All places

Waterskiing, wakeboarding and SUP on Lake Ozolnieki, plus an inflatable water park with obstacle courses, slides and a trampoline.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A quarter of restored 19th-century wooden houses across the river. On Saturdays 10:00–16:00 there is a market of local producers and craftspeople with free workshops for kids, and seasonal festivals bring concerts, exhibitions and open-air plays.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

A LIDO restaurant complex: a timber building with a windmill on Krasta iela serving Latvian food. It opened in 1999, with its first guests arriving for the millennium New Year, and added an amusement park and a skating rink in 2003.

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 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.

The Latvian National Sports Centre’s tennis base in a pine forest: nine courts in two indoor halls and nine outdoor courts. There is also squash, beach tennis, a mini-tennis court and a gym.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Official bathing site on the Lielupe in Jelgava. 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.

One of the largest open-air adventure parks in the Baltics: 11 rope courses with more than 140 obstacles in the trees, up to 20 m high. There is also a catapult, giant swings, trampolines and a toboggan run on one of Latvia’s steepest slopes, plus rides for kids from age 3.

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.

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.

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.

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

Wakeboarding and SUP on the Daugava at Zaķusala, a few minutes from the centre. Also suitable for kids.

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.

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 deer park in More parish with a 1.5 km trail past 19 enclosures holding about 400 animals — red, fallow and white deer. You can hand-feed them; cash only, and there is a guest house with a sauna.

The Gauja Steep Banks park in Valmiera: a 1.5 km tree-top rope trail 5–11 m above the ground with four zipline crossings over the Gauja, plus a 2 km barefoot trail.

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

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

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.

Official bathing site on the Gauja in Sigulda. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

A ski base in the Augšzeme highland about 20 minutes from Daugavpils: a family run and a blue slalom run with a lift, a tubing run and floodlights in the evening; equipment rental available.

Riga’s public outdoor ice rink in Esplanāde park by the Rainis monument. Free with your own skates; skate hire €2.49 an hour for adults and €2 for children. Weekdays 11–22, weekends 9–22 (ice-care breaks 13–14, 16–17 and 19–20). Open from December to 1 March, weather permitting.

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

Official bathing site on Lake Lielais Stropu in Daugavpils. 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 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.