Things to Do in Sigulda, Latvia: Walking Guide

The best things to do in Sigulda centre on medieval castles, historic churches and the landscapes of the Gauja Valley. In and around the town, you can explore the ruins of Sigulda Medieval Castle, visit the restored Turaida Castle and follow a historic route through the surrounding countryside. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Sigulda with 8 narrated places, so you can discover the town while walking at your own pace.

Sigulda is in Vidzeme, a region of central Latvia. Its sights are spread across the town and nearby Turaida and Krimulda, making a self-guided walk a useful way to connect the area’s history.

What to See in Sigulda

Sigulda Railway Station

For many visitors, Sigulda Railway Station is the first introduction to the town. The station opened in 1889 on the railway line from Riga to Lugazi and serves trains travelling from Riga to Sigulda. Until 1919, it was known as Segewold.

The present station building was completed in 1950 after the earlier building, constructed in 1925, was destroyed during the Second World War. The station has a main track, three additional tracks and two passenger platforms.

Sigulda Evangelical Lutheran Church

The Sigulda Evangelical Lutheran Church is one of the town’s historic religious buildings. It is also associated with the name St. Bartholomew Church in Sigulda. The church provides a quieter point of interest among the town’s larger castle and landscape attractions.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Church

Another church to see in central Sigulda is the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, also known as Siguldas Katoļu baznīca. It stands at 8 Raunas Street and is a Roman Catholic parish church belonging to the Riga Archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Riga Metropolis.

Sigulda Medieval Castle

The ruins of Sigulda Medieval Castle stand at the edge of the Gauja valley. Construction began in 1207, during the time of Venno, master of the Sword Brothers. The fortress was one of the order’s first four convent residences and later became the residence of the Land Marshal of the Livonian Order from 1432.

The original stronghold was built as a castellum-type fortress before being rebuilt as a convent-type castle. Today, the site preserves parts of the northern tower, the main gate tower and a chapel. The castle also played a role during the Livonian War, when Jan Chodkiewicz, administrator of the Livonian Duchy, lived there from 1566 to 1578.

Archaeological excavations have taken place across the grounds, while conservation and fortification work on the northern tower and chapel walls continued during the twentieth century. The ruins reopened to visitors in 2012.

Krimulda Castle

Near Sigulda, the atmospheric ruins of Krimulda Castle occupy a high bank above the ancient valley of the Gauja. The medieval fortress was also known by names including Castrum Cremum, Cremon, Crammon and Kremon.

From the thirteenth to the sixteenth century, it served as an auxiliary castle to Turaida Castle, which belonged to the Archbishopric of Riga. The castle is generally dated to the fourteenth century and was destroyed during a war in 1601.

The ruins are close to Krimulda Manor, also called the New Palace. The manor house was built by the Liven family in the middle of the nineteenth century in the classical style. Its complex included a steward’s house, a coach house and a Swiss cottage.

Turaida Castle

Turaida Castle is one of Latvia’s oldest medieval castles that can still be visited. It stands in Turaida, on the right bank of the Gauja River, within the territory of Sigulda and the Gauja National Park. The castle is a central sight of the Turaida Museum Reserve.

Construction of the stone castle began in 1214 for the Bishop of Riga, later the Archbishop of Riga. It was built on the site of a wooden castle belonging to the Livonian leader Kaupo, which had been burned. Work on the fortifications continued until the seventeenth century, when castles began to lose their military importance.

The surviving complex is a notable example of brick Gothic architecture. Its main tower has been fully restored and rises 38 metres above the castle grounds. Other restored elements include the semicircular tower, the southern tower and sections of the western and eastern walls.

Turaida Castle is regarded as the most thoroughly archaeologically studied medieval castle in the Baltic states. Excavations and restoration began in earnest in 1973, following earlier restoration work that started in 1953.

Turaida Church

Turaida Church, also known as Turaida Evangelical Lutheran Church, stands on Baznīckalns in Turaida. The setting has a history that reaches beyond the present church: Baznīckalns was an ancient cemetery site where baptized Livonians and congregation members were buried from the thirteenth century until 1772.

That year, Empress Catherine the Second of Russia prohibited burials near churches, ending the long burial tradition at the site. The church forms a natural continuation of a visit to Turaida Castle and the surrounding museum reserve.

A Sigulda Self-Guided Walking Tour

The main historic route connects the churches and castles around Sigulda, Krimulda and Turaida. Neywo’s walking tour, Castles of the Gauja Valley: Sigulda to Turaida, covers 4.69 km in about 102 minutes and includes five narrated stops:

1. Sigulda Evangelical Lutheran Church
2. Sigulda Medieval Castle
3. Krimulda Castle
4. Turaida Castle
5. Turaida Church

This route brings together the area’s religious heritage, medieval ruins and restored castle complex in one walk. It is a practical way to explore the main sights without following a group or keeping to a fixed tour schedule.

Explore Sigulda with Neywo

Download Neywo to explore Sigulda with a free audio guide. The city has 1 walking tour, covering 4.69 km in 102 minutes with 5 narrated stops. The app offers narration in 11 languages, and each story plays as you reach the place, at your own pace: no group and no schedule.

Neywo’s Sigulda audio guide covers the churches and castles along the route, helping you understand the history of each stop while you walk from Sigulda towards Turaida.