Day Trips from Riga
By The Latvia Travel Tales team · Last updated
Photo: Canva.comThe best day trips from Riga are Sigulda in the Gauja Valley (about 50 km, an hour by train), the Jurmala coast (~25 km, 30 minutes), Cesis with its medieval castle (~90 km), and Kuldiga in the west with the Venta waterfall.
The first three are reachable by public transport. Kuldiga needs an early start or a car.
- ~50 km
- Sigulda from Riga
- ~25 km
- Jurmala from Riga
- ~90 km
- Cesis from Riga
Riga to Sigulda: Turaida Castle and the Gauja Valley
Sigulda is the easy choice if you only have one day out of Riga. It's about an hour away by train, around 50 km, and many people call it Latvia's outdoor capital. In one place you get Turaida Castle, a cable car over the Gauja, castle ruins and trails through the forest.
This is an active day, so bring comfortable shoes. Trains from Riga to Sigulda run regularly throughout the day.
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A day trip to Jurmala and the coast
Jurmala, Latvia's main seaside resort, is the closest trip - only 25 km from Riga, about 30 minutes by train. You get a long white beach, wooden summer villas in the Jurmala style and pine forest. It's an unhurried day, with a walk along the sea and down Jomas Street.
In summer Jurmala is busy, but out of season the beach is almost empty and especially quiet. If you want nature, Kemeri National Park and its bog boardwalk are a few stops further on the same train line.
Photo: Canva.comCesis, Kuldiga and Rundale Palace
Cesis is about 90 km to the northeast, also on a train line. It has Cesis Castle, one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Latvia, and a small, cosy old town. Cesis can be combined with Sigulda if you start early.
Kuldiga in the west is further, about two hours, and easier to reach by car. The reward is the Venta waterfall, the widest in Europe, and a UNESCO-listed old town. South of Riga, Rundale Palace - an 18th-century baroque residence near Bauska - makes an easy half-day trip by bus.
- 249 m
- width of the Venta waterfall
Photo: Canva.comFrequently asked questions
What is the best day trip from Riga?
Sigulda in the Gauja Valley if you want nature and a castle in one place. Jurmala if you want a beach and an unhurried day. Both are reachable by train in an hour or less.
Can you do the day trips without a car?
Sigulda, Jurmala and Cesis are reachable by train from Riga. A car only helps for Kuldiga and the far Kurzeme coast, where services are sparse.
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