Kuldīga

A UNESCO-listed wooden old town beside the Venta Rapid, Europe's widest waterfall, easily combined with the Pedvāle Open-Air Art Museum in Sabile, Ventspils and the Baltic sea cliffs.

Kuldīga lies in the Kurzeme region of western Latvia, about 150 km from Riga, and was an early capital of the Duchy of Courland. In 2023 its old town was inscribed as a World Heritage Site for its historic wooden architecture. The town is small and the main sights are all walkable: around Town Hall Square are colourful wooden houses and cobbled streets, with the Alekšupīte stream flowing between the houses; on the Venta River at the east of town is the roughly 250 m wide Venta Rapid, next to a 19th-century red-brick bridge, the Alekšupīte waterfall (the tallest in Latvia) and the castle garden; about 4 km north of town are the Riežupe Sand Caves. For day trips, head east to Sabile for the Pedvāle Open-Air Art Museum, Wine Hill and the Abava Rapid; west to the Jūrkalne sea cliffs and Edole Castle; or about 55 km north to the port city of Ventspils, with its Livonian Order castle and Blue Flag beaches. May–September is the best time to visit; in April–May you may see fish leaping up the waterfall, and in July–August you can wade across it. Winter is very cold but quiet. Long-distance buses from Riga take about 2.5–3 hours; public transport to the surrounding sights is sparse, so driving is recommended. Allow one day for the old town, or 2–3 days including the surroundings.

Top sights

• Venta Rapid – Europe's widest waterfall, about 240 to 270 meters across with a drop of roughly 2 meters. In spring you can watch fish leap upstream over…
• Kuldīga Old Town – A wooden-house town inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2023, with 17th to 19th century timber houses, cobbled streets and a small stream…
• Venta Brick Bridge – A red-brick arch bridge completed in 1874, about 164 metres long and one of the longest brick bridges of its kind in Europe, right beside t…
• Alekšupīte Waterfall – One of Latvia's highest waterfalls, about 4 metres tall, cascading beside an old mill between the old town and the Venta River.
• Riežupe Sand Caves – One of the longest man-made sandstone cave systems in the Baltic region, with a labyrinth of passages about 2 km in total. Visitors must to…
• St. Catherine's Church, Kuldīga – The oldest church in Kuldīga, a Lutheran church rebuilt in the 17th century, with an exquisite carved wooden altar and pulpit.
• Kuldīga District Museum and Castle Garden – A garden and villa museum beside the castle ruins, showing local history and a playing-card collection, with views of the Venta Rapid from…
• Ēdole Castle – A medieval castle about 20 km northwest of Kuldīga, remodelled in neo-Gothic style in the 19th century and set in a lakeside park.
• Jūrkalne Bluffs – One of the tallest sea-eroded cliffs on the Baltic coast, with sandy bluffs about 20 metres high stretching for several kilometres above a…
• Pedvāle Open-Air Art Museum – An open-air sculpture park in hills and valleys just outside the town of Sabile, where more than a hundred contemporary artworks are scatte…
• Sabile Wine Hill – Once listed in the Guinness World Records as one of the world's northernmost open-air vineyards, on a hill in the historic town of Sabile i…
• Abava Rapid – A broad waterfall on the Abava River, about 40 metres wide, located in the river valley nature park near Sabile. People swim beneath it in…

Where to eat

• Bangerts – An Old Town restaurant on the banks of the Venta River, with a terrace and balcony overlooking the Venta Rapid and the…
• Pagrabiņš – A vaulted cellar eatery beneath the wooden Town Hall, with a summer terrace built over a small river, serving Latvian h…
• Goldingen Room – A family restaurant next to the Town Hall Square, serving Mediterranean flavors made with local ingredients, with highl…

Itineraries

• Kurzeme Coast & Historic Towns Loop – Road trip around western Latvia, visiting Cape Kolka, Ventspils, Liepāja, and Kuldīga.
• Latvia Panoramic Road Trip Loop – From Riga to the Gauja Valley and Rundāle Palace, then looping around the Kurzeme Coast back to Jūrmala.