Zelenogradsk and the Curonian Spit National Park. Curonian Spit National Park

Excursions to the Curonian Spit 2019 - the best routes and attractions of the reserve. How to get to the Curonian Spit on your own.

An excursion to the Curonian Spit is the best thing that can happen to you in Kaliningrad region. It's even cooler than Kaliningrad itself. It will especially appeal to those to whom the Baltic (cold sea, snow-white, as if sifted, sand, dunes) is a curiosity. The territory of the Curonian Spit is divided between Lithuania and. The border lies approximately in the middle, or to be more precise - 49 kilometers from Zelenogradsk (total length - about 98 km).

For more than 15 years, this natural landmark of the Baltic has been on the UNESCO lists. The reason for the reverent attitude to this piece of land is simple: the territory is an aesthetic value, similar to which is not found anywhere else in the world. The Curonian Spit, along with the Hel and Baltic Spit, forms a complex of dunes Baltic coast. Biodiversity and several types of landscapes make this area a treasure trove for research in the field of geology.

On the territory of the Curonian Spit there are several unique areas where you can see rare and even endangered species of birds, plants and animals.

Every year, in spring and autumn, up to 20 million birds flock to the national park, most of who linger here to recuperate: before returning home or before a jerk to the south.

Favorable climatic conditions and picturesque landscapes make the Curonian Spit popular place and for beach holiday. True, it is worth making allowances for temperatures Baltic water and air - bathing season sometimes takes a couple of weeks. But the beaches are gorgeous: spacious, clean, snow-white. Most of them are practically not equipped.

Excursions to the Curonian Spit 2019

There are three options to get to the spit: on your own, with a guided tour and with an individual tour. The first method is mainly for those who have their own car, and even then with restrictions. The other two are in stable demand:

• The most popular option is a regular tour. The only thing that overshadows it: a large number of people in the group and a lack of free time - not just for lunch, at least to look at everything closer and take pictures. As always, gallop. But, despite the confusion of the organization, the tour guides were great. Prices from 1300 rubles. for a person.
• Upon returning, it turned out that there is a more comfortable option - a trip with individual guide. On Tripster, which I now actively use, there is a choice of routes to the spit. The only downside to them is that they are not cheap. The cost is from 5500 rubles. for the tour, in a group of 1 to 4 people - according to the number of seats in the car. Some guides have cars with 7 seats.

Most popular route- (7.5 hours from Kaliningrad to the national park and back). If there are no free dates, look at others - they are no worse. By the way, for new excursions that have not yet received enough reviews, guides make discounts, often up to 50%.

Sights of the Curonian Spit

On the Russian part of the spit, you can visit the national park of the same name, the leading (!) in terms of attendance among the huge number of reserves in the country. To preserve the delicate ecosystem of the park and protect the spit from destruction, free access to this land area is limited. However, excursions to the Curonian Spit National Park are held: the entrance to the territory is paid, but it is superbly equipped for walking. For excursion groups, a route was developed, passing along picturesque places, but not affecting the most vulnerable areas.

1. Fringilla Station (Curonian Spit)

Communication with ornithologists on the Curonian Spit allows you to learn more about the bird world, as well as get to know more than centuries of history cooperation between European and Russian scientists. On the territory of Fringilla, the highest traps of all that can be seen at similar stations are installed.

"Fringilla" is catching and studying a huge number of birds. The process is proceeding very successfully, because the ancient bird migration route runs through the station, along which several million birds fly every year. At Fringill, such species of birds as willow warbler, robin, siskin, yellow-headed kinglet, brambling, great tit, song thrush, moskovka, blue tit and, of course, the chaffinch, whose Latin name (lat. Eringilla coelebs) and the name of the station.

Tourists are met by experienced guides with deep knowledge of ornithology. They tell interesting stories from the life of the research center and birds, along the way answering questions that have arisen. If tourist groups lucky, you can see how the process of catching and ringing birds.

2. "Royal Forest" (Curonian Spit)

Route "Royal Forest" on the Curonian Spit

Another popular forest route is called "Royal Forest" and runs along the initial section of the spit - 5-6 km from Zelenogradsk. This route, the distance of which is 2.8 kilometers, runs through the ancient forest, represented by coniferous trees, many of which are over a hundred years old. Picturesque forest landscapes and nearby water meadows were part of the royal reserve in the old days, where the best falcons in all of Prussia were caught and trained.

The forest growing here has never been cut down. Also interesting fact is that not far from the forest there is one of the most popular tourist centers of the Curonian Spit - "Dunes".

3. "Dancing Forest" (Curonian Spit)

The Dancing Forest is a visiting card of the Curonian Spit

The Dancing Forest route, only 800 meters long, is notable for the fact that along its course you can see a unique section pine forest with picturesquely curved trees planted to strengthen the dune Round. This phenomenon is being studied by scientists, but popular rumor finds its explanation for it. Some are sure that somewhere here, in the Curonian Spit reserve, there was that same pagan Sacred Grove. Others talk about space-time distortions and other anomalies of this kind.

