Outdoor & Nature in Latvia

Latvia’s highest point, 312 m above sea level in the Vidzeme Upland near Madona. The unfinished observation tower was demolished in 2012 and a small replica now stands by the flagpole; in winter the hill has ski slopes.

Latvia’s largest national park (about 918 km²), along the ancient valley of the Gauja from Sigulda to beyond Cēsis, established in 1973. Sandstone outcrops and caves such as the Ērgļu cliffs, the river valley, trails and castles make it ideal for hiking and canoeing.

A wooden boardwalk across the raised bog in Ķemeri National Park: the short loop is 1.5 km (about an hour) and the long one 3.5 km (about an hour and a half), leading to an observation tower. The boardwalk is free; the car park, about 800 m away, costs €3 for the first hour (Mobilly). Not wheelchair accessible, slippery in rain, and snow isn’t cleared in winter.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

In winter and early spring, icefalls up to 10 m tall form on the rocky banks of the Amata, the biggest usually near the Vizuļu and Dzilnas rocks. Depending on minerals in the water the ice is white, clear, yellowish or even pink. The trail is free, with free parking at the Melturi and Veclauči bridges.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga in Jūrmala. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

A family-run complex by Gaiziņkalns, Latvia’s highest hill. There have been ski runs here since the early 1960s; in the 2025/26 season four runs were open, with snowmaking from November. Café, guest house, saunas and winter equipment rental. The complex used to be called “Golgāts”.

Official bathing site on Lake Bābelīte in Riga. Awarded a Blue Flag for 2026. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

A sleigh ride behind the castle horse Safrāns through the Bīriņi castle nature park, past the landscape park and old water mills to the Love Oak. €20 for 30 minutes or €30 for an hour, up to four people, with warm blankets; without snow it’s a cart ride instead. Open daily 10–16; book ahead for weekends.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga in Jūrmala. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Official bathing site on Lake Būšnieki in Ventspils. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Official bathing site on Lake Ciecere. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga in Riga. Awarded a Blue Flag for 2026. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

An adventure park by Lake Lielais Stropu: rope courses with 102 obstacles up to 12 m high, a separate net park and a 100 m zipline. Little ones (3–6) have a kids’ park; the red and black courses require age 10+ and a height of 140 cm. Gift cards available.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga in Jūrmala. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

A 33.5 m viewing tower in Dzintari Forest Park with 12 platforms at different heights; from the top you look out over the pine tops to the sea horizon. Free to visit; open daily 9–22, during the park’s hours.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga in Jūrmala. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Official bathing site on the Lielupe in Jūrmala. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

The rental point of a Latvian outdoor-shop chain, in Pārdaugava. It hires out touring and mountain bikes with helmets, child seats and bike bags, plus hiking kit — tents, sleeping bags, mats, backpacks, dry bags, stoves, cookware, lamps, camping furniture and trekking poles. Gear can be booked online and also collected at Gandrs points in Valmiera or Liepāja; the longer the rental, the lower the daily price.

Boat trips on the Gauja, Brasla and other rivers. Boat delivery and transport back to the start are included.

The widest and tallest cave in the Baltics, in the ancient Gauja valley near Sigulda. It began to form more than 10,000 years ago when post-Ice Age meltwater washed out the sandstone; it is Latvia’s oldest tourist attraction, and inscriptions on its walls date back to the 17th century. The legend of the Rose of Turaida is tied to the cave.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga in Jūrmala. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

A campsite on the Gulf of Riga between Roja and Kolka, where barrel cabins stand right by the beach looking out to sea.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Official bathing site on the Daugava in Riga. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

The ruins of a 13th-century castle on a high bank above the Daugava. A reservoir created by a hydroelectric dam built downstream in 1965 partly flooded the castle and the valley, so the walls now rise straight out of the water. Poles, Swedes and Russians fought over the castle in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Baltic Sea. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

The northern tip of the Kurzeme peninsula on the Livonian coast, where the Baltic Sea meets the Gulf of Riga. The two waters collide here, so swimming is dangerous, but watching it from the shore is impressive; in spring and autumn the cape is one of the best bird-watching spots.

Official bathing site on Lake Kovšu. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Official bathing site on Lake Lielais Stropu in Daugavpils. Awarded a Blue Flag for 2026. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga in Jūrmala. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Baltic Sea in Liepāja. Awarded a Blue Flag for 2026. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

An 8 km white-sand beach with a Blue Flag every summer since 2001, lifeguards, and access for people with visual and mobility impairments.

Nature Conservation Agency trails in Gauja National Park, where Latvian forest animals — bears, wolves, lynx, wild boar, deer and foxes — live in large enclosures. Over 5 km of paths (2–2.5 hours), a 22 m observation tower and a covered, glass-fronted platform at the lynx enclosure; open all year.

The only ferry in the Baltics driven by the river current: a platform on two steel boats that the ferryman angles into the stream to drift across the Gauja. It was set up after the war, when Līgatne’s bridges had been destroyed. Daily 7:30–18; €1 one way on foot or by bike, €3.50 by car; it doesn’t run when the water is too high or too low or when the river is frozen.

Official bathing site on Lake Limbažu Lielezers in Limbaži. Awarded a Blue Flag for 2026. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

The University of Latvia’s recreation and conference centre in Līgatne parish, about an hour’s drive from Riga. The grounds hold six restored historic buildings, accommodation for 150 and pitches for football, basketball, volleyball and croquet, with room for outdoor events of several thousand people.

Official bathing site on Lake Lubāns. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Official bathing site on the Daugava in Riga. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

The ruins of a Gothic Livonian Order castle in the centre of Ludza, built on the site of an older Latgalian wooden castle as an eastern outpost guarding trade routes. Impressive fragments of wall survive, one of them three storeys high, and the hill looks out over Ludza’s lakes.

Latvia’s State Forests nature park in the Tērvete pinewood, about 1,200 hectares: the Fairy Tale Forest, the Gnome Farmstead, wooden sculptures, trails and boardwalks over the Tērvete river valley, and three ancient hill forts. A new visitor centre and a 25 m observation tower opened in 2026; the park drew a record 166,700 visitors in 2025.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga in Jūrmala. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Canoe and raft rental for trips on the Gauja, from a couple of hours to two- or three-day journeys.

Official bathing site on the Venta in Kuldīga. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga in Jūrmala. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

The main stage of the Song and Dance Festival in Mežaparks, held here since 1955. After the first phase of reconstruction (2018) it seats about 30,000, and Latvia’s biggest summer concerts take place here.