19

Is it possible to walk from Lithuania to Poland through Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast)? Is it possible to cross borders in Nida/Morskoe and Mamonovo/Gronowo or Mamonovo/Grzechotki on foot?

If not - what are the workarounds? Any buses that would just take me on short distance just over the border crossing?

Of course when we're free from all the COVID related restrictions.

0

2 Answers 2

20

Those 3 checkpoints do not allow to cross the border on foot.

Mamonovo/Gronowo and Nida/Morskoe have bus options.

Mamonovo - it's better to take a bus in Elblag or Gdansk, could be too tricky to try and catch it near the border.

Morskoe - you can try to catch a bus there, but still - Zelenogradsk or Kaliningrad is a recommended starting point to avoid the risk of missing a bus.

There are on-foot options on other, less popular crossings.

I will be happy to assist you with that trip, need more details on your travel plan.

Regards!

#stayhome now and #welcometokalininigrad later

UPD:

  • Gołdap is the on foot option for Poland
  • Sovetsk and Kybartai - for Lithuania

or hitchhiking to cross the border at any point

4
  • 4
    Thanks, @Nick. I'm thinking about hiking the whole distance along Lithuanian, Russian and Polish Baltic coast. But the plans are quite vague yet... :) And of course in this case probably hitchhiking to cross the border would be the best option.
    – pbm
    Commented May 21, 2020 at 7:27
  • 3
    Nice idea! Feel free to reach me for advices on all three destinations. Whuld be great to meet you in Kalininigrad for a beer or coffee. :-) Commented May 21, 2020 at 10:09
  • Many-many years ago (in 1980s) I used to take the Kaliningrad-Klaipeda (via Nida) bus pretty often. It was more like a coach than a city bus. I used to stay in Zelenogradsk for about one month each year around July-August. I'm sure things have changed, but back in the days, there was an express bus Kaliningrad-Zelenogradsk-Nida-Klaipeda. It took about 30 minutes from Kaliningrad to Zelenogradsk and then another about 45 minutes to Klaipeda.
    – Aleks G
    Commented May 21, 2020 at 15:59
  • There are 3 daily buses there. Kaliningrad - Nida - Klaipeda (Palanga) Good point... if you travel FROM Lithuania - it's quite easy to catch one in Nida. Commented May 21, 2020 at 16:25
6

I have done that trip in the other direction, but you are not allowed to cross the border by foot. I cannot comment on entering Kaliningrad Oblast from Poland by foot, as I have taken the bus from Gdansk. It seemed more difficult to enter Russian territory than to leave it in a slightly unusual way. Nick's tip on an alternative border point might be worthy checking out.

Exploring the stretch of the Curonian spit between Zelenogradsk and Nida is something I can highly recommend. While the coast of Kaliningrad oblast up to and including Zelenogradsk is extremely touristic with a negative effect on nature, the parts further back on the Curonian spit are beautiful and calm.

The border crossing at Morskoe is very quiet. There is a bus that you can catch there, however it doesn't go very frequently and you might have to make a deal with the driver to drop you off earlier behind the border crossing. In my case I hitched a ride over the border after about 45 minutes of waiting time. I got help from the border guard who asked locals crossing the border in their car to pick me up.

Another thing to consider is that you officially need to register your place of residence if you plan on staying for longer that 10 days. For this it might be easier to stay at a hotel for at least one night in Kaliningrad and acquire the invitation for a visa through them. My couchsurfing host was not able to register me, it was refused on the basis that my invitation was not from him, so I had to rush my trip a bit. You might get away with a fine when exiting the country if you stay longer.

I understand that this was a bit more descriptive than a straight up answer, but I hope it helps with your trip and good luck!

2
  • 1
    Thanks for your personal experience answer, this may not cover all but it does give details which are very valuable.
    – Willeke
    Commented May 21, 2020 at 19:13
  • As for “deal with the driver to drop you off earlier”: I just checked autobusubilietai.lt, you can get a ticket from Nidos PKP (border crossing, LT side) to Morskoje, but there’s also a scheduled stop at Kuršskaja kosa PKP (RU side of the border post). The website says these tickets are not available online, but at the bus terminal (there is one in Nida itself). Ask for a ticket just to Kuršskaja kosa PKP, or get one to Morskoje and ask the driver if you can get off right behind the border. If not, get off in Morskoje, which (just like Nida) is a 12-minute bus trip from the border.
    – user149408
    Commented May 21, 2020 at 20:27

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .