Lithuania Attractions

Curonian Spit National Park

The western Lithuanian scent of ozone and pine is at its headiest on this thin tongue of sand. Waves from the Baltic Sea pound one side, the Curonian Lagoon laps the other. The winds and tree-felling have sculpted the Curonian Spit (Kursi Nerija) over time. But this precious natural treasure is by nature a fragile one - being made up of millions of grains of constantly shifting sand. As the dunes creep closer to the Baltic Sea there are fears it may one day disappear.

In 1991 the Curonian Spit National Park was created to protect the dunes, lagoon and surrounding Baltic Sea. Lush pine forests filled with deer, elk and wild boar cover 70% of the park; the dunes make up a quarter of it; and just 1.5% is urban, namely the four traditional villages where fishermen smoke their catch according to an old Curonian recipe. The main industry is tourism, that double-edged sword that yields both its main source of income and biggest environmental threat.

Vilnius

Tiny Vilnius is full of astonishing contrasts - eerie courtyards, an eccentric artist community, awesome arts and beautiful Baroque. Where else could the world's only statue of psychedelic musician Frank Zappa exist alongside the tragic reminders of loss and pain of the KGB's torture cells?

Its chocolate-box Baroque and skyline littered with church spires are intoxicating, decadent and fragile - so much so that Unesco has declared this, Europe's largest Baroque old town, a World Heritage site. But there is also an underlying oddness that creates Vilnius' soul.