Top 10 Lighthouses in Lithuania
Lithuania has one of the shortest maritime coastlines in Europe — barely 90 kilometres on the Baltic Sea — yet it contains some of the most distinctive lighthouse settings in the entire Baltic region. The defining geographical feature is the Curonian Spit, a narrow sand dune peninsula stretching 98 kilometres from the port city of Klaipėda southward to Kaliningrad, Russia, enclosing the Curonian Lagoon in a landscape of extraordinary dunes and pine forest. The spit is shared between Lithuania and Russia and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its exceptional natural landscape. Lighthouses here do not merely mark rocks or headlands — they mark a fragile, shifting strand of sand that has been in constant motion for centuries, with dunes that once overwhelmed entire villages and now reach 70 metres above the sea. Lithuania's lighthouses are administered by the Lithuanian Maritime Safety Administration, and most date from the Russian imperial or German Prussian periods, with subsequent Soviet-era modifications.
1. Klaipėda Lighthouse, Klaipėda
The Klaipėda Lighthouse marks the entrance to Lithuania's only seaport, situated at the northern end of the Curonian Spit where the narrow strait connects the lagoon to the open Baltic. A light has marked this critical entrance since at least 1796, when the town was known as Memel under Prussian administration. The current tower is a red and white banded cylindrical structure approximately 28 metres tall, showing a white occulting light with red sectors over the shoals on either side of the channel. The port of Klaipėda is Lithuania's main gateway for international trade, handling containers, bulk cargo, and the ferry connection to Germany, Sweden, and Denmark. The lighthouse is visible from the ferry terminals and the old town waterfront; the surrounding harbour area is accessible and lively.
2. Nida Lighthouse, Nida
Nida, at the southern end of the Lithuanian section of the Curonian Spit, is the most visited settlement on the spit and the location of Lithuania's most photographed lighthouse. The red and white cylindrical tower, 30 metres tall, was built in 1874 during the German Prussian era and marks the southern approaches to the Curonian Lagoon, which at this point narrows to a few kilometres before opening into the broad Russian section. The light character is white with red sectors and is visible around 16 nautical miles. The lighthouse is active and maintained by the Lithuanian Maritime Safety Administration. Nida itself is a resort of considerable charm, famous for its traditional wooden fishermen's houses painted in ochre, blue, and brown, and for the enormous Parnidis dune — one of the tallest in Europe — that rises directly behind the town. The lighthouse can be reached by bicycle from Nida's centre along a forest path.
3. Šventoji Lighthouse, Šventoji
Šventoji, at the northern end of Lithuania's Baltic coast where the Šventoji River meets the sea, is a small resort town and fishing harbour, and the lighthouse here marks the river mouth and the approach to the modest harbour. The tower is a white cylindrical structure of the Soviet era, approximately 18 metres tall, active with a flashing white light. The Šventoji coast is characterised by wide sandy beaches backed by low dunes and pine forest, and the lighthouse sits at the edge of this landscape where the beach becomes the river mouth. The town is a popular summer destination for Lithuanian families, and the lighthouse area is freely accessible.
4. Pervalka Lighthouse, Pervalka
Pervalka is a tiny village on the Curonian Spit midway between Klaipėda and Nida, set among pines and dunes where the spit is barely a kilometre wide. The lighthouse at Pervalka is a modest white tower marking a section of the lagoon shore, one of several lights that guide vessels navigating the shallow, unmarked waters of the Curonian Lagoon itself. The lagoon is a significant inland fishery and a major route for pleasure craft during summer, and the network of lagoon lights — many of them small, weathered structures half-hidden in the forest — is a distinct feature of Lithuanian maritime heritage. Pervalka is reached by the regular ferry that crosses from the mainland to the spit at Klaipėda.
5. Uostadvaris Lighthouse, Uostadvaris
Uostadvaris (Harbour Town) lies on the mainland shore of the Curonian Lagoon, near the Nemunas River delta in the Nemunas Regional Park. The lighthouse here marks the lagoon approach to the river delta, a flat, marshy landscape of extraordinary ecological richness — a crossroads for migrating birds and home to elk, otters, and the remnant populations of grey geese that nest in the reedbeds. The tower is modest in scale, a functional beacon for the fishing and recreational boats that navigate the delta channels, but its setting in the birch and alder wetlands of the Nemunas delta is unlike that of any other Lithuanian lighthouse.
6. Juodkrantė Lagoon Light, Juodkrantė
Juodkrantė is a village on the Curonian Spit between Klaipėda and Pervalka, famous for its amber finds — the beach was the site of one of the largest amber deposits ever discovered, mined in the nineteenth century — and for its remarkable sculpture trail through the forest depicting mythological creatures from Lithuanian legend. A small lagoon-side light here marks the village landing stage for boats crossing from the mainland. The village is within the Curonian Spit National Park and retains a quiet, forested character, popular with cyclists following the spit's long cycleway.
7. Palanga Pier Light, Palanga
Palanga is Lithuania's main beach resort city, its long sandy beach extending northward toward the Latvian border, and the pier that extends into the Baltic from Palanga's centre is one of the most visited structures on the Lithuanian coast. A light marks the pier head, guiding the fishing boats that still work off Palanga and the swimmers who must be kept clear of boat traffic. The pier is a focal point of summer social life, crowded with promenaders, anglers, and sunset-watchers. The pier light, at 12 metres, is modest in scale but occupies a prominently social position.
8. Klaipėda Outer Breakwater Light, Klaipėda
The Klaipėda strait is flanked by two breakwaters extending into the open Baltic, and the outer breakwater head carries a red sector light that marks the southern edge of the approach channel into the port. Large ferry and cargo vessels rely on this light when arriving from the north in the challenging conditions of Baltic winter — poor visibility, driving snow, and wave heights that can exceed five metres on an exposed coast. The breakwater is accessible for walking on calm days and offers a close-up view of the ships using the strait.
9. Melnragė Lighthouse, Klaipėda District
Melnragė is a coastal suburb of Klaipėda where the Baltic beach extends north of the strait. A lighthouse here marks the northern approach to the Klaipėda strait from vessels coming down the coast. The white tower, approximately 20 metres, was built in the interwar period when Memel was administered as a League of Nations territory, a distinctive status that ended when Hitler annexed the city in 1939 — a largely forgotten episode in the chain of events leading to the Second World War. The beach at Melnragė is wide and backed by low cliffs.
10. Giruliai Lighthouse, Klaipėda District
Giruliai, a forested coastal area north of Klaipėda between Melnragė and Šventoji, has a small lighthouse or beacon post marking this section of the open Baltic coast, where the low sandy shore provides few natural landmarks for coastal navigation. The surrounding forest of pines and birches is a recreational area for Klaipėda residents. The lighthouse character and precise construction date are not well documented in public sources, but it is maintained as an active minor light.
Visiting Lithuania's Lighthouses
The Curonian Spit is the essential destination for any Lithuanian lighthouse tour. Access requires a short ferry crossing from Klaipėda, and the best way to explore the spit is by bicycle along its well-maintained cycleways — the full Lithuanian section is about 50 kilometres. Nida's lighthouse is the highlight, but Pervalka and Juodkrantė reward stops. Klaipėda's harbour lighthouses are visible from the ferry and the old town waterfront. The spit is busiest in July and August; May–June and September offer quieter conditions and pleasant cycling weather. Winter visits are possible but cold and windy, with some ferry services reduced. Open the map to explore all of Lithuania's coastal and lagoon lights.