Day Trips from Riga: Jūrmala, Sigulda, Rundāle and Ķemeri Compared

💡 The Short Version: Trains and buses from Riga reach Baltic beaches, medieval castles, a raised peat bog and a baroque ducal palace. Jūrmala beach is the easiest trip (30 minutes by train to Majori); Sigulda and Gauja National Park offers castles and river valley hikes (1 hour 10 minutes by train); Ķemeri Bog Boardwalk has peat pool trails (50 minutes by train, free admission); and Rastrelli’s Rundāle Palace is the ducal palace (1 hour 45 minutes by bus via Bauska, €17 combined ticket). Or book a tour: a Sigulda and Turaida day tourad from €99 or a [Rundāle, Bauska and Hill of Crosses day tour](https://www.getyourguide.com/riga-l213/from-riga-hill-of-crosses-guided-visit-to-rundale-palace-bauska-t615837/ad) from €91 is sold on GetYourGuide. A tour covers Rundāle in one day without the bus change at Bauska, and costs more than public transport.

⚠️ Always check transit terminal locations in Riga. Trains to Jūrmala, Sigulda and Ķemeri depart from Riga Central Railway Station (Rīgas Pasažieru stacija). Regional intercity buses to Bauska (for Rundāle Palace) and Kuldīga depart from Riga International Bus Station (Rīgas Starptautiskā autoosta), located 300 metres south across the canal behind Riga Central Market.

Day trips from Riga compared

Buy train tickets in the Vivi or Mobilly app.

Guided day tours from Riga

Tours collect you in Riga and bring you back, so they suit anyone who does not want to work out train and bus times. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices per person.

Sigulda and Turaida day tour

From €99 · 4.8 stars from 195 reviews · 6 hours · castles and Gauja National Park

Visits Sigulda and Turaida with a guide, with stops at viewpoints in Gauja National Park. Sigulda and Turaida day tour on GetYourGuidead

Rundāle Palace, Bauska and the Hill of Crosses

From €91 · 4.9 stars from 326 reviews · 9 hours · Hill of Crosses is in Lithuania

A full day with transport, guided stops and a guided visit inside Rundāle Palace rather than an audio guide. The Hill of Crosses is over the Lithuanian border, so carry your passport or ID card. Rundāle, Bauska and Hill of Crosses tour on GetYourGuidead

Ķemeri Bog and Jūrmala

From €86 · 4.8 stars from 106 reviews · 6 hours · bog boardwalk plus seaside

Combines the Ķemeri Bog Boardwalk with the seafront at Jūrmala in one day. Ķemeri Bog and Jūrmala tour on GetYourGuidead

1. Sigulda and Gauja National Park: castles and river gorge

Sigulda is the day trip for castles and walking:

• Why go: Nicknamed the “Switzerland of Vidzeme”, Sigulda sits on the edge of the Gauja River valley (Gaujas senleja), in Latvia’s oldest national park.
• Top attractions:
  • Sigulda Castle of the Livonian Order: A stone fortress begun in 1207, with restored watchtowers and wall walks (€2.50 entry).
  • The Sigulda Cable Car: A cableway 1,020 metres long across the river gorge at a height of 42 metres (€15 one way).
  • Gutman’s Cave (Gūtmaņa ala): A sandstone cave covered in coats of arms and inscriptions dating back to 1667 (free entry).
  • Turaida Museum Reserve: A 13th-century red-brick castle with a 38-metre Great Tower and a view over the forest (€9.00).
• Transit details: Direct regional trains leave Riga Central Station roughly once an hour (1 hour 10 minutes, about €2.50 one way). See the Sigulda day trip guide for trail maps and hiking routes.

2. Rundāle Palace and Bauska: Baltic baroque grandeur

Rundāle Palace stands in the southern plains of Zemgale near the Lithuanian border:

• Why go: Designed by the Italian court architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli (who also designed Saint Petersburg’s Winter Palace) for Ernst Johann von Biron, Duke of Courland, the estate has 138 restored ducal rooms and a ten-hectare French formal rose garden.
• Top attractions:
  • The Golden Hall: The throne room, with ceiling frescoes by the Italian painters Martini and Zucchi.
  • The White Hall: A ballroom with white rococo plaster reliefs by the Berlin sculptor Johann Michael Graff.
  • The French Rose Garden: Over 2,200 historical and modern rose varieties, clipped boxwood parterres and ornamental canals.
  • Bauska Castle (Bauskas pils): In the nearby town of Bauska, 15th-century Livonian Order fortress ruins beside a restored 16th-century Renaissance ducal residence.
• Transit details: Take the intercity bus from Riga International Bus Station to Bauska (1 hr 10 mins), then transfer to the local connecting bus to Rundāles pils (20 mins). See the Rundāle Palace day trip guide for timetables.

