Things to do in Kurzeme

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

A music club and bar in a historic building in central Liepāja, known for live music.

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 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.

A professional karting circuit in the forest by Kandava: 1,012 m and 11 turns, rebuilt in 2008 to CIK-FIA standards with a layout by Hermann Tilke. It hosts Latvian and Baltic championship rounds, and hobby drivers can rent karts with lap timing.

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 Byzantine-style Orthodox cathedral with gilded domes in Liepāja’s Karosta district, built in the early 20th century for the Russian Empire’s naval port. One of Latvia’s four Orthodox cathedrals and the landmark of Karosta’s skyline.

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

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.

A concert hall on Liepāja’s waterfront with an amber-coloured facade, opened in 2015 and designed by architect Volker Giencke. Home of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, with pop concerts and shows too.

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.

Sports complex with a pool and spa, an ice hall, an indoor football hall, a gymnastics hall, an indoor arena and stadiums. The tennis hall is separate, on Liedaga iela.

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

The cathedral of the Bishop of Liepāja in the old town, an 18th-century Lutheran church with a richly decorated Rococo interior. Its organ was once the largest mechanical organ in the world, and organ concerts are held here.

Latvia’s oldest professional theatre, founded in 1907: drama, comedy and musical productions in the centre of Liepāja.

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. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

A leisure centre between Jūrmala and Tukums: 11 runs of varying difficulty (the longest up to 320 m), 9 lifts and a snowboard park. Equipment rental, instructors, a ski service, accommodation, a sauna, a café and a crèche. The sledging hill and cross-country trail are free. Mon 14–23, Tue–Thu 12–23, Fri–Sat 12–24, Sun 10–22.

Four outdoor hard courts next to the Ice Hall, open daily from early morning until late evening. In winter you can play in the athletics hall.

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

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.

The restaurant of the five-star Promenade Hotel on the old harbour promenade in Liepāja, looking out over the port or the Great Amber concert hall. Refined dishes and fresh fish from the Liepāja coast.

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.

A former German baron’s hunting residence at Sieksāte, now a hotel with a spa. A white country sauna and a black-stone sauna with a ritual lasting several hours, milk baths with local milk and massages, a small pool and an aromatic steam bath. The estate also has a rose garden, a milk museum, a fallow-deer park and tennis.

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

Open-air water park by the sea: three heated pools, slides from 8 m and 10 m towers, attractions for little ones, saunas and hot tubs.

A five-star hotel on the Old Harbour promenade in Liepāja. Its 58 rooms sleep 116, conferences and events take up to 150 people, and the hotel’s Piano restaurant is on hand for dinner.

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

A summer beach bar and café at the end of Peldu iela: coffee and doughnuts by day, drinks, sunsets and reggae in the evening.

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.

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

A manor near Kandava with a Neo-Gothic manor house built in 1876; in the late 19th century owner Edgar Lyra added a Renaissance-style veranda with a grand staircase. The restored estate has guest apartments in the former stables and servants’ house, a restaurant in the old coach house, and a park with ponds and a bridge to a small island.

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

Kayak and canoe trips on the Abava from one to five days, boat rental and transport back to your car.

A manor on the bank of the Venta beside the Riga–Liepāja highway, with hotel rooms in the main house and a separate building, banquet and conference halls and a park. The restaurant cooks with produce from local farmers; spa in a separate building.

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.

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.

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

A theatre and concert house in Ventspils’ Ostgals district: touring productions, concerts, exhibitions and events.