Baltiysk, located in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, is a unique destination blending military history with modern restrictions. Today the headquarters of the Russian Baltic Fleet, the former German Pillau is known for its star-shaped fortress and its Luftwaffe seaplane base on the Vistula peninsula.
After a lot of emails and hassles, I obtained an authorization from the Russian FSB to visit this city restricted to foreigners, a trip off the beaten track in Russia’s westernmost city !
In this guide, I explain in detail how to legally visit Baltiysk, get an FSB authorization, where to sleep and eat, and the essential places not to miss.
Disclaimer (just in case) special Russian authorities : some of these photos are not mine (see sources mentioned), I do not own a drone, I have not taken photos of soldiers in uniform nor military ships.
Where is Baltiysk located?
• Geography and context
Baltiysk is the westernmost city of Russia, located in the Kaliningrad enclave, between Poland and Lithuania, on the Baltic Sea. It was called Pillau until 1945.
This strategic position makes it a historical gateway between Western Europe and Russia.
• How to travel there ?
To visit Baltiysk, you have to reach Kaliningrad by bus from Poland or by plane (Khrabrovo airport) from Moscow or Saint Petersburg. From Kaliningrad, a 50 kilometer journey by car, taxi or bus takes you to Baltiysk. You need a Russian visa (or eVisa) to access the Kaliningrad region but also a special authorization from the FSB to enter the city of Baltiysk since it is a restricted military city.
Why is Baltiysk a city restricted to foreigners?
• A strategic and military role
After the cession of East Prussia to the Soviet Union in 1945, the town of Pillau was renamed Baltiysk and became a strategic naval base for the Baltic Fleet. Due to its crucial military role, access to the city was tightly controlled, and it remained completely closed to foreigners from 1952 to 1994.
• Current restrictions
Today, Baltiysk remains a strategic point and the headquarters of the naval base of the Russian Baltic Fleet, its access is no longer prohibited but still restricted. Foreign visitors can explore the city with a special permit/authorization issued by the Kaliningrad FSB. Of course, certain military sites remain prohibited, we are not allowed to approach warships and we obviously better avoid taking photos of them.
Headquarters of the Russian fleet in the Baltic Sea. Source: Shutterstock
Russian Navy flag
Naval parade
- Headquarters of the Russian fleet in the Baltic Sea. Source: Shutterstock
- Russian Navy flag
- Naval parade
Practical tips for visiting Baltiysk
How to get an authorization from the FSB
Send an email in Russian to kaliningrad@fsb.ru, requesting the form “permission to visit Baltiysk and the Baltiysky kossa” (= the Vistula peninsula), make sure to mention you are a foreigner. As a precaution, attach a copy of your passport and visa.
When I requested it, the email ended up in spam and my authorization was not ready. Luckily for me, the FSB agent was super nice, he re-printed and helped me re-fill out the documents (I had requested 2 authorizations: Baltyisk + the ferry which I ultimately didn’t take) and stamped it all on the spot.
To avoid this kind of problem, it is best to submit your request directly to the mailbox provided for this purpose, located at the address Sovietsky Prospekt 3 (Советский проспект, д.3 see the map above – Yandex Maps indicates the entrance door with an arrow and a red dot at the back of the building, you have to pass a lifting barrier gate). Do this at least a week in advance, so that you can collect your authorization the following Friday at 5:30 PM (not before) at the same location.
On site, enter through the white door and go through the security gate. Once inside the small room, locate the armchairs on the left, above you will find two mailboxes. Submit your application in the one located furthest to the left in front of you. Once again I advise you to add a copy of your passport and visa (or eVisa).
What do we risk if we go there without a permit? A fine of 1000₽ but above all a lot of troubles : being charged by the FSB and possible expulsion from Russia. The authorization is free, so no reason not to apply for it.
Important : No one will check your authorization before boarding a bus to Baltiysk, there is no checkpoint at the entrance to the city but hotels do not accept foreigners who do not have this authorization, you cannot visit the fortress or take the ferry to reach the Vistula peninsula without this document.
It’s a military town, you come across all kinds of people in uniforms in the street, there’s a good chance of being stopped.
How to get to Baltiysk by public transport
To reach Baltiysk from Kaliningrad, take a bus from the bus station located next to Yuzhni vokzal station, with frequent departures approximately every 30 minutes: Bus No. 107; 1 hour 30 minutes journey; 120₽
If like me you are traveling from Zelenogradsk, I advise you to go through Kaliningrad to take a connection to Baltiysk otherwise bus No. 587 (354₽) takes more than 2 hours 45 minutes and passes through all the villages and small towns on the coast such as Svetlogorsk and Yantarny.
To see bus schedules, check Yandex Raspisanie, but buy your ticket directly at the bus station counter just before departure.
Accommodation and food
• Accommodation : Without permission from the FSB, no hotel in Baltiysk will accept you. At the hotel reception they will make a copy of your authorization and, like everywhere else in Russia, a copy of your passport, visa and immigration card. I stayed at the hotel Strekoza Mini-Hotel, which I highly recommend: very clean, affordable prices and really nice staff.
There are also a few guest houses on the Vistula peninsula, in the village of Kossa.
• Food : Baltiysk is a small not really touristy city, and therefore offers fewer choices of restaurants and cafes than Kaliningrad. I recommend you Trapeznaya, (a sort of canteen belonging to the Russian orthodox church), Paluba located near the marina and Stantsia on Lenina Prospekt. On the Vistula peninsula there are several establishments including a small café in the museum Stary Liunet.
