Vacationers recommendations and reviews about Pervalka
Briefly about Pervalka
Pervalka is a miniature village in Neringa Municipality, which runs along the lagoon coast of the gulf between the two Pervalka Capes - Horse horn and Pervalka horn. While both Lithuanian and foreign (especially - German) visitors love Pervalka, only a few dozen permanent residents. Pervalka is chosen more by people seeking peace, families with children, older vacationers.
Neringa Municipality-owned three resort towns:
- Juodkrantė (11 km from Pervalka up north);
- Preila (8 km from Pervalka southern direction);
- Nida (18 km from Pervalka southern direction).
Accommodation
As in all the Curonian spit, in Pervalka to find a place to stay during the summer is quite difficult due to the large influx of tourists and a limited number of places to stay, so accommodation place must be taken care of in advance, even before the start of the season.
There are about twenty guest houses, villas and cottages for rent, rooms in private homes, apartments. The room rate - about 40 - 100 euros per day, depending on the month of summer , the duration of stay, and weather forecasts (as well as other Lithuanian resorts, sunny days make prices to increase significantly).
Infrastructure, Leisure and Entertainment
Pervalka - the smallest resort on the Curonian Spit, a journey on foot from one end to the other takes less than half an hour. There are no nightclubs, discotheques and similar places of entertainment, but there are two beautifully decorated cafes by the Lagoon and a cafe at fish smokehouse, where you can buy fresh local fishermen-caught fish. There is a food and household goods shop, a bicycle rental.
By the soft white sandy beach in the picturesque pine forest stretches over 2 km long pedestrian path. A free parking near the dunes. Spacious beach, so vacationers can not only soak up the sun or swim in the sea, but play a variety of beach games. Lithuanian seaside is often windy, so many holidaymakers arrive on the beach with special tents.
Although being a small village, Pervalka is very cozy and beautiful - there are preserved nineteenth and twentieth centuries buildings, a marina, which is often visited by swans, and seagulls meet fishermen returning from the sea. Pervalka - a great resort for gathering berries, mushrooms and fish. Those who wish a more active recreation go by trail to the Dead dunes or get to the other settlements of the Curonian Spit by bicycles.
Communication
The ferry
In Klaipeda International Ferry connects Smiltynė Spit with the rest of the Lithuanian territory. Although ferries sailing season is every half hour in summer (especially on weekends) on the abundance of tourists to ferry long traffic queues form and moving takes a few hours.
Car
From the main port of the country - Klaipeda - the resort is located about 29 km. Klaipeda and Curonian Spit are connected by Smiltynė International Ferry. During season ferry sails every half hour, transporting both pedestrians and vehicles. From Smiltynė fery stretches an excellent road - Nida-Smiltynė highway 167. Pervalka can be reache by car also from the Kaliningrad region.
There is an option to book private vans or higher class cars.
Coach
Bus routes come from many Lithuanian cities and towns. There are frequent stops of buses carrying passengers to Juodkrante, Pervalka, Preila and Nida. International voyages (and from Kaliningrad) also available.
Local public transport - buses and vans go to other settlements of Neringa - Preila, Pervalka, Nida.
There is an option to book private vans or higher class cars.
Biking
From Smiltynė over the Curonian Spit a biking trail stretches 50 kilometers. It connects main seaside resorts of Lithuania with Klaipeda.
By plane
Palanga International Airport is 66km from Pervalka. 29 km to Smiltynė International Ferry Terminal and about 37 km away from Klaipeda to Palanga airport.
By train
The nearest train station is in Klaipeda - about 31 km from Pervalka.
History
People lived in Pervalka long time ago - in the neighborhood archaeologists discovered stone, bronze and early iron age products.
It is believed that Pervalka village is named after the sand buried Nagliai village, villagers dragged their homes to this place. Other sources claim that the name comes from the word "pervalkas ("portage"), meaning the area of land between two bodies of water, through which boats were hauled. When seasons changed, Spit fishermen hauled their boats out of the sea coast to the bay, and vice versa.
By the first half of the nineteenth century on the southern shore of the Cape Pervalka there was Karvaičiai - a village, which was later covered by sand.
In the middle of nineteenth century current Pervalka village was founded by villagers of new Nagliai village, whose homes also were claimed by sand. At that time, here were established five homesteads with population of about five hundred, mainly fishermen. In the end of the nineteenth century the new homes also were whet by sand, so settlement was moved for about 1.5 km to the north.
In 1900 a school and Pervalka lighthouse were built, and 1961 this settlement became part of the city of Neringa.
In 1933 Pervalka gained the status of a resort, here were built new houses, old buildings renewed and decorated with wood carvings, fishing port was built, a shop opened.
After World War II, the old Pervalka population almost disappeared, the settlement was almost gone but by late 1960's a resting place started forming, which has evolved into a wonderful, quiet resort.
Sightseeing, Trivia
Monument to Louis Reza
From the village Karvaičiai was a famous Lithuanian folklorist Liudvikas Martynasn Rėza - one of the most prominent personalities of the Curonian Spit. In 1975 on a 53m high Skirpstas hill a monument in his memory was built by folklore artist E. Jonušas.
Gray dunes
Dead dunes, located between Pervalka and Juodkrantė are of the most impressive features of the landscape of the Curonian Spit. Gray dunes are called because of the color of local flora. Between 1675 and 1934 sand covered up as much as 4 villages. From one side of the dunes of the Curonian Spit opens a wonderful panorama of the Curonian Lagoon, and from the other side - the Baltic Sea.
Pervalka lighthouse
On Arklių ragas (Equine horn) is a 14m high building is also known as a beacon of horses. It was built in 1900 near Pervalka on the artificial island of the lagoon. The lighthouse is a navigational mark, sending the white-light, visible 13km radius. It works automatically.