Where is the Baltic Spit
The Baltic Spit is located on the opposite side of the Curonian. It separates the Kaliningrad Bay from the rest of the Baltic Sea.
Where is the Baltic Spit
The length of the Baltic Spit is 65 kilometers. Of these, 35 km belong to Russia, and 30 km to Poland. The Poles call their spit Vistula. The width of the spit ranges from 300 meters at its narrowest point to 9 kilometers at its widest.
On the Polish side, the spit is connected to the mainland. And it is separated from the Russian one by the navigable Baltic Strait. This strait was formed as a result of a strong storm on September 10, 1510. Now this narrow strait is the only gate to Kaliningrad. Here passes the Kaliningrad Sea Canal between Baltiysk and Kaliningrad.
Ferry to the Baltic Spit
How to get to the Baltic Spit
The only way to get to the Baltic Spit is to take a ferry or boat from Baltiysk.
Therefore, in order to get to the spit, a tourist needs to solve two problems:
Getting from Kaliningrad to Baltiysk
Cross the strait directly to the spit
How to get from Kaliningrad to Baltiysk
By car
This is the most convenient and fastest option if you are ready to drive a car on vacation. You can rent a car here, or you can use carsharing.
The distance from Kaliningrad to Baltiysk is about 45 kilometers. Overcome in one hour. You can leave your car in Baltiysk at this parking lot. It is free and from here it is within easy reach of the ferry crossing.
By bus
From Kaliningrad to Baltiysk there is a big bus No. 107 and minibus No. 207e. Bus No. 107 departs from the bus station, minibus No. 207e from the Teatralnaya Street stop
Both buses run every half an hour. I recommend taking the big bus number 107. Tickets for it can be bought directly on the bus from the conductor. Travel time is an hour and a half. The fare is 144 rubles. You can pay by credit card. Check the schedule on the website of the bus station.
Bus number 107 to Baltiyskaya
If you live in the central region of Kaliningrad, it will be easier not to go to the bus station, but to sit at one of the stops along the route - for example, at the TsPKiO or on the street. Theatrical. The list of stops can be specified on the Yandex Maps service. Just type in “bus 107” in the search bar.
With a tour
Another convenient way to visit the Baltic Spit from Kaliningrad is to take a ready-made guided tour. They can be found on the Tripster online tour service.
There are inexpensive (from 1450 rubles per person) bus tours in a group of up to 40 people. And there is with an individual guide in a car costing from 6 thousand rubles for an excursion for a group of 1-8 people.
I would recommend this option to those who do not want or cannot drive a car themselves. Still, shaking for an hour and a half on a regular bus (with all stops) one way and one and a half back is not a great pleasure.
Ferry to the Baltic Spit
The crossing of the Baltic Strait is carried out by passenger-and-freight ferries “Vistula” (capacity 200 people) and “Nida” (capacity 120 people).
Ferry to the Baltic Spit
Ferries run every two hours. The crossing itself takes just 10 minutes. The cost of a round trip ticket is 70 rubles.
The ferry terminal in Baltiysk is located here.
Ferry schedule to the Baltic Spit (summer 2021)
Departure from Baltiysk Departure from Baltic Spit
7-20 7-30
10-00 10-10
12-00 12-10
14-00 14-10
16-00 16-10
18-00 18-10
20-00 20-10
21-30 21-40
Ferry Alternatives
Since the ferry rarely runs, it is quite difficult to adjust to it when traveling from Kaliningrad by bus. You need to keep in mind two schedules at once - bus and ferry. I honestly tried to dock them in order to catch the 14-hour ferry. But there was a small force majeure on the way and we were late for the ferry by literally 5 minutes. He sailed before our eyes, and the next one to wait for two whole hours, which accordingly reduces the time on the spit from the planned 4 hours to 2.
Fortunately, it turned out that you can cross the strait in a speedboat. On such boats, locals take tourists on excursions and simply transport them across the strait. The cost of the crossing is 100 rubles, departure by agreement. We didn't have to wait long, we left in 10 minutes.
So if you missed the ferry, go a little further along the embankment to the monument to Peter I. There you will find barkers who offer excursions and a paid crossing. You can return in the same way - call the indicated number and after a while you will be taken from the spit. I don’t know how it will be in winter, but in summer this scheme definitely works.
In general, try to catch the ferry in time, as it is cheaper, more convenient and probably safer. But if you're late, that's okay too.
How to get around the Baltic Spit
For a tourist, in fact, only two ways are relevant: on foot and by bicycle. Yes, you can take the ferry with your car. I just don't see any practical reason for this. Firstly, it is expensive (600 rubles), and secondly, there is nowhere to go there.
