Tours in Latvia

A producer of sparkling, fruit and berry wines, ciders and stronger drinks, and since 2021 of grape wine from its own vineyard on the Abava in Sabile, described as one of the northernmost in Europe. Guided tours, tastings for individuals or groups, workshops and a small shop; arrange your visit in advance.

A bread museum in Aglona where the hostess greets you in Latgalian folk dress with songs and a welcome in the Latgalian dialect. You hear about the history of bread and how rye bread is made, try milling grain, taste freshly baked bread and Latgalian dishes, and bake your own rye loaf to take home. Programmes €10–20; arrange your visit by phone.

A 45-minute trip round the port of Ventspils: the mouth of the Venta, the old town, the industrial port and the Freeport sea gates. The boat has 150 seats; May–September Wed–Fri at 11, 13, 15 and 17, with an extra 18:00 sailing at weekends. Adults €5, pupils and seniors €2; it sails with at least 5 passengers and may be cancelled in strong wind or fog.

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 the Laima factory building on Miera iela: the story of how chocolate is made and of the brand, whose roots go back to 1870, a comparison of chocolate types and a hot-chocolate tasting. In the creative workshop you make your own sweets and take them home in a gift box. Tickets €3–16.

A tour of the Riga Black Balsam factory in Grīziņkalns: the spirits warehouse and the building’s history, the vodka unit with its tanks and columns, the bottling line and the liqueur unit, where you hear the story of Riga Black Balsam and taste several drinks. €25, ages 18+ only; book in advance.

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.

A Latgale culinary heritage centre in Unity House, devoted to šmakovka, Latgale’s home-distilled spirit. An interactive exhibition across three halls with authentic equipment and more than 200 exhibits (the oldest from 1890), tastings (€1.50 for one, €3 for three) and a one-hour guided tour for €16 per group. Adults €6; April–October daily 11–19, closed Mondays in winter.

A 10-hour minibus day trip from Riga in English: Rundāle Palace with an audio guide, Bauska Castle, lunch at a local restaurant (paid separately) and a walk on the Great Ķemeri Bog boardwalk, with a tasting of Latvian snacks and drinks on the way. From €149 per person; best from May to September.

A boat trip along the Daugava bends, the most scenic stretch of the “river of destiny”, from the campsite near Slutišķi. Up to 20 passengers; the season runs from early spring to late autumn, with scheduled weekend trips and weekday trips on request. Adults €8, ages 8–13 €5, under-7s free; the whole boat can be hired.

A boat from Riga to Majori via the Daugava, the Buļļupe and the Lielupe, from the Big Christopher statue in Riga to the Majori pier (Rīgas iela 2A). Up to 80 passengers on board; the season runs from 15 May to 15 October.

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.

Instructor-led day trips by boat from a riverside base on the Daugava near Krāslava: along the Daugava bends (24 km, 5–7 hours) or through the Sauleskalns lake system (15 km, 4–6 hours). Along the way you hear about the region’s nature and heritage; good for teams too. Cash only.

Guided walks in English where you pay what you think the tour was worth. The main tour, about 1 h 45 min, takes in St Peter’s Church, Town Hall Square and the House of the Blackheads, Konventa sēta and Dome Square; the same company also runs Art Nouveau, “alternative Riga” and evening ghost tours. Meet in front of St Peter’s Church; times and free booking online.

An eight-day self-guided tour from Lauku ceļotājs: 4–5 cycling days (30–55 km a day) along the Gauja valley from Strenči through Valmiera, Cēsis and Līgatne to Sigulda, a canoe day from Cēsis to Līgatne, and walks. Includes 7 nights with breakfast, a delivered canoe, maps and route notes; from €330 per person in a double room; season May–October.

Sightseeing flights over Riga from Spilve airfield in a Cessna 172 with room for 2–3 passengers. A typical flight lasts 30 minutes.

A red-brick market hall across the river (completed in 1923), a state-protected monument that reopened after restoration in 2022. Food traders, cafés and shops, a flea market on Sundays, a one-hour gastro tour with seven tastings every Thursday at 11:00, and cookery masterclasses.

A 33 km, 750 mm-gauge railway between Gulbene and Alūksne — the only narrow-gauge line in the Baltics with regular passenger services. A ride on the “Bānītis” through the Vidzeme countryside is a trip for the whole family.

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 former military prison in Liepāja’s Karosta district, built in the early 20th century and now a museum with a theatrical twist. Tours take in the cells and solitary-confinement cells and an exhibition on the Second World War and Soviet times; you can sit through a “discipline” show, eat in the prison canteen or spend a night in a cell. May and September 10–18, June–August 9–19, October–April Fri–Sun 12–16.

A once-secret Soviet bunker about 9 m underground, beneath the rehabilitation centre at Līgatne. The tour takes in a diesel power station, air-purification equipment and a communications centre; the café serves a 1980s-style meal, and there’s an “Object X” spy game. Check tour times in advance.

A craft brewery on a manor estate just outside Valmiera. The 1.5–2 hour tour covers the estate’s history and brewing from raw grain to finished beer, shows antique tools and ends with unfiltered beer tastings. The Beer Kitchen serves seasonal Latvian food such as fish from Lake Burtnieks and pork marinated in winter beer; summer beer garden, shop and rooms for parties.

Bike and Segway rental in Old Riga on Pils iela. Choose from city, mountain, folding and electric bikes or a tandem, with child seats and trailers available; a helmet, lock and map are included, and a deposit is required. Guided bike and Segway tours of Riga, Jūrmala and Sigulda are also on offer.

Boat trips on the Riga canal and the Daugava.

Electric mountain bike (e-MTB) hire and rides around Līgatne in Gauja National Park. Routes include a Līgatne e-bike tour that can take in the Elephant Cave, an easier Līgatne–Cēsis–Līgatne loop for beginners, Līgatne–Sigulda–Līgatne on forest paths, and a 75 km day ride Valmiera–Cēsis–Līgatne with a lunch and charging stop in Cēsis.

Helicopter sightseeing in a Robinson R44 (3 passengers) or an Airbus H125 (up to 5), from a base near Jelgava. Routes over Riga, Jūrmala, the Gauja valley and Rundāle Palace, or a route of your own.

A family farm on the Zemgale plain making around 30 kinds of handmade cheese, many of them also smoked. Visits include a look around the farm, the story of how the cheese is made and a tasting with home-baked bread and salads from their own vegetables; you can also learn to make Latvian caraway cheese. Their marinated cheese won the visitors’ vote at Riga Food 2014. By phone booking only.

Boat trips on Riga’s city canal and the Daugava, including an Old Town panorama route.