Sigulda is often called the Latvian Switzerland. In summer and spring you can walk along the picturesque banks of the river Gauja and explore the main place of interest in Sigulda – the mighty medieval Turaida castle. The castle is an architectural monument of the 13th century. In winter, Sigulda is a center for Latvia winter sports like skiing, bobsled, and others.
During this tour you will have a chance to visit: the most visited museum of Latvia - Turaida museum reserve, where you can get acquainted with expositions concerning archaeology, culture and art history, which tell the story of events that have occurred during last 1000 years; Sigulda castle complex which was built in 1207 as a castellum type fortress. Today it is possible to climb up the North Tower and the Main Gate Tower, walk on the castle walls and enjoy the medieval aura; Bobsleigh and ludge track Sigulda - one of few buildings of this kind in the world. Its length is 1420 meters, track has 16 curves and 200m long braking distance. Siguda can safely be called an Olympic city - the inhabitants of Sigulda have won Olympic medals in both the skeleton, ludge, and bobsleigh. On the way to and from Sigulda you will also see the Gutman's cave (biggest cave in Baltics) and Gauja national park, as well as Walking-stick park, which is a tribute to Sigulda's most popular souvenir.
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.
Trip to Pärnu and Tallinn in Estonia. Pärnu is a historical beautiful resort seaside city with a small harbour in the South-Western part of Estonia. White sandy beaches, shallow waters, rich cultural scene and numerous cafés– there is plenty to see and do. Since 1996, Pärnu has been known as the Estonia’s Summer Capital. Tallinn city has been included in the List of the UNESCO.
Romantic network of crooked, preserved authentically Twenty six defence towers bear witness to the once-mighty system of defence structures. Here also lies the best-preserved medieval town hall in Northern Europe, the oldest apothecary still functioning in the world. Churches and convents, passageways and courtyards, imposing merchant’s dwelling houses, give a sense of the true medieval spirit underlying the Old Town to this day.
The tour of the Old Town starts with a driving tour around the Old Town offering a fascinating view of the medieval city. The walking tour begins in the Upper Town Toompea with a stop in front of Toompea Palace, the seat of the Estonian. Side by side with Toompea lies the medieval Lower Town. Its landmarks include the 14th and 15th century Gothic the Holy Ghost Church, the former St. Nicholas’ Church – St. Olaf’s Church numerous authentic Hanseatic merchant houses.
Guide will be there to answer all your questions as well as suggest best places for lunch (not included in the price) and take to best bargain deals for souvenirs. Total tour duration around 15 hours. Please bring you ID card/passport with you, as we are going to cross the border.
A beautiful cultural walking tour around the Old Town of Riga including visits to The Cathedral of St Stanislaus and St Ladislaus, Gediminas’ Tower and Trakai Castle. The perfect tour to understand the history of such a characteristic place
HIGHLIGHTS:
* Learn and experience the fascinating history of this city
* Go up the Gediminas’ Tower and see the panoramic views
* Explore Trakai Castle and its picturesque surroundings
Start this walking tour around the Old Town, filled with medieval era buildings and narrow cobbled streets. Stroll down Rozena Street, the narrowest street in Riga, where you can spread your arms and touch both sides. Roam carelessly around this charming Town embracing the everyday life of the locals.
Next, we’ll visit The Cathedral of Vilnius, dedicated to saints Stanislaus and Ladislaus found just off of Cathedral Square. This church captures the soul and beauty of Catholicism, with over 40 works of art from the 16th to 19th Century amongst these are breathtaking frescoes and paintings.
Climb the Gediminas Tower, the symbol of the city built on the Tower Hill and boasts impressive views over the whole city and the River Neris Valley. Look out over the landscape from a whole new perspective. Afterwards, we’ll have a quick pause for your lunch break, for you to enjoy lunch as you please.
Enjoy a scenic drive out to Trakai Castle, the capital of medieval Lithuania. Step out into this surreal miniature, wooden town and breathe in the peaceful aura around this stunning location. Explore the Trakai Castle and Museum itself, marvel over artefacts from the 17th and 18th Century whilst touring a 15th Century Castle.
