Here you will learn about home-based manufacturers, farms, companies and others in southern Vidzeme that produce various dairy products such as milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, ice cream, etc.  From Rīga, take the Vidzeme Highway and turn toward Mālpils.  On the way to Ērgļi and Jumurda, you’ll be delighted by the hillocks of the Vidzeme highlands and the lovely landscape that they represent.  Near Ērgļi you will find Braki, the home of the classical Latvian author Rūdolfs Blaumanis, Meņģeļi, home of the Jurjāns brothers, and the Jumurda Estate.  Drive on through Cesvaine, stopping to look at its impressive castle, and on to Madona, where you can have a delicious meal.  From Madona, follow the lovely banks of the Daugava River to Koknese (Destiny Island, the Koknese castle, park and church), and on to Skrīveri, where the author Andrejs Upītis was born.  There’s a homemade ice cream place and the factory that produces the universally known penuche candy that is sold under the “Gotiņa” brand name in Latvia.  Then drive to Ogre for some Sierštelle cheeses and then back to Rīga.

This outing combines fine dining at one of the most beautiful estates in Latvia with an outdoor experience at a cranberry plantation tasting cranberry-based products.

The Bīriņi Castle complex is part of Latvia’s national architectural heritage. The Neo-Gothic main castle building is surrounded by a picturesque park and buildings including the stables and the water tower, which showcase the country’s industrial heritage. The castle hotel is a very popular venue for wedding celebrations.

The cranberry plantation in Laugas swamp at Gundegas Farm was started in 1989 as a research farm. Cranberries are well known for their refreshing taste and medicinal qualities. They are used both for culinary purposes and in traditional medicine. Today six types of cranberries are grown in Latvia. The cranberry plantation offers the opportunity for guests to ‘pick-your-own’ during the harvest in September.

This is an easy 3-day route, suitable for any traveller ready to take some steps outside the capital and get into the woods. You will start the tour by taking a train from Rīga to Ķemeri. The walk will start in the Ķemeri resort park leading to the legendary sulphur spring and continue to the “Forest House” – the visitor’s centre of the Ķemeri National Park. The park is established for the protection of mainly wetlands – the shallow coast of the Gulf of Riga, the overgrown seaside lakes, the vast marshlands, mires (forests) and flood plans. Besides, there is the wooden plank Melnalkšņu swamp forest trail. Next, the Forest Trail takes one to the Lake Sloka, a shallow coastal lake with rich aquatic plants, sulphur springs and important migratory bird rest areas. On the banks of it, there is a 7 m high floating bird-watching tower. Further, the Forest Trail runs to the Gulf of Riga in the small fishermen village of Bigauņciems, where it joins with the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route (E9 European long distance path). From there on, the trail runs along the coast direction Jūrmala – the most popular resort town in Latvia with the widest sandy beaches. The tour ends in Ragakāpa Nature Park, which is established to preserve the dunes covered in old pine forests and natural diversity of the seaside. The Jūrmala Open-Air Museum is a place to get to know a traditional local fishermen’s farmstead.

The single-storey wooden building, located in the centre of Ventspils, boasts an antique interior that repurposes various household and craft items from the past. Latvian cuisine: lamb soup, fried bull testicles, grilled pork, pork ribs, oven-fried pork shank, pork chop, rye bread cake, cottage cheese cream.

The beer cellar Mara is situated in Talsi. Number of seating places: 100, in the summer season: 200.

Working hours Mon-Sun: 11:00 - 23:00; from May to September beer garden: 10:00 - 02:00

Jānis Čakste (1859-1927) was Latvia’s first president (1922-1927), and he began to build a house for himself in 1924.  In 1999, in honour of the 140th anniversary of the president’s birth, an exhibition was unveiled about his life, work and family.  Čakste’s office can be toured, and artists from Jelgava exhibit their works at the museum, as well.

Aizputes pilsdrupas, akmens tilts pār Tebru, Jaunā pilsmuiža, ūdensdzirnavas un Sv. Jāņa luterāņu baznīca, kā arī 19. gs. beigās celtās koka ēkas starp Jāņa, Katoļu un Atmodas ielu veido neparastu pilsētbūvniecības kompleksu, kam piešķirts kultūras pieminekļa statuss. Staigājot pa vēsturisko centru, uzmanība jāpievērš ēku durvīm un to vērtnēm, logu ailēm, balkonu margām u.c. elementiem.

This tour will take you on a walk through the Curonian Spit from Nida to Smiltynė. The Curonian Spit National Park is located on a long, sand-dune spit that separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea coast. A sand beach of ~50 km is running on the western side of the dune spit, while the shore of the Curonian Lagoon is shallow and characteristic of ridged bays overgrown with reeds. The Baltic Coastal Hiking Route starts in the centre of Nida near the port. In Nida, it runs along the Curonian Lagoon promenade, offering beautiful views of the spacious waters. From Nida to Bulvikio Cape, the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route winds along small forest paths leading up and down pine-covered dunes; in the village of Preila, the trail runs along the promenade of the lagoon. Between Pervalka and Juodkrantė, the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route leads along a beautiful, sandy beach. You can take the Raganų kalnas (Hill of Witches) trail in Juodkrantė. The route alternates between the Baltic Sea coast, the dunes and the Curonian Lagoon until it finally reaches the ferry, which will take you to Klaipėda.

The tour starts at Jaunmokas Castle estate, where you will also find the Forest Museum. The pride of the castle is its unique painted tile stove (beginning of the 20th century) made of 130 painted tiles featuring 50 different views of the cities Rīga and Jūrmala. The Forest Trails runs along smaller tracks through the Austrumkursa Uplands, the valley of the river Slocene, along Lake Sekļa and Lake Jumprava to finally reach the town of Tukums. Well, the town takes pride in its pots, planters and flower beds with blooming roses along its streets. Next, the route meanders through forests to the demanding hillock of Milzkalns and Lake Valguma, where you will find the barefoot trail and a secluded art space within the woods. The Forest Trail continues to make a stopover at the Ķemeri National Park. The park is dedicated to protection of wetlands, since it is home to one of the largest marshlands of Latvia – the Great Ķemeri bog. As to the town – Ķemeri – it is the former balneological and sulphur springs resort. The tour ends in the village of Bigauņciems, where the Forest Trail joins with the Baltic Coastal Hiking Route (E9 European long distance path). Optionally, one can take a detour along the Lake Sloka trail with its bird-watching tower or pay a visit to the “Forest House” – the visitor’s centre of the Ķemeri National Park.