4 day trips worth the trip across Latvia, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All Latvia guides.
Līgatne (Pavāru māja Green Star) ★ 4.7 · Riga
Līgatne sits inside the Gauja National Park, 75 minutes east of Riga, anchored by Pavāru māja, Latvia's only Michelin Green Star restaurant under chef Ēriks.
Tip: Pavāru māja is a long booking-ahead day; combine with the Līgatne nature trails or a visit to the Wilhelma 1901 former hospital building.
Cēsis (medieval town) ★ 4.6 · Riga
Cēsis is the medieval Vidzeme town 90 minutes east of Riga, anchored by the Cēsu Alus brewery (1590, the oldest in the Baltic) and the H.E. Vanadziņš Bib.
Tip: Combine the castle ruins with a Cēsu Alus brewery tour and a Bib Gourmand lunch at H.E. Vanadziņš in a single day.
Jūrmala (Baltic Sea beach) ★ 4.5 · Riga
Jūrmala is the Baltic Sea beach resort 30 minutes west of Riga by train, a long sandy line of beach grills, Art Nouveau wooden villas and smoked-fish stalls.
Tip: Lapsa-Lemiža area runs the strongest beachside grill scene; the Maiori railway stop is the closest to the busy beach stretch.
Sigulda (castle and Gauja Valley) ★ 4.5 · Riga
Sigulda is the Gauja Valley castle town 50 minutes east of Riga, a day-trip line of medieval ruins, forest restaurants and Latvian sklandrausis.
Tip: Take an early train to combine the castle ruins with a forest lunch; the cable-car crosses the Gauja gorge for the strongest valley views.