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.
During the voyage we guarantee an unforgettable view on the Old city and its’ towers, Riga castle, Riga passenger terminal, TV Tower in Zak¸usala and other pla- ces that cannot be left without notice. River boat ”Vecri¯ga” is able to host up to 150 guests.
If you wish you can catch the sun and the wind, and have a delicious cocktails on the open upper deck of the boat which is decorated in a tropical style or you can relax in our bar which is located in the lower deck of the boat. In this deck you will also find a modern style passenger saloon with panoramic window.
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 we are visiting, 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. We will also see the memorial itself - 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.
Explore our wonderful city by Riga City Tour red buses!
Come and enjoy sightseeing on both sides of the Daugava River in Riga on red double-decker busses. The excursion ticket is valid for 24 hours and during that time you can get on or off the bus as many times as you wish. The hop-on hop-off service offers a flexible opportunity to get to know historic and present day Riga. The audio guide texts, heard through the headphones, have been recorded by native speakers in nine languages: English, German, Russian, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, French, Spanish, Italian and Latvian.
There are 3 routes included in your ticket: the Old town route which includes such objects as Riga Circus, Opera house, Presidents castle, National theatre, Powder tower; Wooden RIga route which includes such objects as: Kipsala area, Kalnciems street quarter, Victory park; and New Riga route which includes such objects as Museum of Art, Cathedral of Firstborn Christ, Vermanes Park, Riga Art Nouveau centre.
Riga is proud of its magnificent heritage of Art Nouveau architecture. It was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list by virtue of the outstanding quality and quantity of Art Nouveau buildings, which is unparalleled anywhere in the world. The most significant expression of Art Nouveau architecture in Riga is marked by a wide variety of individual styles.
The walk will lead you through Old Riga to the Art Nouveau district in the quiet centre of Riga which features the creations of the most controversial Art Nouveau architect Mikhail Eisenstein and where each building is worth seeing.
You will have a walk along the famous Albert Street, where Art Nouveau buildings range from richly decorated to modest, from Decorative Art Nouveau to National Romanticism. The buildings are highly decorative yet deeply functional.
Decorated with various symbols and mythological characters, each building tells us a different story. Scary lion and screaming men masks side by side with contemplative women’s faces, mysterious sphinxes, delicately carved flowers, birds and animals- it is easy to get lost in such an abundance of images. Don’t worry-our guides will help you interpret the symbolic content of the decorations and tell you a lot of myths and legends.
The 2-hour tour includes the tasting of our magical elixir Riga Black Balsam believed to have the power to cure all diseases.
Entre las grandes atracciones de Letonia sobresale el Palacio de Rundale, una obra maestra del Barroco donde es posible apreciar el lujo al que estaban acostumbradas las familias nobles. Te invitamos a cruzar sus puertas y embarcarte en un viaje por la historia.
DESTACAMOS:
* Maravíllate con la lujosa ornamentación de sus estancias
* Una perla arquitectónica que encierra siglos de historia entre sus paredes
* Conoce cómo vivían las familias nobles en el pasado
Después de recogerte en tu hotel de Riga, pondremos rumbo al majestuoso Palacio de Rundale, construido en el s.XVIII como residencia de verano del Duque de Curlandia, Ernest Johann von Biron. Esta joya arquitectónica, diseñada por el prestigioso arquitecto Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, debía albergar 2 plantas, 2 alas, dependencias para los sirvientes, establos y un parque.
Pasea por su interior y explora las numerosas habitaciones distribuidas en la primera y segunda planta. Admira el mobiliario original e impresionantes obras de arte en cada una de las estancias, que presentan formas, colores y ambientes diferentes. En el ala oriental, pensada exclusivamente para la representación de la corte, encontrarás la impresionante Sala del Trono, el Salón Blanco y la Galería Pequeña y Grande. Tu guía te explicará en detalle qué uso se le daba a cada una de las salas y te señalará los elementos artísticos más destacados.