The Kaliningrad Region is the westernmost region of Russia, which does not share a land border with it. Car rental in Kaliningrad is a popular service, since there are no Russian tourists in their cars here. We took a car in Kaliningrad and drove it around the seaside towns and the Curonian Spit. Review of car rental in Kaliningrad and our routes in the Kaliningrad region.
- Car rental in Kaliningrad
- Routes in the Kaliningrad region
- Yantarny and Svetlogorsk
- Baltiysk and the Baltic Spit
- Curonian Spit
This was our third trip to the Kaliningrad region and the first with a rental car. We booked accommodation in the resort of Zelenogradsk, but being in one place all the time quickly gets boring, so we thought about renting a car in advance.
We started looking for a car a month before the trip. At the peak of the tourist season, you should not hope to find something on the spot, especially in Kaliningrad, which is one of the top 3 destinations of domestic tourism.
Car rental in Kaliningrad
We booked a car in Kaliningrad on the Localrent website, an aggregator of local rental companies. We have already used their services in 2021 in Greece. Then everything went smoothly and without problems.
The advantages of Localrent are that in addition to the competitive prices offered by local car rentals, you rent a specific car, not a class of car. Localrent carefully selects partners and guarantees the quality of their services.
Using the Localrent site is simple. To optimize the search, there are filters: gearbox (automatic transmission or mechanics), engine type, drive, with or without deposit. Which car you choose is exactly what you will get (make, model, color, year of manufacture and other characteristics).
We chose the Kia Rio sedan of 2022, automatic, 1.6 liters. It cost 9792 rubles for 3 days — 3264 rubles/day. The rental price included CTP. No hidden fees or charges.
At the time of booking, you must specify the place and time of receipt / return of the car, fill in the driver’s details and make an advance payment of 15% of the rental price. The booking confirmation was sent to the mail immediately, because this car was marked with a “lightning bolt” icon — instant booking. The Localrent voucher contains all the details of the order and the contacts of the rental company providing the car.
On the eve of the rental day, the manager of the rental company called us and asked us to send a copy of our passport and driver’s license via WhatsApp to draw up a contract.
We came to pick up the car at the rental office in Kaliningrad — this is a free option. If desired, you can order the delivery of the car to Khrabrovo airport or to another address with an additional fee. Receiving the car was standard — we examined and photographed it, signed the contract, made the remaining amount and deposit.
Our Kia Rio turned out to be in excellent condition: perfectly clean, without damage, with a full tank. We had to return it in the same form in 3 days.
We synchronized the on-board computer with our smartphone, set a route using Yandex Maps and drove off.
Routes around the Kaliningrad region by car
The Kaliningrad Region is the smallest region in Russia by area. Its length from east to west is 205 km, from north to south — 108 km. The main points of tourist attraction are located at a distance of 1 hour drive from Kaliningrad.
Driving around the Kaliningrad region is easy even for inexperienced motorists. There are few cars on the roads, the locals drive calmly. The bypass highway around Kaliningrad has a speed limit of 110 km/h. You should be especially careful when passing narrow two-lane highways lined with trees. All roads in the Kaliningrad region are free of charge.
Our routes from Zelenograd
- Day 1 — Yantarny and Svetlogorsk
- Day 2 — Baltiysk and the Baltic Spit
- Day 3 — Curonian Spit
Yantarny and Svetlogorsk
A large free parking lot in the village of Yantarny is located near the Water Tower. Across the street from it there is an Amber Factory with a branded store and the Amber Chamber Museum and exhibition hall.
Other amber-related attractions are included in the complex “Observation Deck of the Primorsky Quarry”.
The Moritz Becker Park covers an area of 10 hectares. Relict trees grow in it, benches, sculptures, a literary and amber trail with quotes from poets and writers about amber, an observation deck with swings are installed.
Going down the stairs, we went out to the Central Beach of Amber, marked with a Blue flag. On this day, there was a storm warning with wind gusts up to 20 m/s — swimming is prohibited. People walked along the shore, sat in coastal cafes and just admired the sea.
The promenade in Yantarny stretches for 2 km along the sea, 700 meters of which is a floating path made of Siberian larch laid above the water. Birds are swimming in the reeds. We saw swans with grown-up swans, ducks, cormorants, a reed warbler’s nest with chicks, a gray heron.
