Klaipėda long went by another name: Memel. Founded in 1252 by the knights of the Livonian Order, then drawn into the Prussian and later German orbit until 1923, Lithuania's oldest city has kept from that past half-timbered houses that evoke Bavaria more than the Baltic. The cruise terminal is at the gates of the historic centre: a 10- to 15-minute walk along the Danė River is all it takes to reach Theatre Square, the beating heart of the old town, where your port call can begin without further ado.

Theatre Square and the Bride of the Song

On this cobbled square, facing the neoclassical theatre, a graceful statue stands atop a fountain: Ännchen von Tharau, heroine of a 17th-century love poem attributed to Simon Dach, a native son. Cafés set up their patios all around, street musicians give the place the feel of an open-air salon, and students from the nearby university mingle with passengers off the ships. From here, lanes radiate out between restored half-timbered warehouses, artisan galleries and amber shops — amber being the fossil resin that the Baltic washes up on its beaches and that local jewellers set in pieces of every shade, from light honey to deep brown; some workshops gladly show how the raw material is polished before it is set.

A Sculpture Hunt

The old town hides a treasure hunt that visitors love: dozens of bronzes scattered through the streets. You whisper a wish into the ear of the Magic Mouse, look for the Black Ghost rising from the water near the castle ruins, and greet the cat with a gentleman's face. On the Danė River, the three-masted Meridianas, a former training ship turned local emblem, is a reminder that Klaipėda is above all a port, the only one in Lithuania that stays ice-free all year round, which explains its long history of being coveted by neighbouring powers.

The Curonian Spit, Dune After Dune

The highlight of the port call lies on the other side of the channel. A passenger ferry links the centre in five minutes to Smiltynė, the Lithuanian gateway to the Curonian Spit, a 98-km strip of sand that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pine forests, endless beaches and shifting sand hills create a landscape of unexpected gentleness on a sea known for being rough. In Smiltynė itself, the Lithuanian Sea Museum occupies a former 19th-century fort; its aquarium and outdoor pools make it a perfect outing for families, who can watch seals, penguins and Baltic fish in the unusual setting of the old casemates. Longer excursions travel down the spit to Juodkrantė and its Hill of Witches, filled with wooden statues carved by folk artists.

Planning Your Time Ashore

Between Two Worlds

Better than many capitals, Klaipėda tells the turbulent story of the Baltic: a city founded by knights, celebrated by a German poet, and now the maritime showcase of a Baltic republic proud of its independence. You leave it sailing along the sands of the Curonian Spit, often with a piece of amber in your pocket, picked up or purchased, a small fragment of fossil light that will extend the port call long after you get home.