Kuldīga Municipality: Hotels between the Old Town, the Venta and Nature

Kuldīga Municipality combines a historic townscape, river landscapes and natural areas. Kuldīga’s Old Town has largely preserved the street layout that developed during the era of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. The UNESCO World Heritage area includes the confluence of the Venta and Alekšupīte rivers, as well as Ventas Rumba waterfall.

Culture and History

At the Bangertu Villa, the Kuldīga District Museum presents the permanent exhibition “The Apartment of a Wealthy Kuldīga Resident in the Early 20th Century”, about the home of a wealthy Kuldīga resident in the early 20th century. The exhibition “Kuldīga Before Us” tells the history of Kuldīga; the Bangertu Villa also hosts changing art and history exhibitions.

Alsunga also combines crafts, regional traditions and architectural history. The Alsunga Crafts House offers Suiti workshops on weaving and cuisine: “Austuve” and “Suitu Ķēķis”. By prior arrangement, individual excursion routes through Alsunga can include tastings of traditional Suiti dishes. The Livonian Order Castle in Alsunga was built in 1372. Parts of the cellars of the east wing, the south wing and two defensive towers have survived. The castle is a national architectural monument; its complex was built gradually from the 14th to the 18th century. A permanent interactive exhibition complements the historic site with sound installations, interactive video projections, a virtual reality installation, and puzzles about brooches and the Suiti collar pattern.

The Piena muzejs displays 250 exhibits and explains milk processing in Latvia, including milking and the production of cream and butter. At the Piena muzejs, visitors can try milking a model cow, then separate cream and churn butter.

The “Deportāciju piemiņas vagons – muzejs” museum in Skrunda is housed in a railway carriage. The permanent exhibition presents photographs, letters, personal accounts, documents and personal belongings of deportees. To visit, the key can be collected from the attendant at Skrunda railway station and returned there after the visit.

Nature and Trails

Along the Venta, a hiking trail follows the left riverbank to the new bridge in Kuldīga. The route offers views of nature, opportunities for birdwatching and vistas of Venta waterfall. The trail is 2.4 km long one way; an extended route to the Old Bridge is 5.4 km. Between Pils iela and Vienības iela, this hiking trail is lit and is therefore suitable for evening walks.

The “Suitu takas” in Alsunga Municipality comprise walking trails of varying lengths and difficulty; downloadable GPX files are available for them. In the Riežupe area, routes pass through the Ventas Valley Nature Reserve and Riežupe Nature Park. Both areas are characterized by slope and ravine forests, sandstone outcrops, and numerous rare plant and animal species.

The Riežupe Sand Caves form a 2 km-long labyrinth, of which 460 m is open to visitors. The cave labyrinth was dug out by hand over three generations; more than 100 years ago, the white sand was used for glass production in Iļģuciems. From November to March, the Riežupe Sand Caves are closed because bats use them as winter quarters.

The Žibgravas dabas taka is a 1.5 km-long trail through hilly woodland along the winding Kauliņupīte River. A total of 121 bird species have been observed in Rudbārži Forest Park and its surroundings. The educational “Birders” circular trail leads to stations with bird images and QR codes using a map.

The Īvandes dzirnavezera taka runs along the lake to a small peninsula with an equipped picnic area. The lake beside the trail also has an equipped swimming area with a jetty and changing cabins.

Water and Activities

The Venta is navigable by boats of all kinds. Its banks offer well-equipped facilities and campsites established by water tourists. Customers of VentaSUPe can, on request, be taken to their chosen starting point and collected at the destination afterwards.

Mārtiņsala is the only official swimming area in Kuldīga. It has beach volleyball courts, children’s playgrounds, picnic and campfire areas, as well as changing rooms and toilets. Another way to discover Kuldīga is RumbaBus, which offers guided tours for individual travelers, families and small groups. The service includes an electric panoramic bus, short walking stops and multilingual assistance.

Other Subareas

For regional navigation, pages on Renda, Padure, Vārme, Kuldīga, Ķimale, Vilgāle, Veldze and Īvande are also available.

For the main travel overview: Latvia.