Palanga

At first glance this sprightly little number at the far sea end of the main pedestrian street is a blessing. Pleasant staff greet guests who get a choice of well appointed rooms with all the trimmings for what appears to be a bargain price. The bad news though is that the building it’s located in is also an exceedingly busy pizza restaurant and, worse, a nightclub. Although word on the street is that the aforementioned nightspot plans to be a little more restrained from previous years, they do also stress that it’s still possible to dance, and dancing generally means loud music.

Situated inside a luxurious 19th-century mansion in Palanga’s Botanical Park, this recommended museum holds over 25,000 pieces of amber of which over half have insects and plants trapped inside. Taking visitors through the entire process from collecting it on the beach to the finished product, some of the more interesting artefacts include intricately carved chess sets and a rather splendid amber tractor. Tickets also allow visitors to view some of the mansion’s other rooms complete with period furniture, luscious wall tapestries and some fine old oil paintings. Find the entrance at the bottom of the steps round the back of the building.