Attractions in Latvia

Latvia’s most important Catholic pilgrimage centre: an Italian Baroque basilica built in 1768–1780 and consecrated in 1800. In August thousands of pilgrims come for the feast of the Assumption; the grounds are large and include a spring.

A fortified Latgalian settlement on an island in Lake Āraiši, lived in during the 9th and 10th centuries and partly reconstructed under archaeologist Jānis Apals. Its wooden houses on a log platform show how people lived here a thousand years ago; one of Latvia’s most popular archaeological sites.

A castle where the Mēmele and Mūsa rivers meet: its oldest part, from the mid-15th century, is the only Livonian Order fortress built specifically for artillery, and the newest is a late-17th-century fortified residence with bastions. It is the only partly preserved residence of the Kettler dukes of Courland and Semigallia. Adults €9; November–April 10–16, closed Mondays.

A 42 m monument unveiled in 1935 in honour of the soldiers who fell in the War of Independence, by sculptor Kārlis Zāle. The granite, travertine and copper composition is crowned by a woman holding up three stars, and it is a symbol of Latvia’s freedom and independence. An honour guard stands at its foot.

One of the mightiest castles of the Livonian Order, begun around 1213 by the Brothers of the Sword and from 1481 the permanent residence of the Livonian masters. A castle servant leads visitors with lanterns through the Western Tower and the master’s room with its 16th-century star vault; in summer there is a castle garden, craft workshops and multimedia exhibitions in the towers. May–September daily 10–18.

The main Orthodox church of Daugavpils, with room for 5,000 people. It stands on Church Hill in the Jaunbūve district next to Catholic, Lutheran and Old Believer places of worship — four faiths side by side is a Daugavpils hallmark.

An early-19th-century fortress whose construction began in 1810 by order of Tsar Alexander I ahead of Napoleon’s invasion. It is the only fortification of its kind and age in Northern Europe to survive without significant changes; the Mark Rothko Art Centre is within its walls.

A Neoclassical manor house in Tukums, one of the most interesting classical manors in Latvia. It houses part of the Tukums Museum collection and is surrounded by a park.

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.

A Gothic Revival castle on the shore of Lake Ēdole, surrounded by a landscape park. It originally consisted of two residential buildings joined by a stone wall and is an architectural and archaeological monument of national importance.

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.

A red-brick castle built in 1901 for Riga’s mayor George Armitstead and now an architectural monument of national importance. With its towers and grounds it is a popular place to visit and to celebrate near Tukums.

A medieval castle at Jaunpils that is more manor house than fortress and now houses a hotel. You can look round the rooms and courtyard, stay the night and soak up the medieval atmosphere.

The largest Baroque palace in the Baltics, built in the 18th century to Bartolomeo Rastrelli’s design as the residence of the Dukes of Courland in their capital, Jelgava. Today it houses the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, and its basement holds the family vault of the Dukes of Courland with their sarcophagi.

A fishing village from the late 19th and early 20th centuries at the foot of Raga Dune: a net shed, a dwelling house, a granary and a fish-smoking hut, plus a large collection of anchors and fishing boats. On Thursdays in July and August there are rope- and net-making masterclasses and fish smoking. Tue–Sun, free entry.

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.

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.

The Latgale liberation monument “United for Latvia” in central Rēzekne, unveiled in 1939; it was made by sculptor Kārlis Jansons to a design by Leons Tomašickis. The Soviet authorities pulled it down and it was restored in 1992; it is a symbol of Rēzekne and of all Latgale.

One of Europe’s oldest open-air museums, founded in 1924, in pine woods on the shore of Lake Jugla. More than a hundred historic rural buildings — farmsteads, churches, windmills and bathhouses — have been brought here from every region of Latvia; in summer craftspeople work on site and there are festivals and fairs.

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.

A Neoclassical palace on the Lielupe, one of the finest examples of the style in Latvia, linked to the Lieven family and set beside an English-style park. Since June 2025 it has been open to visitors under the Rundāle Palace Museum; adults €5. May–September 10–18, October–April 10–17, closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

An art park in the Abava valley near Sabile and a cultural monument of national importance. Its 150 hectares hold walking trails of 1–5 km lined with outdoor artworks and installations; until 2018 it was called the Pedvāle Open-Air Art Museum.

An open-air museum in the Vasarnīcas district of Ventspils on the life of Kurzeme’s coastal farmers and fishermen, with a windmill among its buildings. The more-than-a-century-old narrow-gauge steam train “Mazbānītis” runs through it on a 1.4 km loop and a 3 km line to “Kalns” station. Closed on Mondays.

The zoo in Mežaparks by Lake Ķīšezers covers around 20 hectares and keeps thousands of animals of several hundred species, from giraffes and lions to red pandas. The tropical house is home to birds, reptiles, frogs and insects, and there is also a country branch, Cīruļi, in Kurzeme. Tram 11 takes you there.

The Baroque palace of the Dukes of Courland, built to Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli’s design in two stages, 1736–1740 and 1764–1768. Lavish state rooms and a large French garden; main exhibition €12 for adults, garden €6, combined ticket €17.

The ruins of a castle built in 1207 by the Brothers of the Sword on the edge of the Gauja valley; from 1432 it was the residence of the Livonian Order’s land marshal. Next door is Sigulda New Castle, built in Neo-Gothic style in 1878, and the grounds look out over the ancient valley towards Turaida.

An inactive lighthouse on the Blue Hills escarpment in Slītere National Park, several kilometres inland from the sea. The brick tower is open to visitors and looks out over the forests to the sea; forest trails start nearby.

