# What to See in Latvia Beyond Riga: Jurmala, Gauja Castles, Rundale and the Cape of Two Seas > What to see in Latvia in a week: Riga's Art Nouveau, Jurmala beaches, Gauja National Park castles, Rundale Palace by Rastrelli, Cesis and Cape Kolka. Full route. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/latviia-shcho-podyvytysia/ - Language: en - Published: 2026-11-03 - Categories: Nature, Culture, Historic Sites, Beaches, Seas & Oceans, Латвія --- Wondering **what to see in Latvia** with just a week to spare? The short answer: Riga and its Art Nouveau streets, 25 kilometres of white sand in Jurmala, the Gauja valley with two medieval castles, the baroque Rundale Palace and the wild Cape Kolka, where the waves of the Gulf of Riga crash head-on into the open Baltic. All of that fits inside a country you can drive across in about four hours. That is why Latvia works so well as a single-base trip: stay in Riga and cover everything else with easy day trips. ## Riga: two days minimum, no shortcuts The capital gets only a brief mention here because it deserves an article of its own. The Old Town with the Dome Cathedral and the House of the Blackheads is a UNESCO site, while the Art Nouveau quarter around Alberta Street holds one of the densest collections of the style in Europe: more than 700 buildings. Add the Central Market housed in former Zeppelin hangars and the viewing platform of St Peter's Church. Give it two full days. Travellers who rush through Riga in half a day tend to wonder afterwards what all the fuss was about, and the fault is entirely theirs. ## Jurmala: the longest beach in the Baltics, half an hour from the capital Jurmala stretches along the gulf for a good 25 kilometres. It is not one town but a string of former fishing villages stitched together by a railway line. The tourist core is called Majori: the pedestrian Jomas Street lined with cafes, carved wooden villas from the 19th century, and a vast white beach that is hard to leave on a summer evening. The water rarely warms past twenty degrees, but the sand is flour-fine and pine trees grow right up to the dunes. Getting there is simple. A commuter train from Riga Central Station reaches Majori in about half an hour, and the ticket costs roughly two euros. One detail matters for drivers: entering Jurmala by car in high season requires a paid entry pass, bought at roadside points or online. It is cheaper and calmer to leave the car in Riga and take the train. Beyond the beach, walk to Ragakapa Nature Park with its dunes and 300-year-old pines, and check the schedule of the Dzintari Concert Hall in case an evening show is on. ## Sigulda and Gauja National Park: castles, caves and a bobsleigh track Gauja National Park, the oldest and largest in the country, has protected the river valley with its sandstone cliffs, forests and three castles since 1973. The gateway town of Sigulda sits 53 kilometres from Riga; the train takes about an hour and ten minutes. What to see around it: - **Turaida Castle**: a red-brick 13th-century fortress with a climbable tower, surrounded by a museum reserve with an open-air village and a sculpture garden. - **Gutmanis Cave**: the largest grotto in the Baltics, its walls covered with inscriptions dating back to the 17th century. The cave carries the legend of the Rose of Turaida, a local Juliet. - **The ruins of Sigulda Castle** of the Livonian Order and the cable car across the Gauja valley: the cabin glides more than 40 metres above the river, and in autumn the forest below turns into a sea of copper and gold. - **The Soviet-era bobsleigh track**, one of the few in the world where tourists ride wheeled sleds in summer and a real bob with a pilot in winter. Latvians call Sigulda their little Switzerland in autumn. The comparison is worn thin, yet golden October here really is the prettiest in the country. Check current trails and attraction prices on the official [Enter Gauja](https://www.entergauja.com/en) site. ## Rundale Palace: Rastrelli before the Winter Palace Eighty kilometres south of Riga, amid the flat fields of Zemgale, stands the most unexpected building in Latvia: the baroque **Rundale Palace** with its 138 rooms. It was designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the architect who would later build the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, for Ernst Biron, Duke of Courland and favourite of Empress Anna. The Gold Hall, the White Hall, suites lined with Dutch tiles and a formal French garden with several thousand rose bushes: the restoration is meticulous, with none of the shiny theme-park feel. The best time to visit is June and July, when the rose garden blooms. Public transport requires a change in Bauska, so the palace is easier by car or with a tour. Verify opening hours and tickets on the [official palace website](https://rundale.net/en/) before you go. ## Cesis: the Middle Ages without the varnish Cesis, 90 kilometres from Riga, often falls off short itineraries, undeservedly. The town keeps the ruins of a 13th-century Livonian Order castle, and the visit comes with a twist: you are handed a candle lantern to descend the dark spiral staircases of the western tower. Childlike delight is guaranteed at any age. The town itself is small and cobbled, with St John's Church where masters of the Order lie buried, and a cosy square full of summer cafes. If you have a car, Cesis pairs naturally with Sigulda in a single day: the two are half an hour apart across the Gauja valley. ## Cape Kolka: where two seas collide The farthest point of the route: 160 kilometres from Riga, at the very tip of the Courland peninsula. At Cape **Kolka** the Gulf of Riga meets the open Baltic, and on a windy day you can watch two lines of waves run straight into each other. The sight is hypnotic. Swimming at the tip itself is strictly off limits: the currents are treacherous, as the warning signs make clear. The road to Kolka runs through Slitere National Park and the Livonian fishing villages of Mazirbe, Kosrags and Vaide. The Livonians, a small Finno-Ugric people, left their place names and culture along this coast, and the villages look as if time stopped somewhere in the last century. Grey weathered timber houses, empty dune beaches and pine forest to the horizon come as a bonus. A bus does reach Kolka, but a car makes the day far more flexible. ## How to shape the itinerary DestinationDistance from RigaHow to get thereTime neededRigabaseon foot, tram2 daysJurmala25 kmtrain to Majori, 30 minhalf a day or a full daySigulda and Gauja53 kmtrain, about 1 h 10 minfull dayCesis90 kmtrain or carhalf a day, pairs with SiguldaRundale Palace80 kmcar, or bus via Bauskahalf a day or a full dayCape Kolka160 kmcar, busfull dayA relaxed pace takes six to seven days. With only four, cut it this way: two days for Riga, one for Sigulda with Cesis, one for Jurmala. Rundale and Kolka then become the perfect excuse for a second trip, and Latvia rewards return visits: quiet, affordable by European standards and refreshingly free of mass tourism.