Cēsis

Text by Valdis Čeičs, photos by Solveiga Kaļva, www.solveigakalvaphotography.com

Cēsis

The third oldest town in Latvia, and it has kept its medieval spirit until today. It attracts tourists with lovely streets and the medieval castle ruins which you can explore in a candle light. In order to see a great view of the whole town, you can climb up to the tower in the new manor house right next to the medieval castle. The best time to visit the medieval castle is from May to October when the medieval kitchen garden is green, and you can meet local craftsmen, buy metal or leather art souvenirs or create one by yourself in the workshop with a master’s assistance .

Highlights (culture):

Highlights (nature):

In nice weather, it is great to walk around the parks near the castle. There are two parks, Castle Park and May Park. The Sieverts family owned this place for five generations, and  they created designs for their own parks. In the May Park you can look for a couple of black swans, Catharine and Earl. In 2014 the locals could submit their ideas on how to call this couple. The Castle Park is exceptionally picturesque thanks to the castle ruins. You can enjoy a romantic boat ride on the pond and, if you are lucky, listen to a concert happening on the outdoor stage. 

The main street in Cesis old town is Riga street which leads to the Rose Square. This ancient market square is the most active social square and it is located in front of the St. Johns Church. The Church is open for visitors, and you can climb up to an observation platform. During the summer, every Friday and Saturday evening from 8PM to 11PM the church is illuminated in various colors, and the light show is complemented with musical performances. Further, Riga street leads to the Līvu square, the first market square in Cēsis. 

VISIT CESIS ON YOUR OWN OR JOIN OUR TOUR – CESIS: MEDIEVAL HERITAGE AND NATURAL TREASURES!

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What travelers say about us

EXCELLENT
36 reviews on
Krzysztof Narkiewicz
Krzysztof Narkiewicz
2025-06-30
Excellent Experience – Highly Recommend We were a group of 15 people traveling from Gdansk (Poland) to Lithuania for a combination of a short visit to Vilnius and a four-day canoe trip. The agency did a fantastic job from start to finish. They gathered detailed information beforehand (including a teleconference), prepared an excellent offer that took all our wishes into account, and organized transportation with a comfortable minibus from our location to Lithuania. The tour itself went exceptionally well: we had a very good bus and a professional driver, excellent lodging throughout Lithuania, an outstanding guide, and great paddling opportunities. Valdis, the company owner, stayed in touch the entire time, was responsive, and handled last-minute minor changes without any problems. Overall, it was an excellent experience, and I highly recommend this company to anyone considering a trip to Lithuania.
claire wallick moy
claire wallick moy
2025-06-19
Our small family group 2 seniors and 2 adult children all agree our 10 day “best of” Lithuania was excellent. We were very happy we went with a private tour and driver. (same person, Tomas) This way we could include all (or most) of the destinations within the country in this short time. Valdis arranged our itinerary, suggested museums, parks and researched accomodations including local guest house and vacation rentals when there were no hotels (or not available) close to our destinations. We loved visiting the national parks and UNESCO heritage sites. Our travels with Tomas was excellent. He is very knowledgeable about the history and geography of Lithuania and happy to share this with us. He was very helpful with all the arrangements the tickets for entry at various attractions and accomodations (all of which was included and arranged by Baltic Nature Travel). Tomas was also helpful in guiding us for food and drink choices. And suggesting restaurants in Vilnius, Siauliai and kaunas. He is also an excellent driver and the van was very comfortable. We feel really lucky to have had this opportunity. The 4 of us agreed that where we visited and having Tomas as our tour guide made our Lithuania holiday very special. Although most people speak some English it is not enough to have the in depth conversations that Tomas was able to translate for us. The 2 days we had to tour the Curonian Spit were lovely even though we had some rain. And though thunderstorms interfered with our planned kayaking Aukstaitija NP, we were able to do a short kayak ride in Dzukija NP. Also our pottery visit in Merkine was a highlight. If you are planning a trip to Lithuania I suggest contacting Baltic Nature Travel and let them handle arrangements for you.
Laura Lopez Vinasco
Laura Lopez Vinasco
2025-06-19
Fue un viaje que llenó nuestras expectativas por mucho, una gran sorpresa cada lugar que visitamos
Michael Neilson
Michael Neilson
2025-05-26
We toured the Curonian Spit with Kristina who provided a great mix of nature, history and personal experiences to give us a very entertaining and enjoyable day.
michelle leow
michelle leow
2025-05-20
Kuldiga: charming streets, and wides waterfall in Europe on 7th May 2025 We joined a private tour of 6 people to this exotic location. Our vacation was made an even better experience by a knowledgeable and friendly tour guide Valdis, who provides us with all the information about the place and enlightens us on the history and culture of the region. Despite the chilly weather, Celsius 5 degree. It was a few hours walking tour around the newly built tower that oversees the magnificent view, waterfalls, and the old town. Valdis waited for us patiently taking photos. Because we saw so many beautiful places of interest, our vacation was well worth the time and money we spent on it. Apart from showing us the various places of interest, Valdis also managed our transportation and meals recommendation, all of which he did very efficiently. Please accept our heartfelt thanks, Valdis.
Priya Bhatt
Priya Bhatt
2025-05-12
Loved the trip, every day was truly amazing Estonia is worthy and so I would recommend people to visit Estonia through Baltic travels, Mr Valdis did a terrific planning, every details were given and made my journey memory very happy 😃
Samuel Lister
Samuel Lister
2025-02-08
We had a fantastic tour with Tomas around Vilnius. He was informative, friendly and helpful and despite there being no snow for snowshoes it was a brilliant experience. I would highly recommend it for anyone wanting to experience Vilnius.

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