The Baltic Republic of Latvia occupies a very small part of the world map and is not even included in the first hundred states in terms of the number of square kilometers of its territory. On the other hand, Latvia is the second on the planet after Switzerland in terms of the index of environmental activity, and the amount of natural resources of the country per one inhabitant is dozens of times higher than the average for Europe. It is not surprising that the best resorts in Latvia are becoming more and more popular with true connoisseurs of soft, elegant beauty - both natural and man-made.
Family Resorts
You can relax with children in Latvia at any resort, but traditionally the most favorite among family tourists have been and remain Liepaja and Lielupe:
The beach in Liepaja is one of the best in the Baltic republics. The entrance to the sea at the resort is covered with fine and clean sand, the depth begins a few tens of meters from the shore. Rescue services are on duty at the beach, and therefore rest even with little ones in Liepaja is safe and comfortable. The cleanliness of the coastal strip at the resort has been appreciated by European experts: over the past years, Liepaja beach has consistently received a prestigious award - the Blue Flag certificate. It is pleasant to spend time outside the beach in the seaside park "Jurmalas", which was laid out more than a century and a half ago. The Rose Garden in the center of the resort is another great place for family walks. There are many interesting museums and architectural monuments in the city, and restaurants and cafes serve traditional Latvian cuisine that both children and parents love and are ideal for everyone.
The town of Lielupe is located just two dozen kilometers from the capital of Latvia, and many residents of Riga come to the beaches of this resort on weekends. The landscape of the area amazes everyone who is in Lielupe for the first time, and the high sand dunes along the seashore are even included in the national park. The resort will appeal to schoolchildren and their parents, because the largest water park in the region is open in Lielupe. In "Livu" there are several dozen attractions, slides, pools, and some of them are champions among their own kind not only in the Baltic States, but also in Europe. The stay at the water park is not limited to the entertainment program only. Its visitors can also undergo wellness procedures: under the roof of Livu there are massage parlors, a sauna, a salt room, reflexology rooms and a spa center with various cosmetic programs for face and body beauty. It is pleasant to spend time in Lielupe with benefit and in the fresh air: in the territory of the Ragakapa nature park there are several ecological paths, each of which is a fascinating thematic route. During walks, visitors to the park get acquainted with its inhabitants, observe insects and animals and get to the observation platforms, from where wonderful views of the dunes, the sea and the beaches of Lielupe open up. There is an ethnographic museum in the park with an exposition representing the traditional dwellings and utensils of the Baltic fishermen.
The beach holiday season in Latvia does not last too long. The water in the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic warms up to comfortable values only by mid-June, and it is better to come to Latvian beaches with the smallest children in July and August. In the second half of summer, mercury thermometer columns rise to + 22 ° C in water, and up to + 26 ° C in the air during the day. The swimming season ends towards the end of August.
For active and sports
It is generally accepted that a tourist in the Baltics is a sedate and unhurried person, preferring moderation in everything and not wanting too noisy entertainment. This is not entirely true, and in Latvia you can find resorts where active rest is no less prized. It is pleasant to come to such places with a friendly company of like-minded people.
Despite the fact that Ventspils has a large port on the Baltic, the city is also popular as a beach resort. The city authorities are progressively and actively developing the tourist infrastructure, and every year Ventspils is gaining momentum. If you enjoy spending your holidays in the Baltics, rest assured that you will find everything you need in this Latvian resort. Ventspils beach is ideal for fans of outdoor activities. There are rental offices for sports equipment and inventory. Volleyball and beach football courts have been built on the shores of the Baltic Sea in Ventspils, catamarans and boats, water skis and surfboards are offered for rent. It is convenient to relax and sunbathe on the sun loungers. The safety of the swimmers is closely monitored by the rescue team. By the way, the city beach of Ventspils can be proud of the main international award testifying to the special purity of its sand and water - the Blue Flag certificate. A significant plus for lovers of educational tourism are local architectural sights, some of which were built in Ventspils many centuries ago.
Treatment in Latvia
A huge number of unique natural factors are concentrated in small Latvia, which, in combination with modern scientific medical discoveries and technologies, can become the basis of treatment programs. At one of the best resorts in the country, Dzintari, you can organize not only a beach, but also a wellness holiday. On the territory of the famous health resort "Baltia" there is a source of mineral water, which is indispensable in the treatment of gastrointestinal pathologies. In "Baltia" they successfully treat gastritis and colitis, stomach and duodenal ulcers, liver and pancreas diseases. Mineral water is not the only natural healing factor in Dzintari. The patients of the sanatoriums and health centers of the resort feel themselves much better thanks to the Baltic climate - maritime, temperate and not too hot. Clean air filled with phytoncides of pine parks and groves is another important condition for the health of the guests of Dzintari.
