Discover Estonia : Baltic amber

This fossilized resin comes in the form of pebbles, most often transparent and orange, but also in darker shades. On stormy days, pieces can be found walking along the beaches. It's to this resin that the Baltic coast owes its nickname of "Amber Coast". Carried by the waves over the sand, it comes from deposits dating back to the Oligocene. Sudden climatic warming caused the conifers of this era to "sweat" rivers of resin that accumulated in the hollows of the land. The following ice age covered them, allowing them to fossilize. Some pieces of amber contain plants, insects or small animals trapped in the resin since this period, known as inclusions, which are of great interest to scientists. Their presence increases prices and is the source of numerous small-scale swindles..

Recognizing amber

Amber, often referred to as "Baltic gold", has been highly sought-after since Antiquity. The Greeks called it elektron, and it was its electrostatic properties that led to the discovery of electricity. Renaissance scientists simply adopted the Greek term. The Baltics have been trading amber for millennia, and Pliny the Elder spoke of this northern tribe "who themselves were astonished at the price at which they sold this material which they got from their sea". Even today, it is used to make magnificent jewelry (necklaces, bracelets, earrings) and ornaments of all kinds, sold in numerous boutiques or on street stalls. To find out whether you're being sold real or fake amber (plastic or resin), it's easy: wave the flame of a lighter under the piece, then wipe it clean - there's no trace left and the amber cools very quickly. The plastic or resin will be marked and will remain hot.

A word of warning: there is no amber in Estonia, it is only imported for tourists.

It's precisely with "Baltic gold" that Lithuania wants to make a name for itself. Amber has always been associated with Lithuania, as evidenced by the discovery of a genuine Neolithic treasure by a team of German archaeologists in the ^19th century, near the village of Juodkrante. Unfortunately, this treasure was lost during the Second World War. These remarkable finds are now on display at the Palanga Amber Museum. You can even get an amber massage!

Tears of a goddess

According to legend, Juraté, goddess of the mermaids, lived at the bottom of the Baltic Sea in a palace of amber. One day, she noticed that an intrepid fisherman named Kastysis was casting his nets too close to her kingdom. She decided to go to the mortal to stop him. But when she saw his strength, beauty and courage, she fell in love with him. She took him to live with her in her palace at the bottom of the sea. But Perkunas, the god of thunder, having discovered Juraté's love affair with a mortal, unleashed a storm and lightning on the mermaids' palace. The palace exploded into thousands of fragments, killing the fisherman. Juraté wept amber tears for Kastysis. Today, when pieces of amber are found on the beaches after the storm, they are said to be Juraté's tears and the remains of her palace.

A beautiful story to start the journey.

The Amber Route: our thematic route

The Amber Route leads along the Latvian coast to the Russian border on the Curonian Spit. Before the war between Russia and Ukraine, the entire route passed through Kaliningrad and Gdańsk in Poland, which was an interesting stopover to start or end the route.

Day 1: Rīga.

Visit the old town and the many amber stores scattered around.

Days 2 and 3: Latvianlatvian coasts.

Stop off on the beaches between Roja and Kolka: this is one of the best places to pick up amber washed up by the Baltic (look for translucent, shiny amber flakes).

Ventspils is another interesting spot for a seaside stop.

Continue to Liepāja for an overnight stay.

Days 4 and 5: lithuanian coasts.

From Liepāja, reach Klaipėda. Drive down to the coast, stopping off at Palanga to visit the Amber Museum. Don't hesitate to take advantage and stroll along the beaches in search of a piece of amber, especially if you're visiting in November. Indeed, after the autumn storms, the sea "spits out" pieces of amber.

12 km from Klaipėda, on the road to Palanga, in the Pajūrio Regional Park. It is said that the largest quantity of amber can be found on the seashore near the village of Karklė. Today, there are around thirty amber fishing nets here.

Next, we head for the Curonian Spit and its village of Juodkrante. At the northern end of the village lies the Amber Gulf where, in 1854-1855, 2,250 tons of amber were discovered. Between 1860 and 1890, amber production averaged 75,000 tonnes a year. In 1882, prehistoric amber objects were also found.

Continue on to Nida, on the border with Kaliningrad and its famous dunes. There's also an attractive amber museum.

Back in Klaipėda, you can continue your visit with a museum of the history of Little Lithuania at Didžioji Vandens 2(www.mlimuziejus.lt), open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm. This charming little museum offers an original look at the region's history. It displays all kinds of objects: archaeological finds, old photos of the town during the Second World War, examples of traditional dress, coins, newspapers and, above all, amber objects dating from the^5th and ^6th centuries. These include necklaces that were used not only as ornaments, but also as coins.

Day 6 (optional): Vilnius.

Vilnius is home to the Amber Gallery-Museum. This store exhibits exceptional pieces of amber in every color. In the basement, a "mini-museum" depicts the amber-making process in a magnificent setting. You can also buy amber at the Linen and Amber Studio, which boasts a wide selection of jewelry and other trinkets made from amber.