2 days tour
Despite not being a large country, Latvia can offer many different delicacies and flavours. Whether it be coastal seafood, tea and honey fresh from green meadows, sweet fudge or scrumptious rye bread, you will find something to satisfy your palate.
The wealth of Kurzeme lies in its forests and the sea, which has shaped not only the history and traditions of the area but also the famous temper of the locals. The seashore will please every vacationer. Kiters and surfers favour the beach near Jurkalne Steep Bank and Pavilosta. Those wishing to learn about the life of fishermen in Kurzeme, visit the fishermen villages along the picturesque seashore of the Riga Bay.
Cape Kolka – the farthest north-west point in Latvia is a meeting place for waters of both, the open sea and the bay, the sunrise and the sunset and all four winds. The wild and sandy beaches are perfect for walks to get harmony from the sea winds. Kurzeme has an impressive Soviet military heritage. The 8th largest radio telescope in the world, which served as a secret position finder for spying during the Soviet period, is located in Irbene. The Seaside Open-Air Museum is devoted to fishing traditions and hosts a unique collection of anchors, which can be viewed while riding Mazbanitis on the narrow-gauge railway. Kuldiga, the pearl of Kurzeme, will enchant you with romantic streets and backyards. See the old brick bridge over the River Venta and the widest natural waterfall in Europe – Ventas rumba.
Rīga – Rundāle – Jaunpils – Pūre - Kuldīga
08:00 Transfer from the hotel to Rundale
09:30 Rundale castle and garden
The Rundāle Palace ensamble, one of the most outstanding monuments of Baroque and Rococo architecture in Latvia, was built between 1736 and 1740 as a summer residence for Ernst Johann Biron, Duke of Courland and a favourite of the Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna. The palace was designed by the Russian court architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli and built under his supervision. A Baroque palace cannot be imagined without the French garden, an elaborate architectural framework devised of green plantings that should manifest the triumph of art over nature.
12:50 Jaunpils castle
To fully enjoy the medieval ambience, Jaunpils Castle guests are offered various entertainment options: to dress up in medieval outfits, take a tour of the castle.
Jaunpils Castle is one of the few medieval castles which has retained its original appearance. Jaunpils Castle was built in 1301 as a fortress of the Livonian Order. The castle was built by Gottfried von Roga, Master of the Livonian Order. The castle is located in a scenic place on the banks of a mill lake.
13:50 Lunch at Jaunpils
Under the velvet ceiling, in one of the oldest parts of the Castle –the Knight's dining hall, you will find the Jaunpils Castle medieval tavern, where guests can enjoy delicious fare by candlelight with the accompaniment of ancient musical tones.
15:40 Pure chocolate museum
It is a place where one can acquaint oneself with the traditions of chocolate-making, be present at the process of making the sweet treats as well as celebrate a day significant to oneself or others.
18:00 Tour of Kuldīga
Kuldīga is the pearl of Kurzeme, Latvia's western region. Kuldīga boasts distinctive architecture, the River Venta with the widest waterfall (240-metre-wide ) in Europe, and an old brick bridge. Kuldīga was recognised as an EDEN (European Destinations of Excellence) destination in 2007. In springs, one can watch the fish flying up the ledge; due to this, Kuldīga was once famous as a "place where they catch salmon in the air". Not far from the Ventas rumba there is the well-known Kuldīga brick bridge built in 1874, one of the longest bridges of this type in Europe. Through the very centre of the Kuldīga old town there runs the little River Alekšupīte. A 4.5 m high waterfall on the stream is the highest in Latvia. In Kuldiga you can see the oldest wooden building in Kurzeme put up in 1670 near the town square.
19:30 Dinner in Kuldīga and Kurzeme wine tasting
21:30 Check in at the *** Hotel Metrapole
Kuldīga – Ventspils – Kolka - Rīga
8:00 Breakfast and check out from the hotel
10:00 Tour of Ventspils
Ventspils is a city that won't leave you indifferent! It is like a small country within a country. In Ventspils even time is counted differently. Ventspils is a capital of flowers and fountains; all over the city (even in electrical posts) you can find colourful cow sculptures, but streets, parks, squares and courtyards are decorated with flower sculptures, figurative flower compositions. The Beach of the Blue Flag and dunes offer good sunbathing conditions even if the air temperature is just 15° C.
11:30 The House of Crafts, The Livonian Order Castle
The House of Crafts is a place where weavers and potters work and show their skills to those who are interested in learning.
The Castle of the Livonian order, which houses Ventspils Museum since September 2001, is the oldest preserved building in Ventspils, built in the second half of the 13th century (first mentioned in 1290). The castle was built as a convent-house type building with an inner yard, and can be regarded as the oldest medieval fortress in Latvia to have retained its original form virtually unchanged.
12:30 Lunch at Ventspils
14:40 Cape Kolka
Enchantingly desolate and hauntingly beautiful, a journey to Cape Kolka (Kolkasrags) feels like visiting the ends of the earth
This is a dangerous place for sailing, the lighthouse, (1884) built on an artificial island beyond the 6 metre long shoal, warns about this. In spring this is an ideal site to watch migratory birds, while in summer it is a paradise for swimmers and surfers. Kolka village is proud of the smell of smoked fish, birds' songs, and the monuments of cultural history.
15:15 Farmstead „Ūši" and traditional Kurzeme dessert
You can not only see how the traditional carrot buns known as "sklandu rauši" are baked , but also try your own hand at making them
17:40 Fish tasting and dinner in Mērsrags
The route will take the group through the fisherman villages and coastal towns. In good weather, the driver will make a short stop at Kaltene seaside.
~20:30 Arrival at the hotel in Rīga
