Tour to Jurmala starts in Riga from hotel reception with private guide and after 20 minutes drive by car/minivan to Latvian favorite summer time vacation town of Jurmala, the vibrant Latvian sea resort, famous with its numerous fantasy-like wooden summer houses architecture on Jomas Street and strolls over 40 km near great sandy beach of Baltic Sea with its wooden, the SPA` s and health temples which are facing the white beach, where historically rich and the aristocracy have come for more then a century, enjoyed the calm tranquility of this place and took a walk next to the beach with chance to finding the amber, later return back to Riga.
Tour starts from Riga hotel reception with private guide and by car/minivan to The Gauja National Park, which was established in 1973 and consists of more than 900 sq.km begins at Riga hotel and after 1 hour drive out of city, where the park is located in the area known as "Vidzemes Sveice" - the Livonian Switzerland and offers a unique combination of picturesque hill landscapes, the Gauja River, medieval castles, sculpture parks and fauna and flora that are already extinct in many countries in Europe.
First the sightseeing of Sigulda - a small idyllic town with 10.000 inhabitants, foundation of which dates back in history in the beginning of the 12th century when German Order built a large castle here and it was destroyed during the Great Nordic War - but the ruins of the main building and the 2 towers are left and are used for dance and song festivals and a new castle was built in 1881 and today it houses the city council and a nice restaurant, from the castle ruins there is a fabulous view of the Gauja River and it is also possible to go over the river by cable car (ticket is not included in tour price), during the tour also a visit of the famous bob-sleigh track and just outside a town there are possibilities of canoeing and rafting on the Gauja River.
Tour furthers to the other side of the river and visit of the Gutman Cave, a huge red sandstone cave and then up to the hill the ruins of the Turaida Castle (entrance), which was inaugurated by Bishop Albert of Riga and completed in 1214 and remained untouched until 1776 when it was seriously damaged by a fire, but now a part of the castle has been rebuilt, it is again possible to enter the tower and the main building and close to the castle you will find a little wooden church from 1750, the Daina Hill sculpture park of Latvian folksongs, and not to forget - the Tomb of the "Rose of Turaida".
Rundale, one of the most beautiful baroque palaces in Latvia, was built in 1736-1740 as a summer residence for the Duke of Courland, Ernst Johann Biron. The palace was designed by the outstanding Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the creator of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. Crystal chandeliers, silk wallpaper, rich stucco molding, sculptures, luxurious tiled fireplaces, mirrors, elegant galleries and refined colors and frescos were made by Italian artists Francesco Martini and Carlo Zucci. Now the renovated areas show the former glory of the palace. During the summer the tour includes a visit to the palace’s French regular park.
The representation rooms in the eastern wing of the palace – the Gilt Hall, the White Hall, and the Great Gallery – are open to the public. The central block accommodates the Duke's suite with reception parlours and private rooms, and the eastern block – a fully restored suite of Duchess's rooms. The Rundale Palace Museum works as a centre for research into Latvia's history, through creating collections, arranging exhibitions and producing publications. The exhibition halls display applied art, fine art and historical expositions; the palace hosts the Early Music Festival and recitals of classical music.
The regular French style park with its rose garden, the Green Theatre, ornamental parterres and the fountain, are open for the public. In summers, the park becomes the venue for the Garden Festival. 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. The park spreads out to the south of the palace, and Bartolomeo Rastrelli designed it together with the palace building. An artificial canal runs around the park, encircling also the palace and the stables. Although Rundale's formal garden is but 10 ha large, Rastrelli has managed to fill it with an intricate maze of allées, cross paths, pergolas and bosquets.
Descubra la historia, la arquitectura y la cultura que definen a la capital de Letonia en este tour a pie de Riga. Admire la hermosa arquitectura del pasado y disfrute del gran patrimonio, cultura y tradiciones de la ciudad. Desde la zona de Art Nouveau hacia la plaza de la catedral de Riga y la casa de las Cabezas Negras, deléitese con las mejores vistas de la cuidad y descubra sus tesoros ocultos.
Meeting point:“Laima” Clock next to the Monument of Freedom.
Duration:Approx. 4 hours.
Start or opening time:At 11.00 am.
End or closing time:At 3.00 pm approx.
Languages:English
Latvian beer and snack degustation – 4 beers, 4 snacks and national dish – grey peas in a nice and authentic Latvian style restaurant in Old town.
This tasting is a journey through Latvia and it`s four regions. Latvia is a small country but Latvians are very proud, and there`s a reason! How do you think – who made the first pizza in the world? Latvians in region Kurzeme! Who made the strongest beer? Latvians in region Latgale!
Walk along the narrow streets of the Medieval Old Town with our knowledgeable guides. The tour starts from the Town Hall Square- the central square of the city from 13th to 19th century. You will find out why Riga is called the capital of the decorated Christmas tree, where the key of Riga is being kept and much more.
You will have the opportunity to enjoy the architectural pearls from different centuries – from the oldest stone building in Riga dating back to 13th century to our Castle of Light – the National Library which was opened in 2014.
