We spent a week in Latvia as part of our Baltic road trip. We drove in a circuit which started and finished in the Latvian capital, Riga, visiting Estonia and Lithuania along the way. The trip detailed below is the Latvian part of our journey, which covers some of the country’s top attractions including Riga plus the Baltic Coast, a waterfall, a palace, a concentration camp and a National Park. This itinerary could form the start and finish of a Baltic road trip like ours or a week long standalone road trip.
How to get to Latvia
We flew to Riga International Airport from London Gatwick. Unlike in many cities, the airport is conveniently located just 7 miles west of the Old Town. We picked up a hire car at the airport. Alternatively, the No 22 bus runs up to 6 times per hour and takes around 30 minutes. Tickets cost €1.50 (when bought in advance) or €1.81 (when bought from the driver). You can also reach Riga by bus, train or ferry from destinations across Europe and beyond.
Getting around Latvia
Hiring a car in Latvia is simple and reasonably cheap. You will need to pay more if you wish to take the car across a border, although in reality, the borders between Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania are unmanned.
Driving round Latvia is easy. The country has a network of good, well maintained roads. The main roads do tend to be very long and straight with pine forest either side, which can make driving rather dull.
Latvia 1 Week Road Trip Itinerary
| Day 1 | Flight to Riga Accommodation – Bellevue Park Hotel |
| Day 2 | Riga Walking Tour of Riga Picnic in Uzvaras Park |
| Day 3 | Kuldīga Ventas Rumba Pāvilosta Accommodation – Vēju Paradīze |
| Day 4 | Rundāle Palace Salaspils Concentration Camp |
| Day 5 | Sigulda Gauja National Park Accommodation – Sigulda |
| Day 6 | Jūrmala Accommodation – Alba Hotel |
| Day 7 | Riga Daugava River Cruise Riga Central Market Baltic Picnic |
Latvia Day 1
Flight to Riga
The evening flight from London Gatwick to Riga is very emptyand we end up stretching out on a full row of seats each to ourselves. We land, pick up our hire car and drive the 5 miles from the airport to our hotel just across the river from Old Riga, for the first leg of our Baltic adventure.
Accommodation – Bellevue Park Hotel
We check into our hotel; Bellevue Park Hotel, which is very pleasant. The price includes free parking and a very substantial breakfast buffet. As it’s late and we’ve been travelling all day, we head straight to the bar for our first Latvian beer.
Latvia Day 2 – Walking Tour of Riga
The cobbled streets of the old town are packed with interesting architecture and oozing with history. Take a wander through the old town on foot, cruise along the Daugava River, shop for picnic supplies in the Central Market. And when you’ve had enough of city life, the Baltic coast is just a few miles away.
Our hotel is situated on the edge of Usvaras Park, just across the river from the Old Town. There is a tram stop just outside the hotel to get you into town, but we opted for the lovely scenic walk through the park and across the bridge.
National Library of Latvia
After a substantial breakfast, which included Bucks Fizz, we set off, in an almost straight line for old Riga. On the way, we pass the rather unique National Library. The library, which opened in 2014, is 68 metres high and has thirteen floors. The architect drew his inspiration from the Castle of Light and Glass Mountain from Latvian mythology.
The library opens (or partially opens) daily except Sunday. Exact times can be found here.
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia details Latvia’s Nazi and Soviet occupations between 1940 and 1991. The museum was closed when we visited, but has now reopened following a major renovation.
The museum is open daily from 10 am until 6 pm. Regular entry costs €8.
Blackheads House
The 14th Century Blackheads House was originally built for the Blackheads Guild of German merchants. It has subsequently been rebuilt several times. Most recently, it was destroyed during WW2, but rebuilt according to the original plans in 2001 to celebrate the city’s 800th birthday. Inside, you can visit an exposition which recounts the building’s history.
Th exposition is open daily from 10 am until 5 pm. Entry costs €7 (alternatively, you can pay €9 for entry plus coffee or €10 for entry plus sparkling wine or blackcurrant balsam).
Riga Cathedral
The enormous 13th Century Riga Cathedral is the largest medieval church in the Baltics. As well as religious services, the cathedral also holds regular classical music concerts.
The cathedral is open daily from 10 am (2pm on Sundays) until 5 pm. Adult entry costs €5.
Three Brothers
The Three Brothers is the name given to these three historical houses in Old Riga. Number 17 (on the right) was built in the 15th Century, making it the oldest dwelling in Riga. Numbers 19 and 21 date from the 17th Century.
