Why Latvia surprises travelers
Latvia packs a lot into a small country: a UNESCO-listed capital, Baltic beaches, medieval castles and Europe's widest waterfall. Distances are short and trains and buses are cheap, so it is easy to combine several cities in one trip. Here are the towns worth planning around.
Riga
The capital and the largest city in the Baltics is the obvious starting point. Riga is famous for the densest collection of Art Nouveau architecture in Europe, concentrated on Alberta iela. Wander the cobbled Old Town, climb St. Peter's Church tower for the view, and visit the Central Market housed in old Zeppelin hangars.
- Highlight: the Art Nouveau facades on Alberta iela and the rooftop terrace at St. Peter's Church.
Jūrmala
Just 25 minutes by train from Riga, Jūrmala is a 25-kilometre stretch of white-sand beach lined with wooden summer villas. It has been a spa resort since the 19th century, and the pedestrian street Jomas iela is full of cafes.
- Highlight: sunset on the Baltic shore at Majori beach.
Sigulda
Set in the Gauja National Park, Sigulda is Latvia's adventure capital, often called the "Switzerland of Latvia" for its forested river valley.
- Highlight: the medieval Turaida Castle and a cable car gliding over the Gauja valley.
Cēsis
One of Latvia's oldest towns, Cēsis is built around a genuine medieval castle ruin where you can explore the towers by candlelight lantern.
- Highlight: the 13th-century Cēsis Castle and the cobbled old quarter.
Kuldīga
A UNESCO World Heritage town in western Latvia, Kuldīga is known for Ventas Rumba, the widest waterfall in Europe at 249 metres across.
- Highlight: watching fish leap up Ventas Rumba in spring, beside the old brick bridge.
Liepāja
A windswept port city on the coast, Liepāja is Latvia's music capital and home to Karosta, a former Russian naval base with an eerie prison you can tour.
- Highlight: the white-sand beach and the abandoned Karosta district.
Daugavpils
Latvia's second city, in the southeast, centres on a vast 19th-century fortress and the Mark Rothko Art Centre, honouring the painter born here.
- Highlight: the Rothko Art Centre inside the Daugavpils Fortress.
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