Pay a visit to the biggest churches in the Old Town- St. Peter’s, the Dome Cathedral and St. Jacob’s and find out why their spires are decorated with roosters instead of crosses.There are many gems hidden in these streets and with the help of our guides you can discover the secrets of Riga.
The 2-hour tour includes the tasting of our magical elixir Riga Black Balsam believed to have the power to cure all diseases and a question+answer session with the guide.
The tour covers several tourist attractions- Wooden Riga, Art Nouveau in Riga, Renovated historical buildings on both banks of the River Daugava, as well as the Monuments of Soviet architecture.
The tour starts in the very heart of Old Riga - the Town Hall Square. The car drives along the embankment of the River Daugava, providing a wonderful panoramic view of the city which received the European Heritage Label in 2007. You will have the opportunity to admire the beautifully renovated 19th century wooden manors on Kalnciema Street, have a glimpse at Agenskalns Market, one of the oldest covered markets in Riga.
You will be driving past Tornakalns train station, the starting point of the deportations of several thousands of people to Siberia GULAG labour camps. The tour proceeds through the center of Riga to the Art Nouveau district. Enjoy a walk along Albert Street - a real open-air architectural museum, where the most explicit collection of Art Nouveau buildings in Europe is located! It features the creations of the most controversial Art Nouveau architect Mikhail Eisenstein, and each building is worth admiration.
The tour will take you further to the Circle of Boulevards with a lot of beautiful majestic historicist houses built in the 19th century. You will see the Academy of Arts, the University building, National Opera and Central train station, drive past the Central Market - the dream of traders and customers, the Soviet-style Academy of Sciences and the famous Red Warehouses.
We offer top rated Riga bus sightseeing tour with individual head phoned guiding in 8 languages - Swedish, Finnish, English, German, Russian, French, Italian, and Norwegian. Enjoy this one and a half hour ride around Riga including all the main sights on both sides of the river Daugava.
The tour operates:
October to April: Monday - 12:00 and 14:00 (small 8 pax bus), Tuesday - 12:00 and 14:00 (small 8 pax bus), Wednesday - 12:00 and 14:00 (small 8 pax bus), Thursday - 12:00 and 14:00 (medium 26 pax bus), Friday - 12:00 and 14:00 (medium 26 pax bus), Saturday - 12:00 and 14:00 (medium 26 pax bus), Sunday - 12:00 and 14:00 (small 8 pax bus).
May to September: Monday - 12:00 and 14:00 (medium 26 pax bus), Tuesday - 12:00 and 14:00 (medium 26 pax bus), Wednesday - 12:00 and 14:00 (medium 26 pax bus), Thursday - 12:00 and 14:00 (medium 26 pax bus), Friday - 12:00 and 14:00 (medium 26 pax bus), Saturday - 12:00 and 14:00 (medium 26 pax bus), Sunday - 12:00 and 14:00 (medium 26 pax bus).
River cruise offers you a voyage with our historical canal boats „AMBER RI¯GA”, „AURORA” and „ANNABELLA” During the one hour long „Riga scenery voyage” we can inspect the popular tourism objects from a different angle. The route while traveling along the canal meats Kronvalds Park, Bastejkalns, Freedom Monument, Latvian National Opera, Shopping centre “Stockmann”, Riga International Coach Terminal and Riga Central Market. When entering the river Daugava you will be able to enjoy beautiful scenery of TV Tower in Zak¸usala, Riga castle, Riga Cathedral and other towers of the Old city. During the voyage you will also see Andrejosta and Riga passenger terminal.
Our guides will show you some of the most important landmarks associated with the Jewish history. During this tour you will learn about the Jewish history in Latvia from 17th century until the present day.
We will visit Peitav Shul – the only working synagogue in Riga. Built in 1905 in Art Nouveau style, it was the only synagogue which survived the Nazi occupation, as it was located in the Old Town and there was a risk of damaging nearby buildings. Nowadays it is the center of Latvian Jewish community.
Other synagogues were burnt down, one of them being the Great Choral synagogue. It was located in the area that became the Riga Ghetto during World War II. Now you can see several memorial signs there commemorating the victims of the holocaust as well as families who helped Jewish people to survive. The memorial itself is a wall supported by columns with the names of 270 people who risked their lives and saved more than 400 Jews.
Žanis Lipke alone saved more than 50 Jews by making an underground bunker in his yard – a hiding place for people smuggled out of the Jewish ghetto.
The Old Jewish Cemetery - Odd as it might sound to modern ears, Jews were not allowed to bury their dead in Riga until 1725 and even then it was on the very outskirts of Riga – today known as the Moscow Suburbs. The Old Jewish Cemetery was part of the Jewish ghetto during Nazi occupation.
During the tour you will also visit Rumbula - one of the largest holocaust sites in Europe. Rumbula memorial site: At the entrance, several stone plates tell us the story of the Rumbula tragedy and establishment of the memorial in Latvian, English, German and Hebrew. The path leads to the central part of the memorial, which is shaped in the form of the Star of David with a menorah (Jewish candlestick) above it. The menorah is surrounded by uncut stones with the names of slaughtered Jews engraved. Several cobblestones bear the names of Riga’s ghetto streets. There are also several mass graves in the territory of the memorial, which are marked with concrete borders.