LOCATION
Preila Beach is located on the Curonian Spit, on the south of the Lithuanian Baltic coast, 40 km from Klaipeda (with a ferry line on the Danė River). The surfing spot is located to the west of Preila Beach. It is located 350 kilometres from Vilnius, 350 kilometres from Riga and 110 km from Kalingrad. The direct distance between Palanga and Gdansk is 330 kilometres, but it involves travelling through the Russian Kaliningrad Region – taking a ferry to Curonian split and crossing the EU-Russian border twice. If you wish to stay within the EU area, you can choose to travel around the borders of the Russian Kaliningrad Region, which will lengthen the distance to 620 kilometres. Klaipeda has two ferry connections: Kiel- Klaipeda (from Germany) and Karlshamn – Klaipeda (from Sweden). There is a regional airport in Palanga – about 70 kilometres from Preila. The geographical location of Preila is: 55°22′N 21°04′E.
PREILA BEACH SURFING HOTSPOTS
Preila Beach is located in Juodkrante area and is exposed to the open sea wind and waves. The spit here is quite broad – about 2 kilometres wide. The beach on the Batltic side is exposed mostly to northerly and westerly winds. The wind has a frontal character and can be quite strong for most of the year with the summertime typically being the calmer period. The wind conditions here are some of the best on the Lithuanian Baltic coast, with the sandy seabed and shallow waters making it a perfect spot for kitesurfing and windsurfing camps, which are organized in summer. This area is much less crowded by fellow surfers in the high season than the nearby Palanga.
ATTRACTIONS NEARBY
The Curonian Spit has many attractions on offer – apart from sightseeing, many sports activities and sunbathing, you can also visit the nearby town of Nida. This picturesque fishermen’s settlement, with its small blue houses, historical cemetery with wooden crosses, parks, museums and witch-themed park in Juodkrante Forest, is a gem of the region. The Curonian Spit Natural park has a vast range of activities available – there are plenty of hiking trails and educational walking tours (especially through the ecologically sensitive Grobštas and Nagliai natural reserves) to choose from. On the Russian side of the spit there is an unusual “dancing forest”.
