Getting Around Klaipeda

Klaipeda, Lithuania

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Getting Around Klaipėda

Klaipėda is Lithuania's third-largest city and its only major seaport, stretched north–south along the Baltic coast. That shape matters for visitors: most of what you'll want to see sits on a north–south spine running from the university quarter and the bus and railway station down through the Old Town toward the shopping and port areas. The good news is that the city is compact enough to walk in its central parts, and public transport, taxis and ferries fill in the rest.

Rail, Metro and Trams

Klaipėda has no metro and no trams. The city scrapped its tram network back in 1967, and although there has been interest in restoring trams, the cost has been judged prohibitive, so don't expect to see rails in the street.

What the city does have is a railway station, located in the north of town. The original Prussian yellow-brick station dates from 1881, but most facilities today are in the adjacent red-brick building from 1983, recognisable by its tower. Inside you'll find left luggage lockers, toilets and a snack bar. Trains connect Klaipėda with Vilnius every couple of hours, a journey of around four and a half hours that passes through a string of towns including Šiauliai, Telšiai, Plungė and Kretinga. There is no direct train to Kaunas; you have to change in Vilnius or Šiauliai, which makes for a roughly five-hour trip. A few local trains a day also run to Šilutė, taking about an hour.

Buses and Public Transport

The city bus network is the main way visitors get around beyond walking distance. Because Klaipėda stretches along the coast, many routes follow a common spine: starting in the university quarter, passing the bus and railway station, then heading south along H. Manto gatvė, across the bridge into the Old Town and on down Tiltų gatvė toward the Akropolis shopping mall. Bus 8, for example, runs frequently along this spine via Taikos prospektas, while Bus 9 runs closer to the shore, passing the Old Ferry Terminal, the castle, and continuing south to the New Ferry Terminal and the shipping port. Timetables and route details are published on the Klaipėda Transport website.

Tickets are simple. A single paper ticket costs €0.80 from a kiosk or €1 if you buy it from the driver. Whatever you buy, validate your ticket immediately when you board.

The bus station sits just outside the railway station on Butkų Juzės gatvė. It's fairly clean and modern, with cafés and a waiting area, and it's the arrival point for long-distance services from Palanga, Vilnius, Kaunas and Riga airports. Several operators run hourly buses from Vilnius to Klaipėda and onward north to Palanga, the airport and Šventoji, and hourly from Kaunas; some of these start further afield in Druskininkai and Alytus.

One bus deserves special mention for sightseeing: Bus N1 runs down the Curonian Spit every two hours, connecting with the ferries at the Smiltynė old ferry terminal and continuing to Juodkrantė and Nida. It carries bicycles, which makes it a practical option if you want to explore the spit without a car.

Taxis and Ride-Hailing

Taxis are easy to arrange. The simplest method is the eTAKSI smartphone app, or you can call +370 633 44 553. Fares are modest: as of 2023 there was a fixed starting fee of €1 plus €0.80 per kilometre, so a ride from the bus and railway station to the Old Town came to roughly €3.40. That makes taxis a reasonable choice for short hops, especially with luggage or late at night.

Walking

Central Klaipėda is walkable. The Old Town, the castle area and the stretch along the water sit close together, and the bus and railway station is within reach of the centre on foot for those who don't mind a longer stroll. The city's north–south layout means that walking is most pleasant within the core, while the more distant districts and the port area are better reached by bus or taxi.

Walking also pairs naturally with the ferries. The Old Ferry Terminal, where foot passengers board for Smiltynė, is right by the cruise ship terminal and within the walkable centre, and on the far side the Smiltynė Old Terminal is within walking distance of the Sea Museum.

Ferries Across the Water

Two ferry routes link Klaipėda with Smiltynė on the Curonian Spit, and both carry foot passengers as well as vehicles. The Old Ferry Terminal is the one for pedestrians: it runs daily from 07:00 to 23:00, every 30 minutes, and the crossing takes just five minutes. An adult single fare was €1.50 in 2023, with under-7s, bicycles and suitcases travelling free. The New Ferry Terminal, about 2 km south, is primarily for vehicles but also carries foot passengers at the same fares; it runs every 20 minutes during the day and hourly overnight. Motorbikes and cars pay more, and there is an ecological fee for entering the Neringa municipality, which covers most of the Lithuanian side of the spit.

Note that ferries no longer sail directly from Klaipėda to Juodkrantė or Nida, though private operators may offer such trips for foot passengers. To reach those spots, take the ferry to Smiltynė and pick up Bus N1.

Bicycles

Bikes are a good way to explore the Curonian Spit, and you can rent them in the city. Du ratai, near the Klaipėda old ferry terminal, is open daily from 09:00 to 18:00, and VeloRent.lt is another option. Bicycles cross on the ferries free of charge and are carried on Bus N1.

Getting from the Airport into the City

Klaipėda's own airfield, 7 km east of the city near the A1/E85 highway, is a privately run facility focused on sports aviation and charter services, so most visitors arrive through one of the nearby international airports instead.

If you're arriving by sea rather than air, the Port of Klaipėda is served by ferry lines from Swedish and German ports, and the same ferry terminals are your starting point for crossings to the Curonian Spit.

Sources

  1. Klaipėda
  2. Wikivoyage: Klaipėda

About this place