3. Ķemeri National Park: the wilderness bog boardwalk

The Great Ķemeri Bog Boardwalk (Lielais Ķemeru tīrelis) crosses a raised bog:

• Why go: An 8,000-year-old moss bog with black peat pools, stunted Scots pines, carnivorous sundew plants and nesting migratory cranes.
• The trails: The boardwalk has a 1.4 km Small Loop and a 3.4 km Great Loop with a two-storey timber observation tower over the open bog.
• Admission: Free, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
• Transit details: Direct commuter trains on the Tukums line leave Riga Central Station and reach Ķemeri station in 50 minutes. From the station, the boardwalk is a 3.8 km walk through forest or a short bike ride. See the Ķemeri Bog Boardwalk guide for trail advice.

4. Jūrmala: seaside promenades and wooden architecture

Jūrmala is the shortest trip from the capital:

• Why go: A 24-kilometre stretch of white quartz sand beach on the Gulf of Riga, backed by pine dunes and over 4,000 wooden Art Nouveau summer cottages.
• Top attractions:
  • The Beach: Free public bathing in shallow water.
  • Jomas iela: A pedestrian street lined with terraces, pastry shops and amber shops.
  • Dzintari Forest Park: A pine park with a free 33.5-metre timber viewing tower and the Dzintari Concert Hall.
• Transit details: Electric trains from Riga Central Station run every 20 to 30 minutes and reach Majori station in 30 minutes for roughly €1.50 one way. See the Jūrmala day trip guide for architectural walking routes.

5. Cēsis: medieval fortress and romantic cobblestones

Cēsis lies 90 kilometres north-east of Riga within Gauja National Park:

• Why go: Founded in 1206, Cēsis was the seat of the Master of the Livonian Order for over three centuries.
• Top attractions:
  • Cēsis Medieval Castle (Cēsu viduslaiku pils): Visitors are given candle lanterns at the entrance to climb the dark spiral staircases of the Western Tower and descend into the dungeons (€10.00 combined adult admission).
  • St. John’s Church: A 13th-century Gothic church with the tombstones of Livonian Order Grand Masters.
  • Cēsis Old Town: Cobbled lanes, restored 18th and 19th-century timber townhouses, craft breweries and bakeries.
• Transit details: Direct regional trains depart Riga Central Station for Cēsis roughly five times daily (1 hour 45 minutes).

6. Kuldīga: the Venta Rapid and timber heritage

Kuldīga in western Latvia is a UNESCO World Heritage site:

• Why go: Kuldīga kept its 16th and 17th-century wooden street layout through two world wars and Soviet planning.
• Top attractions:
  • Venta Rapid (Ventas rumba): A waterfall 249 metres wide across a limestone ledge, only 1.8 to 2 metres high. In spring (April–May), migrating Baltic vimba fish leap up over the ledge to spawn.
  • Old Brick Bridge: A red-brick arched bridge completed in 1874 over the Venta River.
  • Alekšupīte Stream: A canalised stream running past the foundations of 17th-century wooden houses.
• Transit details: Intercity express buses depart Riga International Bus Station for Kuldīga roughly eight times daily (2 hours 30 minutes).

Practical planning tips for day trips

• Combining destinations: Tour operators combine the Ķemeri Bog Boardwalk and Jūrmala beach into one 6-hour excursion, or pair Rundāle Palace with Bauska Castle and the Hill of Crosses across the Lithuanian border.
• Buying train tickets: Use the Vivi or Mobilly app on your phone; it saves queuing at the station ticket desks.
• Winter: In December and January daylight lasts about 7 hours (dawn around 08:30, dusk around 16:00). Start by 09:00. In June daylight lasts nearly 18 hours.

What to explore next

• Sigulda and Gauja National Park: Turaida Castle, the cable car and hiking trails.
• Rundāle Palace Day Trip: Bus timetables, ticket options and palace history.
• Ķemeri National Park Bog Boardwalk: The boardwalk loops and how to reach them.
• Jūrmala Day Trip from Riga: The beaches and wooden Art Nouveau summer villas.
• 3 Days in Riga: Itinerary: How to fit a day trip into a city break.