In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Sigulda is 53 kilometres north-east of Riga, at the gateway to Gauja National Park, and is nicknamed the “Switzerland of Vidzeme”. Its sights are the 13th-century ruins of Sigulda Castle of the Livonian Order (€2.50), the cable car across the Gauja valley (€15 one way), the carved sandstone walls of Gutman’s Cave (free), and the 38-metre brick tower of Turaida Castle (€9). Regional trains run roughly hourly from Riga Central Station in 1 hour 10 minutes. Or book a tour: a Sigulda and Turaida day tourad from €99 is sold on GetYourGuide; it saves you planning the train, the cable car and the Sigulda to Turaida leg yourself.
⚠️ Pace the valley staircase climb. Walking between Sigulda Castle, Gutman’s Cave and Turaida means going down and back up over 300 steep wooden steps across the Gauja gorge. With heavy backpacks, a pram or limited mobility, take local bus 12 from Sigulda railway station to the Turaida entrance and walk back downhill.
Getting to Sigulda: trains, buses and fares
- By regional train (recommended): Vivi (
vivi.lv) trains leave Riga Central Railway Station (Rīgas Pasažieru stacija) for Sigulda and Valga roughly once an hour. The journey takes 1 hour 10 minutes on express services and 1 hour 15 minutes on stopping services. Buy tickets in the Vivi app, in Mobilly, or at station ticket windows. - By intercity bus: Buses leave Riga International Bus Station every 30 to 45 minutes and take about 1 hour 15 minutes along the A2 highway.
- Local connection to Turaida: Local bus route 12 runs between Sigulda railway station and the Turaida Museum Reserve entrance roughly every 30 to 60 minutes (10 minutes; €1.00, paid to the driver).
Guided tours to Sigulda
Tours leave from Riga and cover the sights below with a guide. 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
Guided visits to Sigulda and Turaida with scenic stops in Gauja National Park. Sigulda and Turaida day tour on GetYourGuidead
Turaida and Sigulda with a local guide
From €113 · 5 stars from 50 reviews · 6 hours · cable car, Gutman’s Cave, bobsleigh track
A smaller guided day that takes in the cable car, Gutman’s Cave and the bobsleigh and luge track as well as the castles. Turaida and Sigulda tour on GetYourGuidead
Sigulda, Cēsis and Turaida with food tasting
From €101 · 5 stars from 70 reviews · 10 hours · three castles
Three medieval castles, the Gauja valley and a visit to a bread maker, with samples of Latvian food and drink when available. Sigulda, Cēsis and Turaida tour on GetYourGuidead
Sigulda Castle of the Livonian Order and New Castle
From Sigulda railway station it is a ten-minute walk through town to the castle quarter on the edge of the Gauja valley.
1. The Medieval Livonian Order Castle (Siguldas viduslaiku pils)
The Order of the Brothers of the Sword (later part of the Teutonic Livonian Order) founded Sigulda Castle in 1207 as a fortified base on the southern side of the Gauja valley, facing the Archbishop of Riga’s troops at Turaida.
- Restored towers and ramparts: The south and north watchtowers have been restored and linked by wooden gallery walkways along the stone curtain walls.
- The open-air amphitheatre: A concert stage in the inner bailey, set against medieval stone arches, hosts the annual Sigulda International Opera Music Festival.
- Admission: Adults €2.50; pupils, students and pensioners €2.00; family ticket €5.00; children under 7 free. A combined ticket with the New Castle is €4.50 (€3.50 concessions). Open daily 09:00 to 17:00 in the winter season, according to Sigulda’s tourism site.
2. Sigulda New Castle (Siguldas Jaunā pils)
Outside the medieval castle moat, this neo-Gothic stone manor house was built in 1878 by Prince Nikolai Kropotkin. In the 1930s the Union of Latvian Writers remodelled the interior in Art Deco style.
- Today it houses craft studios (leatherworkers, amber polishers, walking-stick makers) and a viewing tower.
- Entry to the New Castle is €3.50 for adults and €3.00 for pupils, students and pensioners.
Gauja valley viewpoints and the aerial cable car
The Gauja River runs through a post-glacial valley (senleja) up to 85 metres deep, with mixed oak, spruce and pine forest.
The Sigulda Cable Car (Siguldas vagoniņš)
The cable car was built in 1969:
- The crossing: It carries passengers 1,020 metres across the valley, 42 metres above the river, with views of Turaida Castle, Krimulda manor and the river bends.
- Fares: One way costs €15 for adults (€12 for ages 13 to 17, €8 for ages 3 to 12). Return costs €22 for adults (€17 for ages 13 to 17, €12 for ages 3 to 12), according to vagonins.lv.
- Operating schedule: Departs every 20 to 30 minutes from the station on Jāņa Poruka iela. It runs daily all year but stops in high winds or dense freezing fog.
Krimulda Manor and Castle Ruins
The cable car lands on the northern rim of the valley at Krimulda:
- Krimulda Castle ruins: The red-brick foundations of a fortress built in 1255 for the Chapter of the Dome Cathedral.
- Krimulda Manor: An 1850s neoclassical yellow manor house with a terrace view and a winery making fruit wines from Baltic berries and rhubarb.
- The Serpent Path (Serpentīna ceļš): A zigzagging wooden ramp built in 1862 for a visit by Tsar Alexander II, descending through forested ravines towards the river.
