Riverside nature corridor

One particularly nice feature of the course of the Neris river through Vilnius is that the city planners have allowed for a relatively wide margin of forest on either bank, most of the way until the real downtown stretch begins. Here, at the Žirmūnai river-beach, the high-rises and tower blocks that dominate the district are mostly hidden behind the thick forest on the riverbanks. Perhaps this is through sheer necessity – the soil erodes easily, so the trees are needed to bind the landscape in its current profile; and the river is prone to flooding when the ice breaks and in the spring, so it would be unwise to build too close to the water’s edge. On the right bank, the city has built an excellent lit bike path, that runs all the way from the centre to the Verkiai regional park to the North, though on the left bank the quality of the infrastructure is a bit more patchy, and is less inviting for a stroll or bike ride along the river.