Things to Do in Latvia: City Guides & Audio Tours

Latvia is a Baltic country on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, known for its forests, lowland landscapes, inland waters and long cultural history. The best things to do in Latvia include exploring its historic cities, discovering its regional traditions and tasting food rooted in local agriculture and the Baltic coast. Neywo has free audio guides for 16 cities in Latvia, with 296 narrated places in total and 19 walking tours.

What to see and do in Latvia

Latvia’s regions offer different ways to experience the country. From the coast and historic towns to inland landscapes and cities shaped by centuries of changing rule, these are some of the best places to include in a Latvia travel guide.

Explore Riga, the capital

Riga is the largest city covered by Neywo in Latvia, with 160 narrated places. Its landmarks include Riga Castle, Riga Cathedral, St. James’s Cathedral and the Nativity Cathedral. The city is a useful starting point for understanding Latvia’s political, religious and cultural history.

Visit the Baltic coast and Jūrmala

Jūrmala offers a different side of Latvia, shaped by the coast and its maritime climate. Neywo’s guide covers 14 narrated places, including Aspazija House, Jūrmalas brīvdabas muzejs, Raiņa un Aspazijas vasarnīca and Dubulti lutheran church.

Further along the coast, Liepāja has 18 narrated places. Its highlights include Holy Trinity Cathedral, Karosta prison, Liepāja Museum and the Naval cathedral of St. Nicholas. Pāvilosta has two narrated places, including Pāvilostas Svētā Gara Romas katoļu baznīca and Pāvilosta Municipality.

Discover Courland’s historic towns

The western region of Courland combines coastal places with historic towns. In Kuldīga, seven narrated places include Kuldīgas novada muzejs, Venta Rapid, the Church of Saint Anne in Kuldīga and the Church of Saint Catherine in Kuldīga.

See castles and rivers in Semigallia

Semigallia is home to several places where architecture and waterways meet. Bauska has six narrated places, among them Bauska Castle, Mūša, Bauska Castle and Park, and Bauska Church of the Holy Spirit.

In Jelgava, 17 narrated places include Jelgava Palace, Jelgavas vēstures un mākslas muzejs, St Simeon and St Anne’s Cathedral and the Church of Saint Anne in Jelgava. Jēkabpils has 15 narrated places, including the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Jēkabpils, Jēkabpils Vēstures muzejs, Mīlestības tiltiņš and Krustpils luterāņu baznīca.

Explore Latgale’s layered history

The eastern region of Latgale reflects the country’s varied religious and cultural heritage. Daugavpils has 21 narrated places, including Daugavpils skrošu rūpnīca, Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre, Daugavpils teātris and Daugavpils Local History and Art Museum.

In Ludza, four narrated places include Ludza Castle, Ludza synagogue, the Church of the Assumption in Ludza and the Lutheran church in Ludza. Rezekne has eight, including Rēzekne Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Cathedral, Rēzekne Castle, Vienoti Latvijai and the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Rēzekne.

Visit Vidzeme’s castles and cultural sites

The northern region of Vidzeme brings together castles, churches, museums and landscapes. Sigulda has eight narrated places, with Turaida Castle, Sigulda Medieval Castle, Sigulda and Krimulda Castle among its highlights.

Cēsis has five narrated places, including Cēsis Castle, the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Cēsis, Septītās dienas Adventistu baznīca and Uzvaras piemineklis. Alūksne has five, including Temple Hill in Alūksne, Alūksne Castle, Alūksne Catholic church and Alūksne Lutheran church.

Smaller destinations also appear in Neywo’s Latvia guide. Valmiera has four narrated places, including the Church of Saint Simon in Valmiera, Valmiera Castle, Valmiera Drama Theatre and Valmiera District. Gulbene has two, Gulbene Lutheran church and Gulbene Municipality.

Latvia’s landscapes and wildlife

Latvia is a country of forests, fields and water. Forests cover more than half of the country, while fertile lowland plains and moderate hills create a patchwork of woodland, farmsteads, fields and pastures. Birch groves and smaller wooded areas sit close to cultivated land, providing habitats for a wide variety of plants and animals.

The country’s inland waters are an important part of its landscape. Along the coast, the climate is more maritime, with cooler summers and milder winters than in the east. Inland areas tend to have warmer summers and harsher winters, although Latvia’s relatively small size limits these contrasts.

Latvia is home to around 30,000 registered species of flora and fauna. Larger mammals include deer, moose, lynx, bears, beavers and wolves. Across the country, wild spaces and cultivated land remain closely connected.

Latvian culture, language and food

Folk song and dance are central to Latvian cultural memory. Traditional folklore reaches back well over a thousand years, and a vast archive of folk-song texts and melodies has been identified. During the 19th century, nationalist movements encouraged participation in cultural life and promoted Latvian culture. Folk songs remain one of the deepest expressions of Latvian identity.

Latvian is the country’s sole official language and belongs to the Baltic subgroup of the Indo-European language family. Latvia is also home to a substantial Russian-speaking population. Latvians form about two-thirds of the population, while Russians are the largest minority.

Latvian food is based on the ingredients of a northern agricultural country, with fish from the Baltic Sea adding a coastal element. Potatoes, wheat, barley, cabbage, onions, eggs and pork are common. Grey peas with speck are considered a staple, while sorrel soup, or skābeņu zupa, is another familiar dish. Rye bread, regarded as the national staple, has an important place at the table.

Latvia’s story of independence

Latvia’s modern history is closely linked to the struggle for self-government. The ancestors of the Latvian people settled along the eastern Baltic coast around 3000 BC and developed trade routes reaching Rome and Byzantium, exchanging amber for precious metals.

For centuries, the lands of Latvia came under Teutonic, Swedish, Polish-Lithuanian and Russian rule. The independent Republic of Latvia emerged from the collapse of the Russian Empire after the First World War, but its independence was later interrupted by dictatorship, Soviet incorporation, Nazi German occupation and the return of Soviet rule.

Decades later, the Singing Revolution began among the Baltic Soviet republics. Latvia restored its independence in 1991. Today, it is a democratic parliamentary republic, and this hard-won independence remains central to the country’s story.

Explore Latvia with Neywo’s free audio guide

Download Neywo to explore Latvia with 19 walking tours covering 16 cities and 296 narrated places. Narration is available in 11 languages. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule.