On the shores of the Gulf of Riga, just 25 km from the capital of Latvia, lies the famous resort of Jurmala - once a prestigious vacation spot for Soviet citizens who intelligently preferred the dim northern beauty to the burning sun of Crimea or the Caucasus. Initially, on the site of Jurmala, there were several fishing villages, which gradually merged into a single resort area, which today stretches for more than three dozen kilometers. The sea in Jurmala is rarely warm, but this fact has never stopped fans of the Baltic.
The Gulf of Riga cuts into the land for 170 km and is located between Latvia and Estonia. It is possible to relax on the beaches of the Riga seaside only in summer, when the water warms up to + 19 ° C - + 23 ° C. The warmest weather begins at the end of June, and with the onset of September the air on the Riga seaside again becomes too fresh for beach pleasures.
In winter, spring and autumn, Jurmala is popular with fans of silence and walks in the fresh air. The resort offers sanatorium treatment and a variety of excursion programs.
Choosing a beach
You will find in Jurmala a comfortable rest in any area of the seaside. The hotels here are small, but cozy, and the beaches of the resort are equipped with everything necessary for swimming and sunbathing. Tourists will not be charged money for entering the beaches on the Riga seaside, but you will have to pay from 5 to 7 euros for the rental of umbrellas and sun loungers.
Perfect order reigns on the beaches of Jurmala, their organizers monitor compliance with environmental standards, and therefore Blue Flag certificates are awarded to resort areas with an enviable frequency:
- Adepts of a quiet and relaxing holiday can be recommended the beaches in the Bulduri or Dubulti areas. There are not many noisy entertainments, and the audience is mostly sedate and respectable.
- Jaunkemeri will appeal to active tourists. On the seashore, in this part of the resort, there are rental points for various equipment for practicing water sports. You can rent a jet ski, catamaran or cycle along the beach.
- The coast in Pupuri, due to the features of the relief, is exposed to winds more than other recreation areas in Jurmala. This is popular with kiteboarders and surfers who have chosen hotels and guesthouses in Pupuri.
- Both noisy young people and active parents with teenage children prefer to stay in Majori. Nightclubs and sports equipment rental are open here, and there is an opportunity to play the beach version of football or volleyball.
It is very convenient to have a rest with kids on the Riga seaside: the entrance to the water is shallow almost everywhere and the depth begins at a distance of tens of meters from the coast. Thanks to this, the sea in Jurmala warms up near the coast enough to make even the youngest swimmers feel comfortable and safe.
Holidays in Jurmala
Contrary to the prevailing opinion that children can get bored to relax on the Baltic Sea, Jurmala pleases the younger generation with new opportunities and vivid impressions of summer vacations. If the sea suddenly seems cool to you, you can find many other options for relaxing on the water.
The largest water park in the region "Livu" with many attractions and water slides has been opened in Jurmala. The youngest tourists, older children and teenagers will find entertainment to their liking in several play areas. Adults at the water park will love the sauna, jacuzzi area, wave pools and spa.
Treatment at sea
You can go to Jurmala not only in summer. At the resort, sanatoriums are open year-round, where dozens of diseases of various systems of the human body are successfully treated. In the list of therapeutic factors, the sea is one of the first places. The doctors' arsenal includes programs based on sea water: baths with sea salt, seaweed wraps, inhalations and much more. The air on the coast of the Riga seaside, thanks to coniferous forests, is rich in phytoncides, which, in combination with iodine vapors, creates a unique microclimate.
The best sanatoriums built on the seashore in Jurmala are located in the Kemeri National Park. The cost of treatment on the shores of the Baltic Sea in Jurmala is significantly lower than in the thermal resorts of Switzerland or the Czech Republic, and therefore the Amber Coast continues to be a favorite vacation spot for tourists from Russia.
