A tapestry of sea, lakes and woods, Latvia is best described as a vast, unspoiled parkland with just one real city – its cosmopolitan capital, Rīga. The country might be small, but the amount of personal space it provides is enormous. You can always secure a chunk of pristine nature all for yourself, be it for trekking, cycling or dreaming away on a white-sand beach amid pine-covered dunes.
We spent one night and one day in the biggest metropolis in the Baltics. Riga perfectly blends timeless tradition and cutting edge cool. In its 800 years of turbulent history, everyone from German knights to Swedish kings and Soviet commissars have left their footprints, and today...
The park stands out with its diverse world of wetlands. It is home to moss or raised bogs, fens, and transitional bogs. The Great Ķemeri Bog is one of the main sulfur water producing bogs around Ķemeri. The bogland soil is poor in nutrients, acid, and in many places sodden. Most trees...
We arrived late at the most famous beach resort in Latvia. We did not find any good parking place close to the beach. We also could not find and gasoline station to refill our water tank. It was getting dark, so in the end, we have decided to use a campsite (26 € / night). Later we took a...
We made a short stop at the secret ex-Soviet communication center (known as Zvezdochka) located in the woodlands near Irbene. It was used by the KGB during the Cold War to spy on communications between Europe and the United States. It originally consisted of a 32-meter telescope, along...
Today we made overnight in the harbor (Southern Pier) in Ventspils in walking distance to its nice beach with ‘Govs-Matrozis’ (The Sailor Cow) – a giant blue-colored cow dressed as a seafarer. The city is situated on the Venta River and the Baltic Sea. The city’s name literally...
It is quite unlike any place we have visited in the country – the Kuldiga is definitely the most beautiful and charming town in Latvia. It is an ancient town with unique, distinctive architecture. The oldest church of St Catherine from 1252 is named after the patron of the town. The Old...
We made overnight on Latvia’s ruggedly beautiful west coast in the third biggest city of Latvia. Liepāja is a port city with pristine beach and architecture ranging from elegant timber houses to Art Nouveau masterpieces and grand old warehouses turned into luxury hotels. It has a nice...
We went through central Latvia to explore some famous castles and palaces. Our first stop was the Castle of Livonian Order in Sigulda. It was built in 1207 in Gauja valley by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (military order comprised of German “warrior monks”). It was destroyed and...
