Šventoji

Šventoji sits where the river of the same name reaches the Baltic, close to the Latvian border, and it was a working port in the seventeenth century when English and Dutch merchants traded here before the harbour silted and the trade moved on. Today it is a resort, quieter and more family-oriented than Palanga to the south, with a very wide sandy beach backed by dunes and pine, a pedestrian street of stalls and cafés, and the river mouth with a small marina and sculpture. Beaches are divided into sections including a naturist stretch. The season is short and intense, roughly July and August, and outside it much of the place closes and the beach is empty.

What you actually see

• Wide sand beach - a broad shore backed by dunes and pine.
• The river mouth - the small harbour and marina at the Šventoji.
• The promenade - the pedestrian strip of cafés and stalls.
• Dune forest - the pine woods behind the beach.

When to go

June to August is the season; July and August are when everything is open and the beach is busy. Outside those months most cafés and accommodation close and the coast is bleak but beautiful.

Honest expectations

The season is very short and the resort largely shuts outside it. The Baltic is cold, rarely above twenty degrees even in August. The commercial strip is basic. Palanga nearby is livelier and has more choice.

Nearby

Palanga lies south; the Latvian border is just north.