Cēsis

Cēsis

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

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

Jane Bower

2024-09-30

My partner and I (69 and 75) are just back from a 17 day self-drive tour put together with the help of Valdis from Baltic Nature Travel. It was an absolutely delightful and fascinating experience. We asked for quirky or unusual accommodation and a mix of hotels and self-catering - great fun. We went at our own pace and chose what to see. Everything was beautifully organised - a couple of small hitches were dealt with straight away on the phone. We are well-travelled but didn't know these stunning countries at all. Our overall impression is CLEAN and GREEN. Thank you, thank you for such a unique and special holiday.

Andrew Golding

2024-09-16

First Class Personal Tour of the Baltic Republics organised by Valdis: a bespoke, friendly, intelligent, safe and varied introduction to this wonderful part of the world. Wholly recommended.

David Morris

2024-09-10

Excellent booking experience - very easy and all the information we needed. Hire car arrived at the hotel as arranged and the handover was excellent. All the hotels that were booked for us were great and the itinerary was really wide-ranging and interesting. Estonia people were almost always friendly and helpful, and the restaurant food was great. Would definitely recommend Baltic Nature Travel and Estonia as a destination

Karen Green

2024-07-23

Valdis, the owner of Baltic Nature Travel, is a terrific tour organizer. His advance communication and arrangements were unfailingly responsive, prompt and helpful. On the trip, we had different guides as well as drivers in the different cities (Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn.) In each case, they were well-informed and on time at the meeting point. We never needed to worry or contact the guide (though we were provided with their information.) Every hotel Valdis chose for us was of a very good standard, well-run, clean, exceptionally well located, and with wonderful breakfasts. The restaurants he recommended were also excellent – we learned to just go where he suggested! The tour was an exceptionally good value. In sum, we couldn’t have been more pleased. Our trip was wonderful and we left wanting to see more of the Baltics' beauty. If we do go again, we would unquestionably work with Valdis. In the meantime, we will recommend him to all of our friends.

Lucía Gómez

2024-07-17

Fantastic Self-Guided Hiking Experience! We recently completed a self-guided hike in Gauja National Park, which was wonderful. The trails were serene, and we rarely encountered other hikers. The provided materials and app were excellent and highly accurate. The hotels, luggage transfer, and overall transportation arrangements were flawless. Highly recommend this experience!

Paul Green

2024-07-12

Anna Brish was a fantastic tour guide for understanding Jewish history and culture in Vilnius. She was friendly, deeply knowledgeable, eager to answer our questions and accommodate our specific interests. Anna does other tours and we would take any of them, she’s amazing!

James Cornez

2024-07-11

Myself and my best friend came across this company whilst researching options to travel in Latvia and we are very pleased we did. Valdis was very amenable during the planning process by arranging video calls with both of us so we could better understand what was on offer for us to do. He compiled an 8 day itinerary for us that did not disappoint starting in Riga for 2 days. We paid for an optional 3hr walking tour which was very worthwhile to see the main sites of the city. Janis took us on the tour who is a great guy that gives you plenty of interesting information, ready to answer any questions regarding Latvian history/culture. We chose the self driving option to see as much of Latvia as possible which I would definitely recommend if you want to have more than just a city break. It took us to varied places ranging from the heavily forested and pretty areas of Sigulda (where we did a fun kayaking tour on the Gauja river) and Cesis to the pleasant coastal cities of Liepaja and Ventspills. Overall, definitely the company to approach if you want to authentically explore Latvia!

Esther A

2024-06-21

Valdis and his team helped us to organise a guided 16 day trip across Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Helsinki. We had a very enjoyable experience! Coming from Singapore and not knowing Valdis beforehand, we were initially worried about language and logistical challenges. All these were unfounded as Valdis and his guides were not only knowledgeable but also responsive, helpful and flexible. We had some minor hiccups during the trip but Valdis was able to resolve them very promptly. I would highly recommend engaging Valdis for your next trip!

Annette Ihrman

2024-06-16

The tour was very versatile and a good addition to our trip to Riga. We can recommend it!

K G

2024-04-06

I joined Valdis for Gauja national park tour and experience breathtaking views, beautiful cave, Plus the experience to see the inside of luge and skeleton track. It’s an unforgettable experience to see something outside the Riga! Highly recommended!!!

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