Be that as it may, the Dancing Forest is one of the most beautiful places Curonian Spit. And it attracts not only mystics and lovers of "devilry".

4. "Muller height" (Curonian Spit)

Tour impressions: 9 out of 10 points

The route, laid on the 32nd kilometer, is called the "Muller Height", has a length of 3.5 km. Passes through the territory of the most ancient part of the Curonian Spit - Rasite Island, which has glacial origin and being the historical beginning of the sandy body of the spit. Like the height of Efa (more on that below), the route was named after a scientist who fought against the movement of sand. Along the route, you can get acquainted with the richness of local nature, see how work is being done to strengthen the dune, visit the village of Rybachy. And, of course, to explore the surroundings from the observation deck, located at a height of 44.5 meters.

5. "Height of Efa" (Curonian Spit)

Tour impressions: 10 out of 10 points

Observation deck "Height of Efa"

Another "high-altitude" route of the national park is named "Efa Height". Its length is 2.8 km, it passes on the 42nd kilometer of the spit, near the village of Morskoy. The height of Efa is the most high point Dunes Petsh (Orekhovaya), and it is named after the scientist and activist Franz Efa, who worked on the problem of fixing moving sands. The main part of the route passes along the southwestern slope, overgrown with forest, which is the very “safety belt” that prevents the dune from moving to the side settlements.

Along the route, you can visit two observation platforms, each offering views of the village, the forest and the water surface of the Curonian Lagoon. The height of Efa is an excellent place for lovers of landscape photography.

6. Lake Swan (Curonian Spit)

Not included in the standard tour itinerary

Panorama of Lake Swan on the Curonian Spit

The "Lake Swan" route is the longest route on the Curonian Spit, its length is more than 4 km. It is located closest to Lithuania, on the 47th kilometer of the spit. This route allows you to get acquainted with the geological beauties of the spit and admire the surrounding landscapes from a height of 55 meters.

Of course, there are other attractions in the national park, because along its length there are many settlements with rich history. But you will learn more about them from the guide who will accompany you throughout the tour of the Curonian Spit.

It is important to know that the entrance (and at the same time the entrance) to the park is carried out with passes, you can only walk along special paths, walking on the sand can be fraught not only with a fine and expulsion from the park, but also with shedding a large number sand into the bay water.

How is the excursion to the Curonian Spit

Now you know everything about the routes of the reserve and even more. But keep in mind: in standard tour only includes a visit of the dancing forest”, “Efa Heights” and the Fringilla ornithological station. Sometimes a miracle happens, and tourists are led first to the “Efa Height”, and then to the “Muller Height”.

To see more and adjust the trip to your taste, you need an individual route. You already have a list.

By the way, having returned home, we figured that we would book an individual tour for 6000-8000 rubles. for four (and our company just consisted of four participants), it would be profitable. This is 1500-2000 rubles. per person against 1300 rubles. for a group tour, where there were exactly 42 of those same participants. But now it’s too late to think, I will tell you about the trip on a big bus, since we visited it. By the way, you can buy it on the spot, already in Kaliningrad itself.

The first stop on the way to the Curonian Spit is in the village of Morskoy. There is a fish shop where you can buy local products (the hit of the program is smoked eel). At each stop of the route you will also see shops with amber. If you have not yet purchased any of the products, you should know that the prices are lower than in Kaliningrad.

Well, then the Curonian Spit - solid vivid impressions. It is difficult to single out which is more picturesque: viewing platforms, the Dancing Forest or the ornithological station, where the first owl of the season was caught a couple of hours before our arrival.

Only a catastrophically small amount of free time at each object upsets. We ran at a gallop through the Dancing Forest, on the observation deck of Efa everyone was very nervous while 42 people were photographed, and we were given 35 minutes to rest and have lunch on the Baltic coast.

Not even so: either on vacation or for lunch, since it is unrealistic to manage both in such a period of time. We chose a vacation: the coast and white sand no one had seen it before, and everyone watched the film "Long Road in the Dunes" in childhood. And I also love the detective series “Bay of Fear”, which was filmed in Morskoye and right in the middle of the Dancing Forest ... But if I start to tell, the article will be endless.

Tourists on the banks of the Curonian Spit

Thus, we managed to spend 15 minutes (given that you need to get from the bus and back) on the shores of the Baltic Sea - and this is a real buzz.

And in order not to exaggerate, in conclusion I will say: the rest of the tour was friendly and in some places very fun. We even became friends with guys from Yekaterinburg and a girl from Khabarovsk and then traveled together.

