Cēsis Municipality
A historic town in Gauja National Park, where medieval Cēsis Castle and sandstone river valleys draw visitors in every season.
Cēsis Municipality lies in the Vidzeme region of central-northern Latvia, with most of its area inside Gauja National Park, and also includes places such as Līgatne. Cēsis is one of Latvia's best-preserved medieval towns. You can tour the castle ruins by lantern light, and the old town streets and the New Castle palace are also worth seeing; Līgatne has a Soviet-era underground bunker and nature trails. The sandstone cliffs of the Gauja valley are great for hiking and boating, and the autumn foliage is especially famous. It takes about an hour and a half from Riga by train or bus.