Palanga: Pier, Botanical Garden, Park Paths

It’s worth the 1/2 hour drive from Klaipėda just to go running in Palanga. It’s the most scenic run in the area! Palanga is a popular resort town located 30 km north of Klaipėda. It’s known for its beach, L-shaped pier, and botanical gardens and parks.

Start in the historic centre of Palanga near the modern Concert Hall. Head west on Basanavičiaus street, a wide, pedestrianized commercial street lined with shops & restaurants. After ~1 km, continue onto the L-shaped pier, which extends for 0.6 km into the Baltic Sea. Retrace your steps, and then head south on a pedestrian path for 0.7 km, passing the Palanga Museum, into the Botanical Garden. This is a classic large park, on the grounds of the former neo-Renaissance Tiskevičiai Palace (now the Amber Museum). There are many km of paved and gravel paths here — a loop of the perimeter is ~3.5 km. Lovely and scenic! Following the loop, retrace your steps back to the pier. You can then head north on paths for 1.3 km through the park.

Add-Ons: From the north end of the park, there are up to 4 km of additional paths, fairly wooded, through a park, as far north as the ‘Edge of the world’ scenic spot. Also, the wide, scenic beach is also runnable.