Šilutė is a town in Lithuania Minor, near the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast. It's a quiet market town with a population of 16,000 in 2021. The main reason to visit is to see wildlife in the Nemunas river delta and Curonian lagoon.
Understand
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Lithuania Minor was a German-speaking area of the Baltic. Heydekrug (the future Šilutė) was a market town for trading fish caught in the nearby rivers and brackish Curonian Lagoon. In 1923 as part of the First World War peace treaties it was assigned to Lithuania: during World War II it was occupied by Germany and several prison camps were set up here, but nothing remains of these.
The area remains agricultural, with small-scale tourism. Southwest of town, the River Nemunas breaks up into a delta, and the largest of the delta islands (connected by road bridge) is Rusnė. This area is below mean sea level, with polders in the Dutch style drained by pumping stations. The main river and River Skirvytė the southernmost channel of the delta now form the border with Russian Kaliningrad, with no local crossing point. This makes Šilutė a quiet backwater.
Visitor information is available at the Hugo Šojus mansion, the main museum, same hours.
Get in
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Šilutė is 40 km south of Klaipėda, by road follow Highway 141.
Four trains a day take one hour from Klaipėda and terminate here. For times and tickets see LTG Link.
1 Šilutė railway station is 1 km east of town centre.
Two Kautra buses a day take one hour from Klaipėda via Priekulė, Vilkyčiai and Saugos. They meander on through the back lanes via Jurbarkas and Šakiai to Kaunas, taking another 3 hr 45 min. For times and tickets see Autobusu Biletai.
Klaipėda City Bus 115 also runs here twice a day, and continues to Rusnė village.
Buses make multiple stops through town. The bus station is 100 m south of the railway station.
Get around
[edit]You need your own wheels, the area is easy cycling country.
Rusnė island, 9 km southwest of town, is reached by Highway 206 bridge.
Gluosniu Taxi is on +370 642 79827.
See
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- 1 Evangelical Lutheran Church (Šilutės evangelikų liuteronų bažnyčia) marks town centre, at Lietuvininkų g 21. It was completed in 1926.
- 2 Šilutė Museum, Lietuvininkų g 4, ☏ +370 441 62207. Tu-F 10:00-18:00, Sa 10:0-16:00. This was the manor house of Hugo Šojus or Scheu (1845-1937), a local landowner and great collector of Lithuanian culture. The manor was wrecked by the occupying Red Army in 1947 but restored in 2005 and the museum re-located here. Adult €6.
- Old Town Square (Turgaus aikštė) is 50 m north of the museum. It's quite remarkable how, in an area so steeped in history, its governors have managed to create such a bland uninteresting civic space.
- 3 Rusnė is a village at the head of the delta. Old buildings here include the Lutheran church of 1809, the post office and fishermen's cottages.
- 4 Uostadvaris lighthouse. W-Su 09:00-17:00. The lighthouse is a 13 m tall octagonal red brick tower, completed in 1876 and deactivated in 1986. In 1907 a pumping station was added to drain the fields.
- 5 Kintai is a village north of the delta with a museum and traditional architecture.
- 6 Ventė Cape projecting into the Curonian Lagoon is a spot for bird-watching.
Do
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- Boat trips around the delta start from the lighthouse.
- Bird-watching and angling are the main activities on the delta.
Buy
[edit]- Maxima supermarket is 300 m north of the railway station at Cintjoniskiu 24, open daily 08:00-22:00.
- Iki is north side of town at Dariaus i Gireno g 11, open daily 08:00-22:00.
Eat
[edit]A dozen places in Šilutė town centre, no stand-out.
Drink
[edit]Lots of pubs along the main street Lietuvininku g.
Sleep
[edit]- Deims Hotel is a budget place at Lietuvininku g 70.
- 1 Gilija Hotel, Vytauto g 17, Šilutė, ☏ +370 441 61641. Comfy clean hotel with restaurant. Double (room only) €70.
- Liepa guesthouse is 200 m east of Šilutė museum at Liepu g 10.
- Apartamentai Muzika is available for short rentals. It's at Atgimimo al 5 off Taikos g.
Connect
[edit]As of May 2025, Šilutė and its approach roads have 4G from Tele2, and you might even get 5G from Bite. Telia coverage is patchy, and Rusnė has a poor signal from all carriers.
Go next
[edit]- Klaipėda the regional capital has an old castle and museum.
- Palanga further north is Lithuania's main beach resort, and has the regional airport.
- Curonian Spit is a 99-km bootlace of sand dunes and pine woods, reached by ferry from Klaipėda.
- The nearest border crossing into Kaliningrad Oblast is 40 km east on A12 at Panemunė / Sovetsk.