From Yantarny we went to Svetlogorsk. The last time we were in Svetlogorsk was in the summer of 2016. During this visit, we wanted to see what had changed there.
The car was parked at the 65th anniversary of Victory Square near Lake Tikhoe and went towards the sea.
A new promenade is being actively built in Svetlogorsk. The platform-promenade stands on high concrete piles, benches are placed along it. Apartments will be located in the houses under construction on the promenade. From what is already working, there is a transparent elevator that lifts to the Amber Hall.
While the embankment is being repaired, it is better to walk in the upper part of Svetlogorsk, and swim on the beach to the left of Svetlogorsk-2 station.
On the way to the car, we walked along the central Lenin Street, past stalls with amber, a water tower and along Lake Tikhoe. The air in Svetlogorsk smells of pine needles.
Baltiysk and the Baltic Spit
We arrived in Baltiysk after the Navy Day in the hope of seeing the warships participating in the parade. But we had another goal — to go to the Baltic Spit. All our plans have come true.
The city parking lot closest to the ferry pier was occupied, the car was left along Kronshtadtskaya Street near the Museum of the Baltic Fleet.
We went to the Baltic Spit without a car — we rented bicycles on the spit. Ferries to the Baltic Spit run every 2 hours, it takes only 5 minutes to sail.
We spent 5 hours on the Baltic Spit. This is a wild strip of land with traces of military fortifications in a dilapidated state. Dunes, forest, sandy beaches and silence are a very atmospheric place.
The main attractions of Baltiysk are connected with the naval theme. We spent an hour on their external inspection.
Pillau Fortress is open from Wednesday to Sunday, its visit is possible only as part of an excursion with the original passport of the Russian Federation.
Monuments of Baltiysk on the Marine Boulevard: monument to Peter I, monument to Empress Elizabeth I, sculpture “Sailor’s Wife”, Baltic Lighthouse.
There are ships along the Baltiysk pier. You can approach them and take pictures. Pleasure boats are driven around the harbor.
Curonian Spit by car
Many people rent cars in Kaliningrad just to go to the Curonian Spit and it makes sense. Regular buses to the Curonian Spit do not run often and are not intended for tourists, and the taxi driver will have to pay for the entire stay in the national park.
8 years ago, we went on a bus tour to the Curonian Spit, this time we went by rented car according to our program.
Tips for an independent trip to the Curonian Spit by car
- For a trip to the Curonian Spit, choose a working day, most people are from Friday to Sunday.
- Come to the Curonian Spit as early as possible, it is open around the clock.
- Entry for tourists with payment of an environmental fee through the second and third checkpoints.
- Park in the permitted parking lots, you can not leave your car along the road.
- There are toilets in the parking lots of the attractions.
- Download the audio tour Curonian Spit: car trip with an audio guide to the country of nests.
We lived in Zelenogradsk, where the Curonian Spit begins, got up early and drove up to the checkpoint at 8:30. There were no other tourists besides us on Wednesday morning. Locals and workers drive by on the left side and do not create queues.
Environmental fee for entry into the territory of the Curonian Spit National Park:
- 450 rubles for a car with a driver
- 300 rubles for each passenger
- children under 18, pensioners and beneficiaries are free of charge
You can pay the environmental fee in cash or by card, it took us a minute.
Our stops on the Curonian Spit are: Muller Height and Chaika Lake (32 km), Dancing Forest (37 km), Efa Height (42 km), Swan Lake (46 km). There were free parking spaces everywhere.
By one o’clock in the afternoon we had passed the entire Russian part of the Curonian Spit. Lithuania was clearly visible from the observation deck on Lake Lebed. We spent a few more hours on the beach, which bus tours do not reach. We drove back from the Curonian Spit National Park as quickly as we entered.
In the evening of the same day, we washed and refueled our rented car, so as not to do it in the morning on the day of delivery. The car was received quickly and without problems. The manager of the rental company immediately refunded the deposit.
Thanks to car rental, we were able to travel around the Kaliningrad region at our own pace and see the maximum in a short time. I recommend the Localrent website as a proven platform for renting a car in Kaliningrad.
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