Vilnius - Kaunas - Šilutė - Klaipėda: which way and when to ride
The best month for Vilnius - Kaunas - Šilutė - Klaipėda is September: 79% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 1.2 km/h along the route (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0% | 24% | 55 | -1 °C | 0% | 99% | 7.8 † |
| February | 0% | 20% | 39 | 0 °C | 0% | 99% | 9.6 † |
| March | 16% | 19% | 37 | 6 °C | 0% | 82% | 11.7 |
| April | 56% | 21% | 41 | 12 °C | 0% | 35% | 14.0 |
| May | 71% | 26% | 61 | 18 °C | 0% | 5% | 16.1 |
| June | 71% | 27% | 69 | 22 °C | 2% | 0% | 17.3 |
| July | 62% | 34% | 102 | 23 °C | 5% | 0% | 16.8 |
| August | 67% | 29% | 81 | 23 °C | 5% | 0% | 14.9 |
| September | 79% | 20% | 50 | 18 °C | 0% | 2% | 12.6 |
| October | 50% | 22% | 59 | 11 °C | 0% | 39% | 10.3 † |
| November | 9% | 19% | 51 | 5 °C | 0% | 88% | 8.3 † |
| December | 0% | 21% | 49 | 2 °C | 0% | 99% | 7.2 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind near Kaunas → Kaunas - Šilutė - Klaipėda, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, near Kaunas → Kaunas - Šilutė - Klaipėda | Headwind > 15 km/h, Kaunas - Šilutė - Klaipėda → near Kaunas | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −1.3 | 13% | 8% | either |
| February | −1.2 | 13% | 8% | either |
| March | −1.9 | 14% | 8% | either |
| April | −1.9 | 15% | 7% | either |
| May | −1.2 | 11% | 6% | either |
| June | −2.5 | 13% | 4% | Kaunas - Šilutė - Klaipėda → near Kaunas |
| July | −2.5 | 12% | 4% | Kaunas - Šilutė - Klaipėda → near Kaunas |
| August | −1.7 | 10% | 4% | either |
| September | −1.2 | 12% | 7% | either |
| October | −1.5 | 14% | 8% | either |
| November | −0.9 | 11% | 7% | either |
| December | −1.7 | 13% | 7% | either |
Stages
The route is split into 4 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind near Kaunas → Kaunas - Šilutė - Klaipėda in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. near Kaunas → near Elektrėnai | 119 | September | +0.2 |
| 2. near Elektrėnai → Kaišiadorys | 91 | September | −1.1 |
| 3. Kaišiadorys → Jurbarkas | 146 | September | −2.0 |
| 4. Jurbarkas → Kaunas - Šilutė - Klaipėda | 98 | September | −2.0 |
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.