Route of the Curonian Spit on the map

Theoretically, you can walk the distance from Korolevskoy Bor to Lebed Lake in 12 hours. In practice, this is almost impossible. There are few places where you can walk around the national park with impunity, and moving around without a car is quite difficult.

The Curonian Spit is a landmark of Kaliningrad. It should be noted that the Curonian Spit is located 40 km. from Kaliningrad and actually starts from the city of Zelenogradsk. But few people know the city of Zelenogradsk, unlike the city of Kaliningrad, and we were no exception. But since the trip was planned to Kaliningrad and accommodation was also in it, the route to the Curonian Spit National Park of Russia began from the city of Kaliningrad. It is not difficult to visit the Curonian Spit National Park on your own, but keep in mind that the park is located 40 km away. from Kaliningrad and itself has a length of 98 kilometers, of which about 48 in Russia, and 50 kilometers in Lithuania. Thus, understanding what distances you need to overcome, it is better if you travel by car or sightseeing buses. And so everything is detailed.

• Two banks of the Curonian Spit
• Dancing Forest Curonian Spit
• Efa height on the Curonian Spit

How to get to the Curonian Spit

It is more convenient to get to the Curonian Spit by private transport. The distance from Kaliningrad to Zelenogradsk is 40 km. overcome in 50 minutes on a good highway. It turned out to be more difficult to drive the last couple of kilometers around the city in the direction of the park, since the road was not in the best condition and there were few signs, fortunately there was a navigator.

Some tourists, judging by the blogs, get to the city of Zelenogradsk by regular buses and transfer to bicycles or other regular buses going to the towns on the Curonian Spit. And so we drove the city of Zelenogradsk by car and headed to the park. There is a barrier at the entrance to the national park. To travel to the territory of the Curonian Spit Park, you need to pay for "recreational services" 300 rubles. from a passenger car, the number of people in the car does not affect the fare.

Curonian Spit entrance to the park

Next to the security booth and the ticket office, there is a stand with a map of the Curonian Spit National Park of Russia. The map is detailed, I post it without reducing the resolution in jpeg, .

Having bought a ticket for travel at the box office and photographed a map of the park just in case, we get into the car and drive through the barrier. Immediately after the barrier, we are greeted by an interesting sign of the park.

The road in the park is good, constantly asphalt, without potholes and pits. One lane in each direction. Since the road is good, there are travelers on bicycles and roller skates, but their number is not large and they do not interfere with driving along the road.

I was very pleased with the presence of information boards along the road near the main attractions.

Korolevsky Bor Curonian Spit or Forestry Grenz

The first place to stop in the Curonian Spit National Park was Korolevskiy Bor.

Each location for sightseeing or other interesting places, parking available.

To view Korolevskiy Bor, you need to get out of the car and go into the forest. The road leads into the depths.

So that the walk through the forest is not overshadowed, the forest is treated against ticks, as the poster says.

We did not go far, that is, we entered the forest at a distance of 50 meters and took a couple of shots.

Two banks of the Curonian Spit

After visiting Korolevskiy Bor, we moved on, but after just a few kilometers we noticed that the sea was visible from the side of the road through a small piece of land. We stopped and went along the equipped path towards the sea. I would like to note that many sights are necessarily marked with information boards and, as a rule, equipped with parking, and the routes are covered with wooden flooring and equipped with stairs where you need to climb or descend, which is very convenient.

Here you can already see a piece of the raging sea. The Curonian Spit has two shores, east and west. The eastern coast overlooks the Curonian Lagoon, and the western coast overlooks the Baltic Sea. So now we have before us the western coast of the Curonian Spit.

Seeing the raging sea and a wide sandy line, it was windy on our day visiting the Curonian Spit Park, I wanted to get closer to the water and take a walk along the coast. Apparently, such a feeling arose not only among us, since a wooden staircase led to the shore.

The noise of the sea was such that you had to shout to communicate. Returning back to the road and crossing it to the other side, we went towards another gap in the forest.

The path to the other side of the spit was longer, if it was 150-200 meters from the road to the raging side, then 300 meters to the quiet side.

Judging by the paths, a lot of people pass here.

And here is the other side of the island, the contrast just turned out to be colossal, there is wind and waves, and on this there is silence and grace. We also recommend that you stop and look at the contrast in the weather at a distance of 500 meters. Although in good weather there will probably not be such a contrast in the sea.

Dancing Forest Curonian Spit

Dancing Forest Curonian Spit, the most famous attraction of the national park. We skipped the bird ringing station and didn't stop at Müller's Height, but we couldn't help but visit the Dancing Forest. It is difficult to drive past the sights of the park, as there is only one road on the spit and information signs are installed everywhere.

As elsewhere, before the start of the route there is a parking lot and shops selling souvenirs, mainly magnets and amber products.

