Ventspils

A port city on the Baltic coast of Kurzeme, with a Livonian Order castle, Blue Flag white sand beaches and an open-air seaside museum, and dozens of painted cow sculptures scattered through the streets.

Ventspils lies in the Kurzeme region of western Latvia, where the Venta River flows into the Baltic Sea. It is one of Latvia's most important ice-free ports and a tidy, pleasant seaside city of about 30,000 people. The city centre is concentrated on the south bank of the Venta. The Livonian Order Castle, built in the late 13th century, is now a museum. To its east is the small old town, centred on the Town Hall Square and St. Nicholas Lutheran Church. A riverside harbour promenade offers close views of large ships coming and going. To the southwest are the wide, Blue Flag-certified white sand beach, a seaside park, and an open-air seaside museum. The museum's narrow-gauge train runs passengers in summer. The South Breakwater stretches out into the sea and is a good place to watch the sunset.

Dozens of painted cow sculptures are scattered across the city, and finding them is a fun activity for families.

The best season is June to August, when the days are long and temperatures reach about 20°C, good for swimming and sunbathing. May and September bring fewer visitors and are good for visiting the castle and old town. Winters are cold and the seaside is quiet.

Getting there: a long-distance bus from Riga takes about 3 hours. There are also summer trains, and ferries connect to Nynäshamn in Sweden. A stay of 1 to 2 days is recommended. Spend one day on the castle, old town, harbour and beaches. With the other half-day, you can drive north to see the Irbene radio telescope and the Ovisi lighthouse, or south to the Užava lighthouse. Kuldīga is about 55 km away and makes a good day trip. Cycling is convenient within the city, and walking between the beaches and the city centre takes about 20 minutes.

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