Jūrmala Day Trip from Riga: Beach, Train Guide, Wooden Villas and Jomas Iela

In this guide

💡 The Short Version: Jūrmala is a coastal resort on the Gulf of Riga with a 24-kilometre quartz sand beach backed by dunes and pine forest. It has a pedestrian street, Jomas iela, and over 4,000 carved wooden summer villas, and is an easy independent day trip. Direct electric trains from Riga Central Station reach Majori station in 29 to 34 minutes (trains run every 20 to 30 minutes). There is no station called “Jūrmala”; buy your ticket to Majori or Dzintari. Or book a tour: a Ķemeri Bog and seaside Jūrmala day tourad from €86 is sold on GetYourGuide; it adds the bog without the walk from Ķemeri station.

⚠️ Buy your train ticket to Majori station. Jūrmala is a string of fourteen former bathing villages along the coast. Majori is the central one, with Jomas iela, beach access and the tourist information office. Ticket machines have no “Jūrmala” option; select Majori or Dzintari.

Train guide: getting to Jūrmala from Riga

The train avoids the highway queues and the parking:

• Departure station: Trains leave from Riga Central Railway Station (Rīgas Pasažieru stacija). Look on the departure screens for electric trains headed towards Sloka, Ķemeri or Tukums II, operated by Vivi (vivi.lv).
• Frequency and timing: Trains run every 20 to 30 minutes throughout the day. The journey to Majori takes 29 to 34 minutes.
• Tickets: Buy at the station ticket windows, on the platform ticket machines, or in the Vivi and Mobilly apps.
• Which station to choose:
  • Majori: The stop for first-time visitors, at the western end of Jomas iela and a five-minute walk from the beach.
  • Dzintari: One stop before Majori (27 minutes from Riga), for the Dzintari Concert Hall and Dzintari Forest Park.
  • Bulduri: Two stops before Majori, a quiet residential area with many wooden villas.

If driving, entering Jūrmala by car costs a municipal entry pass (iebraukšanas caurlaide) of €3.00, enforced by licence-plate cameras.

Guided tours that include Jūrmala

Both tours combine Jūrmala with Ķemeri National Park. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices per person.

Ķemeri Bog and seaside Jūrmala

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

Walks the Ķemeri Bog Boardwalk and spends time in Jūrmala, with the forest, beaches and old resort buildings. Ķemeri Bog and Jūrmala tour on GetYourGuidead

Jūrmala and Ķemeri sunset trip

From €65 · 4.9 stars from 133 reviews · 4 hours · Great Bog walk

A shorter trip that walks the wooden path in the Great Bog and sees Jūrmala’s architecture. Jūrmala and Ķemeri sunset trip on GetYourGuidead

Majori and Jomas iela pedestrian promenade

Crossing the small square outside Majori station brings you to the start of Jomas iela, Jūrmala’s main pedestrian street:

• The street: Paved in red brick and shaded by linden trees, Jomas iela runs for roughly two kilometres between Majori and Dzintari.
• Food and drink: Outdoor cafe terraces, bakeries selling cardamom buns, ice cream parlours, Latvian taverns and seafood restaurants.
• Crafts: Open-air kiosks sell Baltic amber jewellery, hand-knitted woollen mittens, linen clothing and ceramics.
• Turtle sculpture (Jūrmalas bruņurupucis): At the end of Tirgoņu iela, where it leads from Jomas iela to the beach, stands a bronze sea turtle made in 1995 by sculptor Jānis Bārda to symbolise longevity and leisure.

The beach: quartz sands and Baltic swimming

The beach runs for 24 kilometres along the Gulf of Riga, backed by dunes and pine forest:

• Sand: Fine, pale quartz that packs firmly near the water’s edge, so you can walk, jog or cycle along it for miles.
• Water: The Gulf of Riga is sheltered from open-sea swell, with gentle surf and no strong undertow. The shore slopes out so shallowly that you can walk several hundred metres into the sea before the water reaches your waist, which suits families with young children.
• Swimming season and temperature: Late June to August, with water at 18°C to 22°C in high summer.
• Facilities: Free timber boardwalks, loungers, changing cabins, foot showers, beach volleyball courts and summer beach bars. The beaches have carried the international Blue Flag for water quality.