Immediately behind the souvenir shops, the route through the Dancing Forest begins, at the beginning, as in an ordinary forest.

And having gone a decent way, you begin to observe winding trees, at first solitary, then more.

Basically, the route is laid out of wooden flooring and fenced.

Also, in addition to the fence, there are signs asking you not to go beyond the fence, so as not to harm nature.

And now, having made a circle, along a route no longer than 800 meters, you end up in an ordinary forest and approach the souvenir shops from the other side.

Efa height on the Curonian Spit

After the Dancing Forest, we headed to the next attraction of the Efa Height National Park. The distance from the Dancing Forest to the Efa Height on the Curonian Spit is 5 km. Leaving the car in the parking lot and passing by the shopping malls, we go to the Efa Height route.

It is necessary to prepare for the route of 2.8 km. in this case, it will be necessary to go all the time to the top to the observation platforms. The route is well prepared, almost everywhere there is a wooden flooring and stairs for climbing, so you can go through the route with any physical fitness, but you should keep in mind that there will still be a load on the heart.

10 minutes after the start of the route, we reached the first observation deck, from which there was an overview of the transition from the forest to the sand without vegetation. Forests are a very important part of stopping dune movement. In these places, they always struggled with the movement of sand, which did not allow farming, but also covered entire villages.

admired extraordinary scenery moved on. A wooden deck was laid along the route, but in places where the deck was laid on open sand, dry tree branches lay, reinforced with wire, this was done specifically to reduce sand movement.

After walking for another four minutes, we reached another observation deck, here we had a view of the endless sands against the backdrop of the sea and sky. It is a pity that on our day of visiting the Curonian Spit Park it was not sunny and the photos were not bright.

After seeing the beauty, they got acquainted with the information on the stand prepared by the administration of the Curonian Spit National Park.

They were surprised that these sands covered the village several times. Now the path lay back, it was easier to go, since the road now led to the bottom.

Having reached the parking lot, we, like many others, did not go to the car, but crossed the road and headed to the other side of the Curonian Spit. On this shore, the sea was raging and a strong wind was blowing.

Taking a few photos from the observation deck of the Baltic Sea. went back to the car.

Russian border in the Curonian Spit National Park

From the height of Efa to the border of Russia with Lithuania is 6 km .. We decided to look at this checkpoint. Having passed the Swan Lake route, we drove up to the border. There were no people at the checkpoint, although we had a Schengen visa, we did not go to the Lithuanian side, as we planned to visit the village of Yantarny on that day, where the amber mining plant is located.

What to see in Kaliningrad in 3 days, where to go? Five routes in Kaliningrad

Kaliningrad Amber Museum, Rossgarten Gates and the Don Tower we visit on our own

Rossgarten Gate Amber Museum Kaliningrad, as well as the Don Tower, we continue to get acquainted independently with the sights of Kaliningrad. City of Kaliningrad or old name

I understand that the Curonian Spit in the Kaliningrad region is the most popular and one of the few natural monuments. Perhaps our journey there is not unique in itself, but the highlight of the trip will be that we will get to the Curonian Spit on our own, by hitchhiking. And also go through four of the six routes.

How to get to the Curonian Spit from Kaliningrad

From Kaliningrad to Zelenogradsk

First, it was necessary to get to Zelenogradsk, from where regular buses run to the spit.

By bus.

From the Kaliningrad bus station to Zelenogradsk there are buses under the numbers:

• through Orlovka No. 114 - an interval of 2 hours.
• through Sosnovka No. 140 - an interval of 30 minutes,
• through Petrovo old road No. 141 - interval 30 min.

The last bus is the earliest (6:00) and the latest (22:20) of all.

• Time in way - hour with little.
• The fare is 68 rubles.

On the train.

It is also quite convenient to travel around the Kaliningrad region by electric trains, and the cost of a ticket for them is lower. That's just the interval of movement is largely greater than on buses. To two stations:

• Southern Kaliningrad - Zelenogradsk - 53 rubles.
• Northern Kaliningrad - Zelenogradsk - 46 rubles.

The relevance of the schedule of buses and trains can be checked.

From Zelenogradsk to the Curonian Spit

From the Zelenogradsk bus station there are several minibuses with a rather rare interval. The cost of the trip will depend on how far we want to go. For example, to the "height of Efa" the fare costs 85 rubles, and to the "Dancing Trees" - 74 rubles. from a person.

I give the schedule of minibuses below (click to open in large size).

I will say right away that on the Curonian Spit there are several hiking trails, to be exact, 5 main ones. But due to the fact that between the routes there are quite large distances of several kilometers and too long a traffic interval scheduled buses, then it is more convenient to move between them either with a tour or by.