Riga Castle
Riga Castle, standing proudly on the banks of the River Daugava, was originally built in the 14th Century as the headquarters of the Grand Master of the Livonian Order. It is now the official residence of the Latvian President.
Powder Tower
The 14th Century Powder Tower was once one of 18 towers built along the City Wall. It is now home to the Latvian War Museum.
We didn’t visit the museum, but if you wish to do so, it is open from Tuesday to Sunday between 10 am and 6 pm and is free to visit.
Alberta Iela
Riga is famous for its Art Nouveau area, focused on the stunning Alberta Iela. Many of the houses in the street were designed by Mikhail Eisenstein upon the occasion of the city’s 700th anniversary. The scale and grandeur of this row of ornate buildings make them spectacular to look at, but hard to photograph.
Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral
The Byzantine-style Orthodox Cathedral looks like it fell off a wedding cake onto the pavements of Riga.
The cathedral is open daily from 7 am until 7 pm.
Freedom Monument
The Freedom Monument was erected in 1935 to honour soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence. The 42 metre high granite monument is topped with a copper statue of a woman nicknamed Milda.
Two soldiers stand guard in front of the monument during the day. There is a Changing of the Guard Ceremony on the hour from 9 am until 6 pm.
Laima Clock
The quirky Laima Clock was erected in 1924. It was desiged to serve the dual purpose of advertising chocolate and reminding people not to be late for work.
Saint Peter’s Church
Hard to photograph, with its 72 metre high steeple towering above the narrow, cobbled streets, is Saint Peter’s Church. The 800 year old Gothic church is one of the oldest buildings in the Baltics. You can take a lift to a viewing platform in the tower.
The church is usually open daily from 10 am to 6 pm, although it is possible to go up the tower later at weekends. Adult entry to the church and tower costs €9 . You can visit just the church for €3.
Holy Trinity Church
One last stop on the way back to our hotel to admire my favourite of Riga’s plethora of churches; Holy Trinity Orthodox Church with its stunning blue and gold cupolas which glisten in the afternoon sun.
Picnic in Uzvaras Park
As it’s a lovely evening, we decide to have a picnic in the sprawling Uzvaras Park. Dinner consists of sandwiches and cake, sitting on a bench. It’s all glamour, this travelling malarkey!
Latvia Day 3 – Kuldīga and Pāvilosta
The first day of our road trip involves a drive to Pāvilosta on Latvia’s west coast, via Kuldīga, which is famous for its waterfall. Today’s total drive is 130 miles.
Kuldīga
The quaint town of Kuldīga with its old buildings and cobbled streets is a pleasant place for a wander.
Teleports
I love the quirky Teleports Sculpture depicting a local duke entering the iron structure in the 17th Century and emerging through aluminium into the 21st Century.
Brick Bridge
Cross the 7 span, 19th Century Brick Bridge for the best view of the waterfall.
Ventas Rumba
It may not be very deep, but spanning 249 metres, Ventas Rumba claims the title of Europe’s widest waterfall. You can enjoy the scene from the bank. Alternatively, there are areas of the river designated as swimming spots.
After lunch, we continue our drive west until we reach the Baltic coast.
Pāvilosta
The pleasant coastal town of Pāvilosta is another nice place to take a wander. We walk a loop from our hotel, along the beach and back through the town before settling down for dinner and a beer (or two…)
Accommodation – Vēju Paradīze
The Vēju Paradīze offers motel style accommodation a stone’s throw from the beach. It has its own bar/restaurant with great food, equally great ambiance and (certainly while we visited) the liberal pouring of schnapps.
Dinner at Vēju Paradīze
We don’t often eat at our accommodation, but this was an exception. The Vēju Paradīze has an excellent restaurant. You can eat indoors or on a terrace overlooking the garden.
Meanwhile, back at the bar, more beers and the aforementioned schnapps. What a night!
Latvia Day 4 – Rundāle Palace and Salaspils
Today, we are driving north with two very different stops en route; the magnificent Rundāle Palace and the former Concentration Camp at Salaspils. We are actually headed for Estonia, but this route could also form part of a circuit of Latvia.
Rundāle Palace
The spectacular 18th Century Rundāle Palace was designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who was also the architect of the Winter Palace in St Petersburg. The palace is set in beautiful gardens inspired by those at Versailles. A visit to this stunning palace was one of the highlights of our Baltic trip. We arrived on a misty morning, but even so, the approach to the palace was something quite special.
You can take a guided tour of some of the palace’s 138 ornate rooms.
