6 best day trips from Riga

Day trips compared

The day trips

25 km · About 30 minutes by train

1.Jūrmala

A string of resort towns along a long, white-sand beach backed by pine forest, with hundreds of carved wooden villas. Majori's pedestrian Jomas iela has cafés and shops, and the Dzintari concert hall hosts summer concerts.

Getting there

Suburban train from Riga Central Station to Majori or Dzintari

Best for

Beach, Families, Couples

55 km · About 1 hour 15 minutes by train

2.Sigulda and the Gauja valley

Sigulda sits above the forested Gauja river valley in Gauja National Park. Turaida's red-brick castle, the sandstone Gūtmanis Cave and walking trails along the river are the highlights, and the valley is famous for its autumn colours in early October.

Getting there

Suburban train from Riga Central Station

Best for

Families, Couples, Quiet stays

80 km · About 1 hour 15 minutes by car

3.Rundāle Palace

Bartolomeo Rastrelli, architect of St Petersburg's Winter Palace, designed this baroque and rococo palace for the Duke of Courland in the 1730s. Its gilded state rooms and formal French gardens, with a large rose garden, are among the finest of their kind in the Baltics.

Getting there

Car or tour; buses run via Bauska with a local connection

Best for

Culture, Couples

90 km · About 1 hour 45 minutes by train

4.Cēsis

One of Latvia's oldest towns, with the ruins of a 13th-century Livonian Order castle whose dark towers visitors explore by candle lantern, a cobbled old town and access to the sandstone cliffs of Gauja National Park.

Getting there

Train from Riga Central Station

Best for

Families, Culture, Quiet stays

45 km · About 1 hour by train plus a walk

5.Ķemeri National Park

The Great Ķemeri Bog boardwalk loops over a raised peat bog dotted with pools and stunted pines, with an observation tower over the landscape. The old spa resort of Ķemeri nearby has a landscaped park and sulphur springs.

Getting there

Suburban train on the Jūrmala line

Best for

Quiet stays, Families, Solo travellers

150 km · About 2 hours by car

6.Kuldīga

A small town of wooden and timber-framed houses on the Venta river, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023. The Venta Rapid beside it, often described as Europe's widest waterfall, is only about 2 metres high but spans the whole river.

Getting there

Car, or bus from Riga coach station

Best for

Couples, Quiet stays, Culture

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• Buses and trolleybuses fill the gaps, and bus 22 links the airport with the city centre.
• Suburban trains from Riga Central Station serve Jūrmala, Sigulda, Cēsis and the Vecāķi beach line.
• For trips over about 150 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask