Road Trip

THE ROAD TRIP

€599 / group

Road Trip to Cēsis, Līgatne, Āraiši and Sigulda - All Inclusive

An all-inclusive private tour including a private visit to the Soviet Bunker of Līgatne. On this tour you'll be treated as friends going together on a roadtrip, take the roads less visited, stop for a snack and coffee, but still cover all of the most important sights of Northeastern Latvia including Cēsis and it's castle, Līgatne and it's bunker and caves, Sigulda and it's magnificent sceneries, Āraiši and it's ancient wooden castle. The guide is not only educated and knowledgable, but also super friendly, so besides telling you everything you have to know about history and lifestyle of Latvians, he'll be happy to answer all of your questions you might have and help you with suggestions. All the tickets for castles, etc are included in the price, so is the Latvian traditional meal for lunch. The tour is highly customisable, so if you want to drop something from the itinerary or add something else, just let us know.

Typical Tour Itinerary

This is what the default tour would look like, but we are happy to change it according to your needs. (click on timeslot to expand)

08:00 - Pickup from Hotel
Your guide will pick you up from your hotel in Riga (or resonable distance from Riga) and you’ll start your roadtrip to Vidzeme.
09:30 - Āraiši Lake Castle
The Araisi Lake Castle is the only authentic reconstruction of a prehistoric fortified settlement in Northeastern Europe. The wooden village, built on a small, flooding island for protection, had been a permanent settlement of ancient Latgalians who arrived in the territory in the 9th-10th century. The lake settlement is a result of experimental archaeology and during its reconstruction copies of ancient tools and methods were used to give it maximum authenticity. We’ll wander around the dwelling, have a peek in some houses, learn about the lifestyle of people who could be considered ancestors of modern day Latvians. Besides the Lake Castle, there’s more to Āraiši Archaeological Park – there’s a reconstruction of some Stone and Bronze Age dwellings, as well as ruins of medieval castle of Livonian Order. So a quick glance on those two, and then we can move on to Cēsis.
11:00 - Cēsis Castle, Coffee break
Cēsis castle was one of the most important footholds for the Teutonic Order in the Baltics during medieval times and now, 800 years later, it’s the most impressive and well preserved castle ruins in Latvia. We’ll start the visit with Riekstu Hill, an ancient hillfort once inhabited by the Vendi tribe, who invited the German crusaders to join them, before they finished their own castle. Then through the Castle park we’ll go and explore the actual medieval castle, it’s tower, inner yard and manor house which was added later. The castle suffered greatly in 1577, when, during the siege set by the army of Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible, 300 people sought refuge in the castle and eventually committed suicide by blowing themselves up with gunpowder. With the rapid development of military equipment, the ancient fortress lost its military importance, but it was still inhabited until the end of the 17th century. And that’s around the time when the first researchers started to look into it’s history.
12:30 - Cēsis Old Town
Cēsis is not only one of the oldest but also one of the most Latvian towns. What started as a settlement of service people for the inhabitants of the castle of the Order of Livonian knights, very soon grew into a large town encompassing the castle, and later even joined Hanseatic League. Besides the rich history, Cēsis is also known as a regional centre of art, culture and recreation for more than 100 years. And the scenic landscapes! That alone would be a reason well enough to visit! We’ll stroll through the streets of the Old Town, which has had – and still does – the same street network for hundreds of years, we’ll see some parks and monuments as well before moving on to Līgatne.
14:00 - Līgatne and Lunch
Līgante is probably one of the most secluded Latvian towns, it’s right in the heart of the Gauja National Park, rich in sandstone cliff outrcrops, some of which are used by inhabitants of the town as cellars. For hundreds of years people have been manually digging caves to use them as storage rooms for vegetables, wine, etc. There’s even a legend of a guy who had dug a garage for his car in soviet years. Now some of the cave-cellars are open to public, so we can have a sneak-peek of what those cellars used to be, and what they are now. You have to be warned though – there are 8 species of bats who also use the caves for their winter dwelling. Līgatne is were we’ll have lunch – Latvian traditional meal in a restaurant right on the riverbank.
16:00 - Līgatne Soviet Bunker
A private visit to the Secret Soviet Bunker – you’ll be only joined by your tour guide and the bunker’s local guide who will be happy to show you everything to see there and answer all of your questions. The “private” is subject of availability, especially during the high season, if you book early there should be no problem, otherwise you might have to join another group. Built 9 meters under the ground, the bunker was intended to serve as a shelter for Latvia’s communist elite in case of a hypothetical nuclear war. Displayed at the shelter are authentic exhibits which have survived there from Soviet times. The secrecy of the huge bunker (2000 square meters; 21 500 square feet) was so great that even people who were working in the rehab centre right above didn’t know about it’s existence for 30 years. The bunker was supplied with things necessary to survive several months during a fallout including autonomous power plant with fuel reserves, air purifciation system with extra oxygen stock, water supply and sewage facilities, communication system complete with a direct hotline to Kremlin in Moscow and autonomous lines with all the key services in Latvia, strategic maps, a canteen, library with a collection of books by Marx, Lenin and the like, and obviously a whole bunch of contemporary household items, memorabilia, etc. The secrecy of the bunker was removed comparatively recently (2003) and all the authentic underground furnishings have been retained.
18:00 - Sigulda
Sigulda is considered the most scenic town of Latvia, but it’s also a center of winter sports and great history. On this tour, since you will have already seen greatest examples of medieval castles of Latvia, we’ll focus on the nature, stop at a few viewpoints, cross the bridge over river Gauja, stop for a cave, have a little hike if you’re willing and so on.
19:30 - Back to Riga
Arrive at your Hotel or any other location in Riga.
Historic Landmarks

Besides the castles and bunkers, you'll see some of the most scenic nature in all of Latvia, so keep your camera ready!

Fully Narrated Tour

Not only you'll see the sights, but you'll get to hear all the stories about the buildings, parks, monuments and the people behind them.

Hidden gems

Your guide will take you not only to the most important sights, but also to the roads less travelled, places that tour groups don't usually take.

Best* Guide Of Riga

Tour is done by a certified tourguide who also happens to have a college degree in cultural tourism. * as described by his mother and some of his friends.

Tour Pricing

11-12 Hour Tour
Max 4 people
€599/group
  • Everything's included
  • Pickup from Hotel
  • Comfortable Vehicle
  • Sightseeing
  • Food and Drinks

Reviews

Harijs was extremely friendly and knowledgeable about Latvian history and the areas we toured. He went out of his way to make sure we felt a part of the history. He set up a lunch for us and then on the fly made changes due to my wife’s food sensitivities. The route was super interesting, and beautiful. The small towns were picturesque and gorgeous. Being from Canada the whole area felt like home and Harijs made us feel like we were part of the the history! 100% I would recommend Harijs and his tour again.
Paddlemaker
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Have a Question?

Feel free to reach out and we're happy to answer any questions you may have.

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