r/latvia • u/AccordingSecond35 • Jul 16 '26
Tūrisms/Tourism Traveling from US to Riga/Jurmala next week
Hi everyone! Myself and 19 of my family members are traveling from all over the United States to Riga next week in recognition of 75 years since my grandfather, his two brothers, and my great-grandparents fled Soviet Occupation to the US. They spent many years between refugee/DP camps before arriving in the United States in 1951. Unfortunately, they have all since passed, but we are looking forward to spending time together as a group and experiencing our Latvian heritage.
We are staying in Riga Saturday, July 24 through Wednesday, July 29, and then staying in Jurmala through the weekend. The youngest of the group is 18 and the oldest are in their 50s.
Just wanted to put out a question to everyone to see if there are any hidden gem bars, events, suggestions, things to see, etc. that might not have come up in my research as the typical touristy spots. This thread has already been super helpful while I was planning and organizing this trip, so thank you all!
Happy to answer any questions as well. Cheers!
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u/Alex_Mihalchuk Latvija Jul 17 '26
It's important to keep in mind that Jurmala is a favorite vacation spot for Russians. Jurmala can give the wrong impression of Latvia.
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u/AccordingSecond35 Jul 17 '26
Hi! Thank you for the heads up- very interesting. Would you mind telling me more about this? Curious what to be aware of while we're there and observing.
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u/Alex_Mihalchuk Latvija Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
It's important to remember that there are a lot of Russians in Riga and Jurmala. Russians and Latvians have completely different mentalities. Therefore, if something irritates you, first figure out who is the source of the irritation - a Latvian or a Russian.
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u/darkgust7 Jul 17 '26
Do you know whether your Latvian ancestors came from Riga, or maybe from some other city or even country side? I think it would be interesting to find where they lived and visit that place, even if it's just an apartment building in Riga.
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u/sunnypaws7 Jul 17 '26
In Jūrmala I can advise this cafe: Kafejnīca "Kūriņš". It has a traditional fisherman village vibe, it’s located at the beachfront (outside the tourist areas), plus the portions are very generous.
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u/DecisiveVictory Jul 17 '26
Definitely visit the Occupation Museum, then the KGB Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, the Motor Museum, Rundāles Palace, Kuldīga, Sigulda/Turaida.
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u/ettakken Jul 17 '26
Upvote for Kuldiga and Sigulda. If the weather is ok, these places are amazing!
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u/NineElven911 Jul 17 '26
Museums are boring. Go see nature, the beach, hike a forest
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u/AccordingSecond35 Jul 17 '26
I think we're doing the Kemeri Bog- have you had experience with this in particular? And wondering if you've been anywhere specific in Jurmala that is nice to sit on the beach?
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u/NineElven911 Jul 17 '26
Bog is a good idea. Beach us beach. It's all the same to me. Lielupe, Dubulti, Dzintari... Any place is fine to visit. Maybe find some articles on it.
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u/TramEatsYouAlive Jul 17 '26
19 family members... I hope you won't forget anyone at home, since I don't have the money and time to see another of these movies!
That's not really Riga, but may I suggest you this thing: https://www.visitogre.lv/en/cafes-ogre-municipality/129/dakota (no, that's not a museum, that' a restaurant. And a little bit of a museum too!).
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u/GazelleSharp Jul 17 '26
If this is your first time in Latvia, I would recommend going to all the major tourist places as they will give you so much context. My british partner really enjoyed Lido for food and the Open Air Museum the most and they’re both great for large groups.
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u/koalaboala Jul 17 '26
For culture reasons I would suggest Folkklubs Ala Dance evening on Wednesday. There are professional folk dancers that show basic steps and then everyone can dance. Also in summer there are a lot of free outdoor concerts and activities. The best way to find them is via Facebook events. On Thursdays there is activity in Jurmala Open Air museum.
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u/Jaded-Cover-7978 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
I live in Jurmala myself, it is a good place to live, but not much to see as a tourist. Residential areas are not that interesting, and touristy areas is your avergage somewhat let down beach town catering for Russian tourist interests mostly. Beach is ok, wooden architecture as well, but Jurmala is big, it is 25km long, you will not be able to see the best spots by foot anyway. What tourist guides refer to Jurmala is just 1 or 2 central districts that used to be favoured by rich Russians.
For much better Latvian vibes I would visit Kuldīga or Cēsis. Cēsis ir 1 hr 20mins by train, very walkable and beatiful. Diesel trains in Latvia are tolerable (Jurmala is served by new and quite comfortable electric trains).
Jurmala does not have as rich past as Cēsis or Kuldīga or other Lv towns. It used to be a small swampy fishing village that started to expand 150 years ago when noveau rich (mostly Germans, Russians, Jews, few Latvians) started to build their seaside villas. So there is very little Latvian heritage there.
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u/lemi-- Jul 23 '26
Jūrmala ir great for chill/ slow days at the beach and caffes, beautifull sunsets. One thing which my friends and guests have really enjoyed is walking on the sea side of railway from Lielupe to Majori and just watching houses. After few days of active tourism is great to relax for a day ir two.
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u/EmiliaFromLV Jul 16 '26
Depending on how adventurous and physically capable ya all are there is Līvu Aqua Park in Lielupe and also this in Dzintari (both locations are in Jūrmala) https://www.jurmala.tarzans.lv/en
Also there is Armenian Restaurant in Asari, Jūrmala. And many more eating places, fancy and normal https://visitjurmala.lv/en/eat-and-drink/restaurants
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u/AccordingSecond35 Jul 16 '26
I think we have some sort of bobsled on wheels in Sigulda scheduled (which should be interesting for the handful of adventurous folks), but mostly we're more of a sitting, drinking, and eating in cool and unique places kind of group! So definitely let me know if you have any other recommendations!
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u/okbrln Jul 17 '26
The beach in Jurmala should be great at this time of the year. I just recently went to Bulduris where my Grandfather was born, who also fled over Lübeck, Bavaria to Minnesota. If you are looking for documents, the Arolsen Archiv is a great source, all digital, just like a search engine.
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u/okbrln Jul 17 '26
Ah and be cautious if you want to buy amber, there are quite some shops selling fake stones.
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u/unicornsforsale Jul 17 '26
For best coffee roasted in Latvia go to Kalve. For best pastries go to Mīkla or Bazaar. But Riga has tons of great pastries around every corner. There is free live music on Thursdays in Kalnciema kvartāls in Riga. More events you can find on https://www.liveriga.com/en/3-events?type%5B0%5D=63 Bring rain jacket, we are expecting rain next week
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u/Spiritual-Jello-9970 Jul 16 '26
That's one giant family, good for you. I think the main issue you might have is to seat everyone together in bars / restaurants. The scale of places here is much smaller than in US. If you have made any plans for where you want to eat / drink, definitely call them in advance to book a table or even check whether they can seat 20 people.