Excursions

On the Curonian Spit

Individual excursions:

• Other

Hitchhiking to the Curonian Spit

We personally hitchhiked. Let's dwell on this in more detail. Especially for this trip, we have chosen the best day according to the weather forecast. Already at 8 in the morning we were standing at the bus stop, waiting for trolleybus number 2, which travels outside the Kaliningrad bypass.

There are two roads to Zelenogradsk (even 3) - old and new. The last one is something like “Hai Wei”). But before we got there, I didn't know that. If you look at the map, then the final stop of our trolleybus is just located on the old track. I reasoned that more transport runs along the new one, which means it will be easier to leave from there to Zelenogradsk. Therefore, we got off at the Fifth Fort stop and, having passed the interchange, stood at the bypass.

After about 15 minutes, a young man slowed down next to us, who quickly rushed to the “new” highway to Zelenogradsk. He specially took us out of the interchange so that we didn’t even have to choose a place.

The next driver was a young woman who was driving only to the airport, thanks to her I learned some of the nuances of paying for a ticket at the checkpoint at the entrance to the Curonian Spit. I will write more about this below.

And here I realized that we would have to go further along the “high way”. Not that it bothered me, in China, for example, Andrei and I only moved there, periodically hiding in the bushes from the cops. It’s just that I haven’t hitchhiked for a long time, it’s not known how drivers in the Kainingrad region treat hitchhikers on the “high” road.

All my fears were in vain, we were easily picked up on any part of the path. One man stood almost in the middle of the road, raking a small van for a long time, making room for us to give us a lift of only 7 km.

The last driver dropped us off 300 meters from the Zelenogradsk bus station, where we hurried to. We were lucky, the minibus we needed was at the bus stop.

So why did we decide to take a regular bus from Zelenogradsk? As the woman driving to the airport explained to us, the entrance to the Curonian Spit for tourists is paid. 150 rub. per person (except for children under 12 and disabled people) is charged regardless of the mode of transportation, whether on foot or by other means of transport. In addition, a fee of 300 rubles is charged for a private car, including payment for the driver.

Therefore, in order not to strain the drivers, we decided to go by bus. There is also an opinion that those who travel by bus can walk along the spit for free. So we decided to take a risk.

Curonian spit. Route "Height of Efa"

Several tourists were sitting on the bus, it could be seen from appearance and on the eternal questions they asked the driver and the locals. Alright, let's take a look at them. The women rode to the Efa height route. And I, frankly, have not yet thought about how we should move better. This question began to worry me more when I found out the bus schedule and saw the narrow road of the Curonian Spit, one lane in both directions.

I decided that if it was completely bad with transport, then we'd better see the most interesting things first, and then how it goes. Therefore, we bought a ticket to the Dancing Forest route. But, the driver forgot about our request to warn about the stop, as a result, we ended up together with everyone at the "height of Efa". But I didn't have to pay for the ride.

Leaving the minibus, as soon as I thought to cross the road to go to the information stands, I heard a greeting from the right. Turning his head, 10 meters from us, two men in uniform were found. Most likely the protection of the national park. The one closest to me gestured for us to come closer.

I approached and immediately heard a brief:

- Where?
“From Kirov,” I answered without hesitation.
- 150 rubles. for entering the park.
“But…” I hesitated, “Why didn’t you ask them for anything then?” I pointed to the retreating backs of the women who had come with us.
"They're locals," he replied calmly.

I did not argue and reluctantly gave 300 rubles. for two. What kind of injustice?!

A little upset, we trudged in the direction where we originally planned.

For those who are going to visit the Curonian Spit, I highly recommend downloading (for Android and Apple) a personal official guide from the developers of the Curonian Spit National Park. If GPS is turned on, then at certain points the guide will turn on itself and tell about the history of the spit and more.

So I will not delve too deeply into the stories, just show you which routes and what you can see.

A very short path led us straight to the shore to the sea.

You can stand and admire the waves from a height, or you can go down to the sand.

However, walking on the sands in the guidebook is not recommended.

I thought that was all, when on the way back across the road I saw the sign "Efa Height" and a boardwalk into the forest.

After some time, the boards ran out and we walked up the hill along the beaten track. On the route "height of Efa" there are two heights (sorry for the tautology) or observation platforms, from where you can see the dunes, rare plants and a piece of the sea.

In fact, the entire Curonian Spit used to be covered with greenery until the forest began to be cut down. As soon as the trees disappeared, the territory of the spit began to turn into a desert. Something similar can now be observed in Vietnam.

When we returned along the familiar path to the road, the same man in uniform was standing by his car. I approached him and asked how far it was to the Dancing Forest. He said something like 4 km.

Hmmm ... walking is definitely not an option, and the regular bus will be in an hour only. There was nothing left but to cross the road and catch a car in front of the parking lot. Hitchhiking on the Curonian Spit is complicated by the fact that the roads here are narrow, and there is practically nowhere for cars to park on the side of the road. Therefore, we often caught a car directly from parking lots or parking lots.