At the beginning of the 20th century, on the site of the Neubad resort, where venerable families from Germany preferred to rest, the city of Saulkrasti was founded. It is located on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Riga, and its beach stretches for several kilometers along the Baltic Sea. In Saulkrasti, even today you can meet travelers who prefer to spend their holidays in silence and in complete fusion with nature. The flat strip of white sand of the resort beach is interspersed with dunes, the height of which sometimes reaches one and a half dozen meters. The beach sections closest to the city center are equipped with everything necessary for a comfortable stay - changing rooms, fresh showers, sun umbrellas and sun loungers. There is also a beach at the resort for fans of complete merging with nature: nudists sunbathe in the Piejour city park, which goes directly to the sea. Hiking is popular with guests of Saulkrasti. There is a more than three kilometers long pedestrian route along the Baltic coast. It is customary to make a promenade along the Sunset Trail in the evenings, when the star goes to rest and dives into the waters of the Gulf of Riga.
TOP-3 best resorts in Latvia
Almost every beach resort in the country, which is part of Greater Jurmala, deserves to be ranked among the best in the Baltics. All the inhabitants of the former USSR dreamed of spending a vacation in any corner of the Riga seaside, because in those years Latvia was considered almost abroad.
Today, Jurmala includes a dozen villages, smoothly flowing into each other and only slightly differing in their resort traditions and history:
- The beach in Majori, as elsewhere on the shores of the Baltic Sea, is covered with white fine sand. European Blue Flags are always raised here for their special attitude to cleanliness, and therefore family tourists with kids especially like to come to Majori. The sea at the resort warms up towards the end of June, when the thermometers show + 22 ° C in the water and even slightly higher. The entrance to the water is very shallow, and even the smallest guests of the resort can splash in the water absolutely safely. Lifeguards are on duty on the beaches, and employees of beach equipment and sports equipment rental centers are responsible for the entertainment program for active tourists. In Majori, you can play beach soccer, rent a catamaran or jet ski, and after sunset dance in a nightclub or sip cocktails in local bars and restaurants.
- The Kemeri resort in Jurmala is unique. The healing properties of the local sulfur springs have been known since the 18th century, and in the middle of the 19th century the first sanatorium-boarding house was built in Kemeri. Before the revolution, the hospital was headed by one of the founders of Russian balneological science A. Lozinsky, and since then the Kemeri resort has developed as a therapeutic and balneological resort. In the recently restored Kemeri sanatorium, natural health factors are still widely used - mineral waters of springs, curative sapropelic mud of Lake Kaniera and Slokas peat deposit and the air, which contains medicinal substances of phytoncides released by coniferous trees. The beaches closest to the resort are located eight kilometers away in the village of Jaunkemeri, on the shores of the Baltic. The beaches have an excellent infrastructure for active tourists. We offer jet skis, boats and boats for rent. You can take a boat trip on a yacht. For those who prefer a quiet holiday, sun loungers and parasols are rented in Jaunkemeri.
- Dzintari is known as the noisiest and most popular resort in Jurmala. In this part of the Riga Coast, various holidays and concerts, festivals and premieres take place in summer. Dzintari has preserved many historical buildings, from which the beach resort once began - baths and villas of local celebrities, former boarding houses and residential buildings. The beaches in the Dzintari region are considered one of the best in Latvia. The resort can be very active, there are opportunities for sports entertainment. In the forest park "Dzintari", for example, there are kilometers of paths for walking on rollers, bicycles, scooters and scooters. Preschoolers are happy to ride down the slides and play in the park in the sandboxes, and older children are delighted with the rides. The observation deck offers pretty views of the surroundings. Those wishing to heal can take a course of health procedures in the sanatoriums of Dzintari, and fans of lazy relaxation can enjoy the clean beaches of the resort and the sea, which is warm and calm during the swimming season.
Summer vacation in Latvia can be combined with sightseeing, because even in the suburbs of the capital there are several beaches. Riga recreation areas are equipped both on the seashore and on the Western Dvina River, and their cleanliness does not cause any complaints even from picky ecologists. The most popular beach in the capital is Vecaki in the northeastern part of the Latvian capital. It is preferred by active youth and family tourists with children. On the Vecaki beach, everything has been done for a comfortable and safe stay: changing rooms and rescue towers have been built, toilets and fresh showers have been equipped, sports equipment rental stations and cafes with soft drinks and snacks have been opened.