Afterwards, we take a stroll through the beautiful gardens. Here, you can admire an array of fountains, mazes, flower beds and all sorts of other horticultural features.
The palace is open daily from 10 am until at least 5 pm (later in summer). A combined ticket for the house and garden costs €17.
Salaspils Concentration Camp
As we head north, we opt to take a stop on the outskirts of Riga to visit the former Salaspils Concentration Camp. After the camp was liberated and destroyed, the ground was turned into a memorial with some striking socialist style sculptures.
At the entrance is a memorial designed to look like an angled elevator shaft. It bears the words ‘Behind this gate the earth groans‘ from a poem from Latvian writer Eizens Veveris, who was imprisoned at the camp.
Inside the bunker is a small museum documenting life in the camp.
Outside, there is a large stone with a rather haunting beating heart. Plus seven enormous sculptures, which you have see to fully appreciate their sheer scale.
Latvia Day 5 – Sigulda
One of our main reasons for visiting the Baltic states was my daughter’s decision to run the length of Estonia. Today, she completes her quest and we pick her up at the border with Latvia, before heading to Sigulda.
Sigulda
The town of Sigulda is gateway to Gauja National Park, which spans the valley of the River Gauja. The top sights of Sigulda can be visited on foot. The route described below is a three to four mile round trip, undertaken with a combination of walking and cable car, with plenty to see along the way.
Sigulda New Castle
Sigulda is renowned for its three medieval castles. Not included among these three is Sigulda New Castle, which was built in the 19th Century for a Russian prince. You can’t visit the castle, but can wander the grounds and admire it from outside.
Castle of the Livonian Order in Sigulda
Nearby, you can see the ruins of the Castle of the Livonian Order in Sigulda.
Walking Stick Park
In the town centre, you will find the pretty Walking Stick Park.
Cable Car
The best way to see the beauty of the National Park is to take Cablecar Sigulda, which follows a kilometre long path across the Gauga Valley from Sigulda, across the river to Krimalda.
The cable car operates daily from 10 am until at least 5 pm (later in summer). An adult return ticket costs €19.
Krimalda Castle
On the opposite side of the river, you can see the ruins of another medieval castle; Krimalda Castle.
Gutmanis Cave
Gutmanis Cave can be reached by following a trail on the western side of the river. Over the years, many visitors have carved their names into the soft rocks nearby and you can spot graffiti dating back hundreds of years.
Turaida Castle
Further along the trail is the red 13th Century Turaida Castle. We ran out of time, but you can visit the castle, which houses a museum.
Accommodation – Sigulda
The accommodation we stayed at in Sigulda is no longer available, but there are plenty of nice B&Bs and cottages on the outskirts of the town.
Latvia Day 6 – Jūrmala
We round our Baltic adventure off with some beach time in the resort town of Jūrmala.
Jūrmala boasts a 21 mile long strip of golden sand. The town’s proximity to the capital means that it can get very busy, particularly during summer weekends. The beaches are nice, but even in the height of summer, the water of the Baltic is bitterly cold.
Accommodation – Alba Hotel
We stayed at the Alba Hotel, which has clean, comfortable rooms and a pleasant garden. Adjoining the hotel are a mini market and cafe. The beach is just a few minutes walk away.
Latvia Day 7 – Riga
Today, we must drive back to Riga to catch our flight home the following morning. But first, time for a little more sightseeing in the capital.
Daugava River Cruise
We start with a River Cruise. There are a number of companies along the River Daugava which offer river sightseeing trips, usually as far as the TV Tower. Boat trips take approximately one hour and cost around €12-15.
TV Tower
Situated on Zaķusala (Hare Island) in the middle of the river, the TV Tower stands 368 metres tall, making it the tallest tower in the European Union.
It is not currently possible to visit the TV Tower due to redevelopment.
Riga Central Market
I could have spent hours wandering around Riga Central Market, admiring all the goodies on sale. The bulk of the huge market is housed in a series of old WWI Zeppelin hangars. We purchase the makings of a picnic and head back to the hotel to pick up the car.
The market is open daily from 7 am until 6 pm (5 pm on Sundays).
Baltic Picnic
Just a 9 mile drive north of the city are the public beaches of Ritabullu and Vakarbullu. If yo don’t have a car, you can catch the No 30 bus to either beach. So, we round our visit to Latvia off with a picnic on the beach, watching the sun set over the Baltic.
- Trip taken: September 2016
- Updated: July 2025
I hope you found the above information useful. For guides to more destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full list of Independent Travel Itineraries here.
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