“Efa Height” is the penultimate route, not many reach the last “Lake Swan”, so there were few cars. In 20 minutes, maybe 5 cars passed from that side, and none of them wanted to give us a lift.

Then I saw how our already familiar guardian of order on the Curonian Spit got into the car and began to turn around. I randomly raised my hand and he slowed down beside me. Smiling, I repeated my intention to get to the Dancing Forest and off we went. The resentment for the morning injustice somehow immediately quickly disappeared.

Curonian spit. dancing forest

A few minutes later we were at the right turn, where we were dropped off. He drove to the parking lot alone, probably so as not to “shine” in front of his own. The remaining 400 meters we easily covered on foot.

The Dancing Forest is so named because a few dozen strangely twisted trees have grown on a small plot of land. To be honest, I did not see anything unique in them.

On the way to Baltiysk, for example, there are a lot of such areas in the forest. Yes, and in our forests such trees are rare, but they are found.

It would be possible to attribute the uniqueness to the fact that they are all collected in one small area, but this is not entirely true, in a fenced area you can count the trees truly twisted into a ring on your fingers, and all the rest only “curl” a little, and that's not all.

You can’t get close to the ring trees, and you can’t even take a picture normally, because now there is a small fence from vandals.

Having made a circle of honor, we set off on the return journey.

Curonian spit. Muller Height

The next point is located near the village of Rybachy. We were thrown literally before the turn to the village. We decided to walk the rest of the mile. For hikers, there is a bonus here - this is a branch to the right to the old German cemetery.

Frankly, throughout the Kaliningrad region, I have seen such marks more than once. So it's an amateur.

Before the end point, water appeared on the left - this is Lake Chaika.

First, let's look at it, especially for tourists a good wooden platform was built here, going straight into the water. Do you want photo shoots...

And if you want, feed the swans.

Across the road from the lake begins the 2-kilometer route "Muller height". Up to the highest point we went uphill through centuries-old plantations of spruces and pines of various kinds.

Near the village of Rybachy, Muller height is the highest point of the Bruchberg dune - 44.5 meters above sea level. We climb up and look around the surroundings.

In March, the landscape is not too colorful, for sure in the summer there is a more picturesque view.

Below, under the observation deck, there is a stone erected in honor of the same Muller, the forester, thanks to whom it was possible to stop the movement of sands by a special method of forest planting.

We returned along another road, which the guidebook will tell you about.

In the parking lot, even at the entrance, we noticed a gazebo, where we decided to have a bite to eat normally. There are cafes in the parking lots on the Curonian Spit, however, do not go to a fortune teller, it is clear that food will be many times more expensive. Therefore, we took care of our lunch in advance, taking it in the morning with us in a backpack.

Curonian spit. Royal Forest

It was three o'clock in the afternoon when we again went out onto the road. I wasn't sure about the last route, Korolevskiy Bor, because we still had to get to Kaliningrad before dark. Never liked hitchhiking in the dark.

But, once again we were lucky with the car. The young man who took us as a companion traveled all the way to Zelenogradsk. That is, we could easily get to the last route without transfers, and there it was within easy reach to the city.

So they did. The guy was talkative, he kept telling how he and his family walked along the Swan Lake route, where we did not go due to time savings. He said that the views there are such, as much as the head is spinning. Of course, I always make allowances for third-party opinions, but after his admiring phrases, I even somehow regretted that we had not reached the lake.

Time for conversations flew by quickly and now we are on the last route of 3 km.

This route differs from the rest in the abundance of vegetation. The forest through which we walked can be safely called a forest. And it is royal because after the deer began to disappear due to the fault of rich hunters, King Friedrich Wilhelm I organized a reserve on the spit. So here you can see really age-old coniferous trees, especially the giant thuja. A separate path leads to it.

If the beginning of the route looks a little dull and often resembles forests in the home area, then after 1-1.5 km the situation changes.

This section of the path looks very frightening, especially now - in March, when the crowns have not yet been covered with greenery.

The guidebook says that in Korolevskiy Bor there is an opportunity to meet wild animals, more often wild boars. This is especially true of places reserved for feeders. We saw the dug up earth, but there were no animals.

Another place that I personally remember very much is the falcon wasteland, where the royal falcons were previously trained.

For some reason, the views from this low observation deck stuck in my soul more strongly than the above-described "heights".

It was about 6 km to Zelenogradsk, and in fact it didn’t matter for us what to ride on - on a ride or on a bus. Suddenly, a taxi driver stopped nearby. I waved him off with a habitual gesture that we do not need a taxi. He did not react, I repeated the gesture more insistently, again zero emotions, the car stood on the road without moving.

