Top 5 cities in Latvia: a guide through the highlights

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

Riga

On the top 5 cities in Latvia the first is Riga. The legend says ‘Riga is never ready!’, and in some way it is true. Being the largest city in the Baltics, its looks are changing continuously. Hundreds of years between being the German Crusader stronghold and becoming the capital of the Republic of Latvia have left their signs.

Riga Old Town is the territory where the Crusader castle was built, and you can see some of its elements till nowadays. However, the most prominent architectural style in Riga is Art Nouveau. The city center with its quality and quantity of Art Nouveau buildings sometimes even trumps other metropolises known for it. Riga has even its own Art Nouveau museum. The most famous streets are Alberta, Elizabetes and Antonijas street, but don’t stop there! Riga offers more than 800 Art Nouveau buildings, so take your time, lift your eyes up and enjoy the beauty of Brīvības, Terbatas, Barona, Valdemara and other streets in the city center! 

Riga stretches also on the other side of the Daugava River. The left bank has developed from Baltic German manor houses and farming land to modern urban areas. The districts closer to the city center, for example, Agenskalns, and Kipsala Island, have preserved their romantic wooden architecture. The districts further away from the city center, for example, Imanta and Ziepniekkalns, are examples of Soviet architecture from the 70s and 80s. In Ziepniekkalns you can find the longest 9-floor living house in the Baltic States (Ozolciema Street 18)!

Highlights:

Liepaja

Liepaja is the most exciting seaside city in Latvia. Being the former capital of Latvia it plays an important role till nowadays. Not only the wind is born in Liepaja, but also most of Latvian rock musicians! The city has a lot to offer on each corner – bars in the city center invite you to enjoy live music, sailors on the promenade welcome you on their boat decks to enter the Baltic Sea water, lovely architecture in the Old Town asks you to leave your plans aside and just wander around.

From all the top 5 cities in Latvia, Liepaja has a unique combination of partying mood on the beach, freedom vibes of rock music all around the city and historic atmosphere at the military harbour territory Karosta. Karosta has the only military prison in Europe which is open for tourists!

Highlights:

Kuldiga

On the top 5 cities in Latvia Kuldīga is the most romantic town in Latvia where you can get lost wandering around beautiful cobblestone streets. You can still feel the breath of the 17th-18th century building style. The city center with the widest waterfall of Europe is so impressive that even fish start to fly! No joking, in the spring vimbas swim against the current across the waterfall and it looks like they are flying. Although, the main reason for visiting Kuldīga is its lovely architecture and charming atmosphere, it is a great destination for nature lovers too! You can relax on the beach at the Venta River or, if you are brave enough, walk across the waterfall, as well as explore various hiking routes starting from the city center and going along the Venta River. 

The best is to enjoy Kuldīga slowly. Numerous restaurants and coffee shops wait for you in the small winding streets. Take a cup of coffee or glass of wine and enjoy the beauty that surrounds you! Many modern art lovers seek inspiration in Kuldīga Artists’ Residence

Highlights:

Join our tours:

Read more about Kuldīga in our blog – Kuldīga: a Perfect Place for Romantics

Cesis

Cesis is the third oldest town in Latvia, and it has kept its medieval spirit until today. Cesis attracts tourists with lovely streets and the medieval castle ruins which you can explore in a candle light. For 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 compact old town has many places to enjoy a good meal. By accident or not, you might discover a cultural hub for local artists. In the evenings, Vidzeme concert hall and other venue places offer to enjoy music, varying from classic to electronic.

Maybe Latvia has no mountains, but we do have a lot of beautiful sandstone outcrops. Some of the most beautiful sandstone outcrops are located nearby Cesis – Ergļu (Eagle) cliff, Zvartes rock, Liela Elite (Devil’s owen) and Licu-Langu cliff. If you are careful enough, you will spot some caves too, for example, Kalejala (Blacksmith’s cave). A unique natural limestone outcrop from the post-glacial period, Raunas Staburags, is located just 23 km from Cesis. The Gauja National Park has established several easy and accessible hiking trails for everyone, for example,  Cirulisu dabas takas.

Highlights:

Join our tour in Cēsis – Cesis: Medieval heritage and natural treasures!

Jurmala & Kemeri

Jurmala is a modern seaside resort city with a 200 years long history. The core of the resort are romantic wooden houses built for the ones who like to escape the stone walls. Jurmala lurks visitors with its fine sand beach and variety of recreational facilities. Jurmala stretches 30 km along the Riga Bay, and is very easily accessible on foot, by bicycle or train. Each part of the city has its own name, the most prominent are Majori, Dzintari and Bulduri. These districts will impress you with their splendour – fancy restaurants, five-star hotels and stunning villas. For the evening entertainment, enjoy a walk on the Jomas Street where most of the restaurants, bars and cafes wait for you.

Kemeri, the oldest part of Jurmala city where the first therapeutic facilities were established, is located on the outskirts of Jurmala. On the rich grounds of sulfur spring, sanatoriums, pavilions, rotondas and bridges across artificial canals were built for recreational and healing purposes. Most of Kemeri splendour has moved to Jurmala center, leaving a rich variety of historical buildings and sightseeing objects to travelers. The town is part of the Kemeri National Park which includes several bogs, dunes and sulfur springs.

Highlights:

Join our tour in Ķemeri – Hiking tour: Rromantic town, green dune, bog and sulfur water in Kemeri

Request a tour

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.

Leave a review

Tell us about your experience!

About the booking terms & conditions

Travel insurance needed? Read more

Baltic Nature Travel
Baltic Nature Travel