Gutman’s Cave and the legend of the Rose of Turaida
At the bottom of the valley is Gutman’s Cave (Gūtmaņa ala). Spring water eroded it out of yellow and red Devonian sandstone over about ten thousand years, and it measures:
- Depth: 18.8 metres into the rock face.
- Width: 12 metres across the entrance.
- Maximum height: 10 metres.
Historical inscriptions
The walls are covered in thousands of coats of arms, initials, dates and mottos carved by visitors over four centuries. The oldest verified carvings date to 1667 and 1668, left by Baltic German noblemen and Swedish military officers. The cave and the surrounding trails are free.
The Legend of the Rose of Turaida (Turaidas Roze)
The cave is tied to a Latvian legend set in the spring of 1620:
- Maija Greifova, an orphaned girl known as the “Rose of Turaida”, was betrothed to Viktor Heil, the castle gardener at Sigulda. The couple met secretly at Gutman’s Cave in the evenings.
- A Polish deserter named Jakubowski lured Maija to the cave with a forged message supposedly from Viktor.
- When Jakubowski attacked her, Maija told him the red silk scarf round her neck was magical and made the wearer invincible against any blade, and told him to strike her to test it. He swung his sword and killed her.
- Viktor found her body and buried her beneath a linden tree near Turaida church. Newly married Latvian couples still visit the tomb to lay flowers.
Turaida Castle and Museum Reserve
From Gutman’s Cave, follow the signposted forest trail up the wooden stairs to Turaida Museum Reserve (Turaidas muzejrezervāts - turaida-muzejs.lv), covering 43 hectares.
Bishop Albert of Riga founded Turaida in 1214 on the site of a Livonian chieftain’s wooden stronghold. It was built of red brick as a residential castle for the Archbishopric of Riga, and Turaida means “God’s Garden” in the Livonian language.
Highlights of the complex
- The Great Bergfried Tower: The round 38-metre tower is Turaida’s landmark. Internal wooden steps lead to an open-air platform with views over the bends of the Gauja.
- The stone palace wing: Exhibitions on medieval life, armour, archaeological excavations and the work of the Archbishop’s bailiffs.
- The wooden church (1750): A wooden church with baroque interior paintings, beside the tomb of the Rose of Turaida under a linden tree.
- Folk Song Garden (Dainu kalns): A park devoted to Latvian dainas (oral folk songs), with twenty-six granite sculptures by Indulis Ranka.
Turaida tickets
| Category | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult | €9.00 |
| Pensioner | €7.00 |
| Full-time student | €6.00 |
| Pupil | €3.00 |
| Family (2 adults and 2 or more children up to 18) | €19.00 |
Opening hours are on turaida-muzejs.lv.
Suggested self-guided day
A route covering the main sights on foot:
- 09:00: Take the morning train from Riga Central Station to Sigulda (arrive about 10:15).
- 10:30: Walk through Sigulda town centre to Sigulda New Castle and the ruins of the Livonian Order castle.
- 11:30: Take the Sigulda cable car 42 metres above the Gauja to Krimulda.
- 12:15: Follow the wooden staircases and the Serpent Path down the forested slope to Gutman’s Cave.
- 13:00: Have lunch at a tavern near the cave, or bring a picnic.
- 14:00: Climb the trail stairs up to Turaida Castle. Allow two hours for the Great Tower, the exhibits and the Folk Song Garden.
- 16:30: Take local bus 12 from the Turaida car park back to Sigulda railway station (10 minutes, €1.00).
- 17:15: Take the return train to Riga, in time for dinner in Old Riga.
What to see next
- Cēsis Medieval Castle: 30 minutes further north on the same rail line, with 13th-century castle ruins that visitors explore by candle lantern.
- Ķemeri National Park Bog Boardwalk: Coastal peat bogs with observation towers.
- Rundāle Palace Day Trip: Rastrelli’s baroque palace and French rose garden.
- Day trips from Riga: The other day trips across Latvia.
- Where to eat in Riga: Baltic tavern food and craft beer back in Riga.
Common questions
How do you get to Sigulda from Riga by public transport?
Take the direct Vivi regional train from Riga Central Station to Sigulda. Trains run roughly once an hour through the day and take 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes.
How much are tickets to Turaida Castle and Museum Reserve?
Standard adult admission to Turaida Museum Reserve is €9.00. Pensioners pay €7.00, full-time students €6.00 and pupils €3.00, according to the reserve's own ticket page. Tickets cover the 38-metre Great Tower, the medieval residential wing, the Folk Song Garden and the estate buildings.
What is the Sigulda Cable Car and how much does it cost?
The aerial cable car (Siguldas vagoniņš) crosses the Gauja valley for 1,020 metres at a height of 42 metres, linking Sigulda to Krimulda. A one-way ticket costs €15.00 for adults and a return ticket €22.00, according to vagonins.lv.
Can you walk between Sigulda, Gutman's Cave and Turaida Castle?
Yes. A marked forest trail with timber staircases connects Sigulda Castle, Gutman's Cave and Turaida Castle, about 5.5 kilometres one way. Local bus 12 also runs between Sigulda station and Turaida.
When should you visit Sigulda?
Late September to mid-October, when the Gauja valley's trees turn red, yellow and orange. Summer (June to August) suits hiking, kayaking and open-air castle concerts.