Fearing that something irreparable could happen because of us, I ran to the front window and told the driver that we would not take a taxi. He calmly asked where we wanted to go. I called the bus station. And he waved his hand: "Sit down." Wow, for the first time a Russian taxi driver gives a ride for free.

He did not get to the bus station itself, we, in general, did not need to. Having made an arc, I resolutely headed towards the old track on. I don’t know how far we walked, but it was already getting dark. I was afraid that before dark we would not have time to catch the car when I saw bus 141 pass by. Reassured that in any case we could get to Kaliningrad, we moved a little further away from the stop and began to catch the car again.

I had to wait longer than usual, probably at least half an hour passed, as a man with a child slowed down on a narrow road nearby. The guys went straight to Kaliningrad, in this sense we were lucky again.

Along the way, I learned a lot of interesting things. For example, that you can rent a cabin on the ship Vityaz, that you should definitely visit the Baltic Spit with an old German airfield, where the best beer in the city is, and what a fish dish you should definitely try in Kaliningrad. I had problems with the name of the last item, so we never got to do it.

And about or see ours. See you soon.

Costs for the fourth day in the Kaliningrad region

Physical costs per person:

• walking along the tourist route - about 10 km.
• Map of the entire route:

Financial costs for two:

• transport - 222 rubles.
• housing - 900 rubles. ()
• food - 126 rubles.
• attractions - 300 rubles.

A geographically and historically unusual part of Russia - the Kaliningrad region is known to the world for its sights, resorts and interesting natural places. This region is famous for its unique natural creation - the Curonian Spit. Even getting to it is a pleasure for many tourists. There are three villages on the spit. It is attractive for tourists. By the dancing forest, dunes, heights from viewing panoramic platforms and other attractions.

What is the Curonian Spit

The Curonian Spit is a long strip of land, nature reserve in the form of an ennobled park of national importance, connecting the territories of two countries - Russia and Lithuania. The shape of the spit is similar to a saber and protrudes beautifully from the water surface of the sea, forming the Curonian Lagoon on one side. The name was given to this formation thanks to the small nationalities, which were called - "Curonians". They occupied this territory since II AD.

Brief information about the Curonian Spit:

1. Length - 98 km .
2. Width - 3.8 km .
3. The smallest width (narrow isthmus) is 400 m.
4. What connects - the city of Lithuania Klaipeda and Russian Zelenogradsk.
5. The border post is in the middle of a strip of land.
6. Whose waters it is washed by - the Baltic Sea and the Curonian Lagoon.

The peculiarity of this natural formation is that on such a long and small stretch of land you can find a wide variety of landscapes, reliefs, biological species(animals, birds, plants). White sand dunes, dense forest, flat coast - these are the main attractions for vacationers. The Baltic climate is typical of the sea. At times strong winds (southern and western), but in the park part they are softened by trees. Annual seasons of storm winds. High humidity, foggy seasons, snow lies in January and December.

Settlements of the Curonian Spit

The architecture throughout Kaliningrad and its environs is predominantly European. Ancient German temples, museums, lighthouses, water towers arranged in a characteristic for Germans 17-19 centuries. Well-maintained houses with elongated roofs are very similar to gingerbread houses from fairy tales. Here it blows not only Denmark and Prussia. The culture of Russia is organically mixed in, reflected in the construction of houses and structures of the post-war years. Just at that time, the city from Koenigsberg turned into Kaliningrad.

Lesnoy settlement

There are three villages on the spit:

• Lesnoy (or "Zarkau"), late 1st and early 2nd centuries;
• Fisherman ("Rossitten", the name of the castle), 1372 construction of the castle;
• Marine ("Pillokoppen"), late 19th century

The largest of them is the village of Rybachy. Here the houses are built in the German style, made of stone.

If we touch on the architecture of objects located specifically on the Curonian Spit, then it should be noted right away that they are quite small in number. This conservation area is not intended for large crowds of people to live on it. On it you will not develop especially trade, or any other industry. Everything is here to walk and admire the beauties of nature.

What are the best months to visit?

Many tourists like to include in their itineraries the sights of the Kaliningrad region, obligatory excursion to the Curonian Spit. One glance at a distance, examining the landscape with this miracle of nature, makes you feel all its grandeur and scale.

In addition to accommodation, the range of services provided by the hotel includes bicycle rental, private parking, table tennis, playground for children, purchase of individual excursions, library, transfer order.

Meal rates

The dishes in the cafe on the spit itself are the same as on the mainland. Only the prices here at times will be very high. For those who care about saving Money, then he can stock up on provisions on his own. You can have a bite to eat in any of the pavilions, of which there are a sufficient number along the way. If you buy food in the shops of one of the villages located on the Curonian Spit, then at prices they will cost almost the same as buying on the mainland.

