Heritage Agritourism routes

This trip will allow you to see seaside landscapes, learn interesting facts about the ancient process of fishing, and enjoy traditional seafood dishes.  Your first stop after leaving Rīga will be Ragaciems, where you will find a popular fish market that always offers a wide range of smoked fish from the sea.  On the shores of the sea, you can look at a restored fishing boat pier and huts for nets.  Further along, groups of 15 people or more can enjoy the "Fisherman's Banquet" programme in Roja.  There you will hear stories about the lives, songs, dances and games of fishermen and, of course, enjoy an elegant banquet.  Next you will visit Cape Kolka and the Slītere National Park, where men still go fishing in the sea.  The aroma of smokehouses will be evident.  Travellers can purchase freshly smoked fish there.  Along the way to Ventspils, it is worth stopping at the Irbene radio telescope, which has a military history, but is used for scientific purposes today.  Next you will drive toward Liepāja and stop at the charming town of Pāvilosta, which is popular among surfers, as well as the steep shores of Jūrkalne, where you will be able to taste fresh baked bread that has been kneaded by hand at a farm.  Then you will get to Liepāja, which is the birthplace of Kristaps Porziņģis, a basketball player who plays for the New York Knicks in the NBA.  A special treat in Liepāja ir smoked cod with potatoes and sweet cream.  You can visit a windmill that was built in 1885 and is still operational, as well as the Pape Nature Park and the ethnographic Ķoņi village.  Once you get to Lithuania, you will spend a day at the popular seaside sea town Palanga, and then continue the route to Cape Vente and the Rusne Island, both of which are famous because of fishing and fish smoking traditions.  Visit the village of Minija, which is known as the "Venice of Lithuania."  Finally, visit the Kurši dunes, the Sea Museum and dolphinarium, as well as the port city of Klaipeda.

The Zemgale region is a fertile flatland.  There are many modern farms, including some that will allow you to learn about life in the countryside and the heritage of agricultural history.  You will start your trip and then take the "Milky Way" route to a dairy farm.  Next you will visit Jelgava, the former capital of the Duchy of Courland from the 16th to the 18th century.  The history of the town can be discovered via an interactive exhibition in the steeple of the St Trinity Church in Jelgava, from which you can also get a good view of the city from a 9th-floor platform.  Next you will visit a farm where you will learn about Latvia traditions and bake bread together with the lady of the house.  From there, the route will lead to a grain farm, where you will find a collection of dairy processing equipment and a playground for children.  You can spent the night in a field of grain or a design hotel that has a traditional farm and a collection of restored old automobiles.  Along the way, you will stop in Bauska to see its City Hall and its collection of ancient measuring equipment.  Grain traditions will really be appreciated at a farm that uses its own grain and roughly ground flour to produce a wide range of traditional foods.  Finally, you will visit a collection of tools, farm equipment and household items that are all typical of Latvia's countryside.

Many farms in Latvia and Lithuania grow their own produce, offer culinary masterpieces and develop traditional recipes to the best degree.  Because of limited output, these delicacies seldom are found in supermarkets, and that is why we have organised this gourmand tour for those who enjoy new tastes.

You will start your tour in Vilnius and then travel to Trakai, where the local ethnographic museum will offer local dishes from the Karaite ethnic minority.  A look at Lithuanian farm life from the 18th to the 20th century will be available at the Rumšiškes Ethnographic Museum.  After travelling through Kaunas, you will visit a honey farm that offers honey and wax candles, as well as tastings of honey beer.  The Pakruojo Dvaras estate is a place where you will feel like a nobleman from the 19th century and enjoy a real banquet at the estate's restaurant.  Further along, you will visit Cross Hill, which has countless crosses that have been planted there by people who express their Christian fervour in that way.  Next you will visit an alpaca farm where you will be able to pet, feed and take photographs with these unusual animals.  The day will end at a farm that will serve traditional Lithuanian foods for dinner.  When you arrive in Latvia, the first destination will be a farm that produces seven kinds of cheeses.  Along the way you will find the Tērvete Ancient History Museum and the Tērvete Nature Park.  After the tour, you will enjoy a fine meal at a countryside saloon.  A bakery near Svēte offers tasty cookies and pastries.  After a stroll through the town of Jelgava, you will visit the Caunītes farm, where you will learn how to bake bread and bake your own loaf to take along.  Along the way to Rīga, visit "Garlic World."  Latvian garlic has a particularly strong aroma and taste, and the lady of the house prepares many unusual dishes with garlic.

Aukštaitija is the largest and one of the most ancient Lithuanian regions, known since the 15th century as "Real Lithuania."  This trip will allow you to enjoy country goodies that the region offers today.  In the Anykščiai District you will visit a farm where medicinal plants are grown, enjoy some oak acorn coffee and herbal teas, and then head off for the fishing village Ginučiai, where a special fish soup recipe dates back to the 17th century.  In the area of Ignalina, you will visit a watermill and a beekeeping museum.  A restaurant that is part of the European culinary heritage offers traditional dishes and a chance to learn how to bake the traditional Lithuanian sweet, šakotis.  After a stroll along the beautiful banks of Lake Zarasai, you will visit a windmill to learn how to bake bread and pancakes with rye flour.  A nice end to the tour will be a visit to a brewery where unfiltered and living beer is brewed.  There is also a collection of antique brewery tools.

This tour offers a look at modern farms that based their work on ancient jobs and skills.  Everything that is grown and processed in Latvia's countryside is found at the Central Market in Rīga, where this tour begins.  It is one of the largest and oldest markets in Europe.  From there you will travel to several farms to taste candy made of natural juices, cheese, grain foods, yogurt and ice cream.  You will visit a traditional farm with a technology museum.  Each farm will offer a brief introductory tour.  Along the way, you will visit the Rundāle Castle and its park and rose garden, which were designed by the 18th century architect Rastrelli and are a true jewel of Baroque and Rococo architecture.  In Bauska you will visit City Hall to see a collection of old measuring items, the Bauska Castle and the Bauska brewery.  In Lithuania you will visit farms that grow lavender, medicinal plants and hemp.  They will be happy to sell their products to you.  The town of Anykščiai offers a trail above the trees, and the Krenave archaeological complex is on the UNESCO heritage list.  At the conclusion of the tour, you will visit the Trakai lake castle that was built in the 14th and 15th centuries, as well as Vilnius.