Must See Lithuania - Curonian Spit

The typical Baltic coastal scent of mingled ozone and pine is at its headiest on the northern Lithuanian half of the Curonian Spit, which dominates Lithuania's Baltic coast. This area is made up of four settlements, none of which are more than a couple of kilometres from the coast.

There's a magical air to this isolated 98km (60mi) thread of sand, which is composed of dunes and pine forests inhabited by elk, deer and wild boar. Here you can savour fish freshly smoked to an old Curonian recipe, hire jet skis or paddle boats, go ice fishing, or get some vodka into you.

Check on the cleanliness of the waters of the lagoon and the spit before you dive in - they're often not fit for swimming. The dunes along the peninsula are delicate, and their continual steady erosion is of great concern to environmentalists. It's for this reason that you should only walk along marked tracks and should not pick flowers, since they help to stabilise the sand.