An example of a boarding house in the Panart Hotel:

• breakfast and dinner - 650 rubles;
• children's breakfast and dinner - 520 rubles;
• breakfast - 250 rubles;
• lunch - 350 rubles;
• dinner - 400 rubles.

Attractions and places

Arriving at the Curonian Spit, it is best to think in advance what to visit here. There are enough unique places to spend the whole day here with enthusiasm. Let's take just a few of them as an example.

dancing forest

This part of the forest of the Curonian Spit is called so because the trunks of several dozen pines are twisted into bizarre lines and shapes. Some of them are even twisted into a ring. These specimens are surrounded by separate fences to protect them from vandals. In this zone, everything is equipped for tourist walks - there is a path equipped with a special flooring made of boards with railings. Entrance to the territory specially groomed trails- free.

Korolevsky Bor (forestry "Grenz")

The forest is called so because once King Friedrich Wilhelm I made a real reserve out of this area - he forbade deer hunting. There are many centuries-old coniferous trees growing here. So, a separate path has been laid to the giant thuja. Near animal feeders, wild boars can be found. You can also get to this wonderful place by bus from the village of Rybachy or another place on the spit - you just need to get on the road. In this regard, a personal car, or a rented car or bicycle, is very suitable. You can play for free.

Efa Height (Dunes of Efa)

Walking route length 2.8 km. Walks are free. There are two viewing platforms from where it is very comfortable to admire the beauties of the Baltic landscapes. From them, the dunes, part of the sea and areas of rare plants are perfectly visible.

When the whole spit was landscaped in a natural way. But after they began to cut down the forest, sand dunes arose. It is not recommended to walk along them because of the unsteady, unstable sands in places. If law enforcement officers see tourists walking on the sands, they can be fined.

From the dunes to the Dancing Forest, the distance is about 4 km. It is very difficult to get on foot, so many tourists rent bicycles or wait for regular buses that run at a rather rare interval.

Muller Height

From the Dancing Forest by bus you can get to the village of Rybachy, and from there walk about 1500 m to another height - Müller. Along the way, you can go to the old cemetery, where the Germans who previously lived in these places are buried. Then - visit Lake Chaika. Along the shore of the lake, there are excellent wooden platforms with access directly to the water. If you have bread crumbs with you, they are perfect for baiting swans, which are numerous on the lake.

The route along the Müller height is approximately 2 km long. Moving up, you can see rare trees - centuries-old spruces, pines and other plants. The highest point is 44.5 m above the sea. There are also wooden decks on which it is convenient to climb up to the observation decks. Viewing is free. An original monument was placed under the observation deck - a stone of an interesting shape with an inscription carved in honor of a forester named Muller. His merit was the unique way of forest planting, which stopped the catastrophic movement of sand to the forest.

Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh

The red brick temple is located in p. Rybachy, st. Gagarina, 3. The building dates back to 1873. Designed by German architect - Tischler. It is known for its architectural feature- a tower adjacent to the wall of a building with vaults upwards. Now it is a fully functioning Orthodox Church (since 1999). But once it was a Lutheran church. The visit is free.

museum complex

The only park museum on the Curonian Spit. It is called - "Museum Complex".

Address: settlement Rybachy, Lesnaya st., 7

How the museum works:

• from 9:00 to 17:00 from October 1 to April 30;
• the same time, only without days off from May to October;
• Checkout is open until 16:30.

Ticket price:

• full - 100 rubles;
• preferential - 70 rubles;
• pastime in the "Ancient Sambia" - 150 rubles. (100 rubles for beneficiaries).

The museum is dedicated to the Kurush people, who lived here even before the Germans settled. A lot of exotic shamanism, unique historical Viking artifacts in a mini-reproduction of the village "Ancient Sambia". Here you can even try your hand at Viking crafts.

The Museum of Superstitions is a separate addition; some tourists consider it the most interesting. It will be very exciting to walk without shoes with your eyes closed along the Path of Sensations, on which there are different types soils and vegetation. This is what the Curonian Spit is rich in - the diversity of its natural habitat.

Individual tour in a minibus with a guide, the price is 5000 rubles for 1-4 people, regardless of the number of participants.

Gifts and souvenirs

Near the car parks there are various souvenir shops. Various amber products are offered, things with the symbols of the Baltic, Kaliningrad. The theme of the design of T-shirts, caps and other products is always marine. You can buy paintings, magnets, badges, juniper crafts. If you visit the ornithological station, you can buy statuettes and figurines of birds from different materials there. Of the food products, the price is local eel and smoked fish.

Still, the Curonian Spit is a curiosity of the Russian Baltic with its German history. Having been on this long strip of land, you can admire the beauties to your heart's content. sand dunes, wander through the unique protected forests and, of course, breathe in the sea air and enjoy the scenery of the Baltic Sea. Mild climate during warm seasons and original architecture, various popular events in museum complex make visiting these places desirable and exciting.