On the way to the south, we made another stop at a city with a distinctly German flavor. Lithuania’s third-largest city, formerly known as Memel, was part of the Prussian Kingdom until the region wrestled to autonomy in 1923. Buildings in the compact, cobblestoned Old Town are constructed in the German fachwerk style – that is, with distinctive half-timbered facades. Beyond the orderly historic center, the modern city sprawls into an industrial forest of cranes and shipyards, sliced in two by the Danė River as it meanders into the Baltic Sea. The compact town center is rich in historic architecture with bars and pubs (2,70 € / 0,4 l) lining the river promenade around the old harbor. There is also a nice stretch of beaches just a few kilometers north of the city.
Klaipėda – parking location: 55.7049380N 21.1304410E