Wooden villa architecture and coastal heritage

Jūrmala has over 4,000 historic timber buildings, of which 414 are listed as protected monuments.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Baltic German merchants, Russian aristocrats and Latvian professionals built summer houses (vasarnīcas) here to escape Riga:

• Styles: Swiss chalet fretwork, Russian classicism and Baltic Art Nouveau (Jugendstil).
• Woodcarving: Verandas, gables and eaves carry pierced woodcarving (kokgriezumi), openwork bargeboards, octagonal corner turrets and coloured stained-glass veranda panes.
• Streets for villa walks: Jūras iela (parallel to the beach between Majori and Dzintari) and Kāpu iela (in Melluži and Asari), where restored villas stand beside weathered timber cottages among Scots pines.
• Kristaps Morbergs Summer Estate (Dzintari): At Dzintaru prospekts 52, a wooden neo-Gothic villa with miniature cast-iron battlements and stained glass, built in 1883 by Latvian master builder and philanthropist Kristaps Morbergs.

Dzintari Forest Park and observation tower

A fifteen-minute walk east along Jomas iela brings you to Dzintari Forest Park (Dzintaru mežaparks), a 13-hectare forest park in the middle of town:

• The pines: Old coastal pines, crossed by lit wooden boardwalks and roller-skating paths.
• Dzintari Viewing Tower (Dzintaru skatu tornis): A steel-and-wood tower 33.5 metres high. The stairs pass twelve balconies reaching into the forest canopy and end at an open roof deck with views over the coast and the pine woods. Park and tower are free.
• Dzintari Concert Hall (Dzintaru koncertzāle): At Turaidas iela 1, a 1936 wooden neoclassical chamber hall and a large covered open-air summer auditorium that hosts symphony orchestras, jazz festivals and choirs.

Suggested Jūrmala day-trip itinerary

1. 09:30: Catch the commuter train from Riga Central Station to Majori (29 to 34 minutes).
2. 10:15: Stroll down the pedestrian promenade of Jomas iela, stopping for coffee and fresh pastries at a street terrace.
3. 11:00: Turn north along Tirgoņu iela past the bronze Turtle sculpture onto the beach. Walk along the hard-packed white quartz sands towards Dzintari.
4. 12:30: In Dzintari, walk inland to explore Dzintari Forest Park and climb the 33.5-metre timber observation tower for aerial views.
5. 13:30: Lunch on Jomas iela or at a beachfront terrace: cold beetroot soup (aukstā zupa) or grilled Baltic flounder.
6. 15:00: Walk down Jūras iela and the lanes around it to see the wooden summer villas.
7. 17:00: Catch the return train from Dzintari or Majori station back to central Riga.

What to see next

• Ķemeri National Park Bog Boardwalk: Continue west on the same train line, about 20 minutes beyond Majori, to walk the wooden boardwalks and tower over the peat bog.
• Sigulda and Gauja National Park: Medieval castles and river valleys in Latvia’s inland national park.
• Rundāle Palace Day Trip: The Duke of Courland’s baroque palace in southern Latvia.
• Day trips from Riga: Overview of all regional day excursion options from the capital.
• Where to eat in Riga: Restaurants in Old Town cellars and modern bistros back in Riga.

Common questions

How do you get to Jūrmala from Riga by train?

Board the electric commuter train towards Sloka, Ķemeri or Tukums from Riga Central Station (Rīgas Pasažieru). Trains depart every 20 to 30 minutes, reaching Majori station in 29 to 34 minutes. There is no station named 'Jūrmala', so buy your ticket to Majori or Dzintari.

Is Jūrmala beach free to visit?

Yes. The 24-kilometre beach of pale quartz sand is free, with public boardwalks, changing cabins, volleyball courts and beachside cafe kiosks.

What should you see in Jūrmala besides the beach?

Walk the pedestrian street of Jomas iela, look at the carved wooden villas along Jūras and Kāpu streets, and climb the free 33.5-metre viewing tower in Dzintari Forest Park.

Is there a toll to enter Jūrmala by car?

Yes. Motorists entering the Jūrmala administrative resort zone must purchase a municipal day pass, available at automated toll checkpoints along the highway or via mobile apps (Mobilly). Train passengers, bus riders, pedestrians and cyclists pay nothing to enter.

Can you swim in the Baltic Sea at Jūrmala?

Yes. The Gulf of Riga is shallow and shelving gently, with no strong currents. Summer water temperatures typically range from 18°C to 22°C between July and August.