Trapeznaya
- Trapeznaya
Best times to visit Baltiysk :
• The last Sunday of July : Navy Day in Baltiysk (День ВМФ), with parade of military boats.
• Avoid Mondays, as no (mandatory) guided tours are organized in the Pillau Fortress on that day.
• Baltiysk can be visited all year round: even in summer, the city remains quiet and much less touristy than the seaside resorts of Zelenogradsk or Svetlogorsk.
The Pillau fortress : a journey through time
• History of the fortress
Built in the 17th century by the Swedes, the Pillau Fortress played a key role during the Teutonic Wars, World War II and the Cold War. It was used successively by the Swedes, the Prussians, the Germans and finally the Soviets and Russians.
• Visit the fortress today
The fortress is the unmissable monument of Baltiysk. It is still used by the Russian army but part of it is open to the public. Please note, you cannot freely visit the Pillau fortress. Visits are only by organized tour (guided tour in Russian) via the Baltic Fleet Museum. You must present your FSB authorization to participate in the tour otherwise you will be refused.
Tour time : at 1:30PM, daily except Monday.
How to join : You must go to the local museum of the Baltic Fleet, which is one of the branches of the Central Naval Museum of Saint Petersburg, to buy your place on the next day’s tour.
Tips : The museum is closed on Monday and Tuesday, so don’t do like me, don’t show up on Monday or Tuesday to take your place for the following day’s tour. The museum opens at 10AM the rest of the week, with a little luck you can join the afternoon tour the same day. Double check the museum’s opening hours and days just in case.
The German seaplane base of Pillau-Neutief : little-known history
• Historical context
During the Second World War, the Germans built the Pillau-Neutief seaplane base to monitor and defend the Baltic Sea. This impressive infrastructure included hangars, maintenance areas for military seaplanes as well as 2 runways for fighter and transport aircrafts.
• Vestiges to discover
Today, the ruins of this base built entirely on the sand bear witness to the military engineering of the time.
Although abandoned and partially destroyed, the structures are clearly visible and everything is freely accessible. There is no security barrier, no entry fee, we can wander around as we please and even the babushkas come to pick all kinds of berries that have grown on the territory of the base.
Important : there is no security, no restrictions on walking inside the hangars, you enter at your own risk. Even if you see Russians climbing on the metal structures of the roofs, I advise you not to follow their example.
📌I recommend Forgotten Airfields‘ page for more information on the history of the base
Refugees fleeing East Prussia via the Pillau Neutief base in 1945. Source: Bundesarchiv
Landing strip
Bay from which seaplanes took off/landed
- Refugees fleeing East Prussia via the Pillau Neutief base in 1945. Source: Bundesarchiv
- Landing strip
- Bay from which seaplanes took off/landed
How to get there
Two ferries, the Nida and the Vistula, operate between the city of Baltiysk and the village of Kossa on the Vistula peninsula approximately every 2 hours. The signs indicate “Gorod Baltiysk” (Baltiysk city) and “Baltiyskoy Kossi” (Baltiysk isthmus, tthe Russian name of the peninsula).
The journey costs 70₽ each way, and tickets must be purchased separately each way. It is necessary to present an authorization from the FSB including the city of Baltiysk and the “Baltiysky Kossa” at the counter to buy your ferry ticket. The crossing takes less than 10 minutes.
Right: timetable from Baltiysk to the Vistula peninsula. Left: return times
When the ferry arrives, you have to walk about ten minutes to reach the Pillau-Neutief base. Follow the route directly on Yandex Maps, as there are no signs indicating the way. Upon arrival, turn right to explore the hangars and continue to the runways (which at the time was equipped with lighting and a heating system to prevent freezing, allowing its use all year round, even in winter). A small path on the left, at the start of the runway, leads to the bay where the seaplanes landed.
I share the behind the scenes of my travels (real-time stories, messy bits etc) on Telegram
Other places to see in Baltiysk
• The wild beaches of the Baltic
There are beautiful, wild and empty beaches in Baltiysk. The central beach is accessible from the city center next to the monument to Elizabeth I. Whether on the city side or on the Vistula peninsula, the beaches are much wilder and empty than in the rest of Kaliningrad.
• Seafront and canal
Stroll along the waterfront and the sea canal that connects Baltiysk to Kaliningrad, a great place to observe military ships.
• Monument to Elizabeth I
An imposing statue dedicated to the Russian empress on her horse, located near the canal.
Elisabeth Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great, is celebrated in Kaliningrad as she played a role in the conquest of East Prussia during the Seven Years’ War. When some say that “Kaliningrad was a Russian land” in the past, they are referring to the 4 years of Russian occupation from 1758 to 1762.
There is an excellent free exhibition (in Russian & English) on Elizabeth 1st in the lobby of Khabrovo Airport in Kaliningrad
• Military HQ of the Russian Baltic Sea Fleet
The headquarters of the Russian fleet is a Prussian building built in the 19th century, it embodies the typical military architecture of the time, with its imposing red brick facades.
Be careful if you take photos, I got told off by a young soldier not even in service at the time “Dievuchka! Please delete”. Ok, he was doing his job, but you can actually see the building on Yandex Street View. Whatever.
- Headquarters of the Russian fleet in the Baltic Sea. Source: Shutterstock
Water tower of the Russian Fleet HQ in the Baltic Sea. Source: Shutterstock
• Baltiysk’s lighthouse
A historic lighthouse that offers panoramic views of the city and the Baltic Sea.
• The ruins of the Western Fort
Located on the Vistula peninsula, at the end of the village of Kossa and opposite the base of Pillau-Neutief, this fort built in 1869, was part of the fortification complex of Pillau.