Three neighbouring houses on Mazā Pils iela that form the oldest complex of dwelling houses in Riga. Each house represents a different period of house-building; the buildings are home to the Latvian Museum of Architecture.

A 44-hectare museum reserve on the Gauja opposite Sigulda: the reconstructed brick castle with its main tower, a wooden church, the memorial to the Rose of Turaida, manor outbuildings and more than 38 displays on the Livs and local history. Open daily all year (9–20 in summer); adults €9.

A wooden Baroque manor house built in 1731–1732 for Lieutenant General Balthasar von Campenhausen; the Campenhausen family owned the estate from 1728 to 1939. One of the few such well-preserved 18th-century wooden manor ensembles in Latvia.

Europe’s widest waterfall, in the middle of Kuldīga: 249 m across, up to 275 m in spring floods, and 1.8–2.2 m high depending on the water level. Right beside it are the 19th-century brick bridge over the Venta and Kuldīga’s old town.

An observation deck on the 17th floor, about 65 m above the city, in the Academy of Sciences high-rise, completed in 1961 and for many years the tallest building in Latvia (about 108 m). A lift goes to the 15th floor, then two flights of stairs. Opening hours can change with the weather.

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.

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.

Latvia’s oldest concert hall: the enclosed Small Hall dates from 1936 and was restored in 2015; the summer Great Hall with about 2,100 seats was built in 1963. Festivals and big concerts in summer, concerts in the Small Hall in winter.

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.

Tours of the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (VIRAC) at the former secret Soviet complex in Irbene: a walk around the 32 m RT-32 radio telescope, the RT-8 tower with an exhibition on how the antennas worked in Soviet times, the old RT-16 antenna and an underground tunnel. Season 1 April to 1 November; times and booking on the VIRAC website.

A museum in a former locomotive repair shop in Pārdaugava, holding the largest collection of broad-gauge rolling stock in the Baltics. On set days children can climb into historic trains such as the ER2 electric train and the TE3 diesel locomotive, ride a hand-pumped draisine in summer and join school-holiday workshops.

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.

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.

The University of Latvia’s botanical garden in Zasulauks, with a palm house and a Tropical Butterfly House where, from spring to autumn, blue morphos, owl butterflies and other exotic species fly among banana and coffee trees and orchids. The butterfly house opens daily 10:00–16:00 with a garden ticket.

An Art Nouveau manor built in the early 20th century near Rāzna National Park, originally conceived as a place for art and music; it later served as a school, military headquarters, parish office and library. Today it hosts exhibitions and tours, and rooms can be rented.

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.

A museum at Dunte Manor, where Baron Munchausen lived with his wife Jacobine: wax figures, weapons and hunting trophies, distorting mirrors and a shooting gallery. In the forest there is a trail with 55 wooden sculptures (1–4.3 km), a 1 km path to “Munchausen’s Beer Mug” and an amusement ship.

One of Europe’s largest markets: five pavilions rebuilt from First World War zeppelin hangars, plus an outdoor trading area. Meat, fish, cheese, vegetables, bread and spices; inside the pavilions there are places to eat Latvian dishes, fish, grills and craft beer. Pavilions 7:30–18, outdoor market 7–18.

Riga Zoo’s branch in Kurzeme, founded in 1996 and covering more than 130 hectares: large enclosures with 38 wild species and 12 farm breeds — bears, lynx, wolves, elk, eagles and vultures, a herd of kiangs and Latvian blue cows. Allow more than an hour for the trails; cash only.

A bobsleigh and luge track opened in 1986, with 16 curves. From November to March, by prior booking, you can ride a tourist bob with a professional pilot (over 100 km/h, age 16+), the soft "Vučko" bob (age 6+, with a parent) or the "Frog", lying on your stomach.

A cable car opened in 1969 across the Gauja valley between Sigulda and Krimulda: 1,020 m long, with the cabin 43 m above the ground. Renovated in 2024. It runs every 20–30 minutes all year; tickets at the Sigulda box office or from the attendant at Krimulda.

A manor whose history goes back to 1484, one of the few fortified medieval manors in the Baltics and the only one that survives in Latvia. It has a 15-room budget hotel and guided tours, and the interiors reflect the road-building firms that ran it.

Sandstone caves on the bank of the Brasla in Straupe parish, carved out by underground springs: the Lake Cave holds two clear underground lakes, with the River Cave and suffosion sinkholes nearby. The caves can only be visited with a guide.

A new themed walk through Kuldīga’s UNESCO World Heritage old town that takes you to unusual places, including inside a historic chimney. Suitable for school groups and adults; €10 per person; runs from October 2026 to December 2027; book by phone or email.

A private open-air museum founded in 2008, about 45 minutes’ drive from Riga. Seven bathhouses — six relocated historic ones and one newly built — including black (smoke) and white saunas, with a guided story and sauna sessions led by a pirtnieks, plus workshops and activities for children. Admission €2; visits may be limited in hard frost or deep snow.

A walking orienteering game around Daugavpils in the Roadgames app: 59 points over roughly 8 km, taking two hours or more. Teams of 2–4 collect points by choosing tasks and competing against other teams, in Latvian or English. Aimed at friends, families and corporate team building; you need a purchased game code to play.

A free digital orienteering game that takes you around Riga to discover the city’s monuments and public art. It was created in summer 2026 by the Riga Monuments Agency together with Roadgames and is played in the Roadgames app, in Latvian or English. It also works as a free walking activity for a group of colleagues or friends.