunnels and deal with…
P
Pranas Domšaitis Gallery
This gallery is renowned for the bold works by the Prussian-born expressionist painter Pranas Domšaitis (1880–1965), who spent his last years in South…
C
Clock Museum
If you want to know what makes things tick, look no further than this niche museum that explores human measurement of time, from the earliest sundials to…
Š
Švyturys
Klaipėda is home to the country’s second-oldest brewery, where its biggest beer, Švyturys, has been brewed since 1784. Book through the tourist office or…
H
History Museum of Lithuania Minor
This creaky-floored little museum traces the origins of ‘Lithuania Minor’ (Kleinlitauen), as this coastal region was known during its several centuries as…
K
Klaipėda Sculpture Park
Established on the site of the main cemetery of the old Prussian city of Memel (Klaipėda in a former incarnation), in 1977, this L-shaped park became an…
F
Farewell Statue
This poignant statue of a mother with a headscarf, a suitcase in one hand, and the hand of a small boy clutching a teddy bear in the other, stand outside…
B
Black Ghost
If strolling near the cruise ship pier, keep an eye out for this grotesque hooded figure, clambering out of the water whilst clutching a lamp. Local…
B
Blacksmith’s Museum
This museum displays ornate forged-iron works such as ornate 19th-century stove doors and elaborate crosses salvaged from the town’s former cemetery …

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Klaipėda.

See
Klaipėda Castle Museum
The castle museum is spread across four exhibition spaces around Klaipėda's castle – two of these are located in atmospherically lit tunnels and deal with…
See
Pranas Domšaitis Gallery
This gallery is renowned for the bold works by the Prussian-born expressionist painter Pranas Domšaitis (1880–1965), who spent his last years in South…
See
Clock Museum
If you want to know what makes things tick, look no further than this niche museum that explores human measurement of time, from the earliest sundials to…
See
Švyturys
Klaipėda is home to the country’s second-oldest brewery, where its biggest beer, Švyturys, has been brewed since 1784. Book through the tourist office or…
See
History Museum of Lithuania Minor
This creaky-floored little museum traces the origins of ‘Lithuania Minor’ (Kleinlitauen), as this coastal region was known during its several centuries as…
See
Klaipėda Sculpture Park
Established on the site of the main cemetery of the old Prussian city of Memel (Klaipėda in a former incarnation), in 1977, this L-shaped park became an…
See
Farewell Statue
This poignant statue of a mother with a headscarf, a suitcase in one hand, and the hand of a small boy clutching a teddy bear in the other, stand outside…
See
Black Ghost
If strolling near the cruise ship pier, keep an eye out for this grotesque hooded figure, clambering out of the water whilst clutching a lamp. Local…
See
Blacksmith’s Museum
This museum displays ornate forged-iron works such as ornate 19th-century stove doors and elaborate crosses salvaged from the town’s former cemetery …

Guidebooks

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