What to See and Do in Sigulda, Gauja National Park

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, I paid for this trip myself. All recommendations are my own.

We visited Sigulda in the picturesque Gauja Valley as part of our two week self-drive holiday around the sights of Latvia. We had flown into Riga in the early hours of the morning. As we lined up to go through customs we felt relieved that the line was relatively short. However, we ended up getting stuck there for nearly two hours because the Spanish customs didn’t stamp our passports when we departed from Lanzarote earlier in the year. Surprisingly we had visited Bulgaria in the following months, but they never raised it. So here we were at 2am, using our phones with slow internet trying to find evidence of us leaving Lanzarote. We had been stamped back into the UK where we live, but they wanted our boarding passes as evidence of our flight. Thanks to my husband never deleting emails we found them (we had emailed them to ourselves in order to print them as we are not allowed to use the phone app for boarding due to our NZ passports). Thankfully we were staying at an airport hotel, but I felt terrible for the hotel staff who had to check us in at that time of night.

Still a bit shaken up from our arrival experience, we were keen to leave it behind us and get started on our holiday. In the morning we collected our rental car and headed off to Sigulda where we were scheduled to stay three nights. It’s only a one hour drive from Riga and is set in a beautiful forest valley with a river running through it. It is considered Latvia’s outdoor adventure capital because there are lots of fun activities to enjoy including hiking, bobsledding, bungee jumping, zip lining, and so much more. This is a long post because there is just so much to see and do in Sigulda.

 Tip

• The Gauja National Park has it’s own website where you can plan your holiday and activities. They also have a handy app which was quite useful to use whilst we were there.

Bobsledding in Sigulda

13 Šveices Street 5R2R+89 Sigulda, Siguldas pilsēta. Check the opening times and fees on their website.

Our drive through the outskirts of Riga was busy, but as soon as we got out of the city traffic, the tree lined roads were surprisingly quiet. Driving through Latvia was much less stressful than our usual drive in the UK. Our first stop in Sigulda was at the Luge and Bobsleigh track. It is open to visitors to view the track from 8am to 8pm daily (small entry fee applies). During the summer months from May to September, it’s open to the public from 12 to 5pm every weekend offering rides on a bobsled!

The track was built in 1986, and it is 1420m long with 16 turns. The professionals can reach speeds of up to 125 km/h on the track. As well as being the training location for the Latvian teams, they also host bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions here as well. Obviously during the summer there is no ice on it, but they have a ‘summer bobsled’ with wheels on it that they use for training. It fits in 2-3 people and gets speeds up to 85 km/h. I would love to come back here during winter, because they also run a real skeleton bobsled which you do with a professional driver and team which goes 120km/h. In winter they also run a slower ‘soft bob’ suitable for families.

When we arrived it was pretty quiet with only a few other people, so we didn’t have to wait very long. I joined another group of 2 people and we were given helmets and then squeezed into our place behind the driver. Once we were in the bobsled, they pushed it forward onto the track. You don’t get to ride the entire track, just the lower part of it.

When we started off I thought – “well this isn’t so scary or fast”. But then suddenly it gathered pace and took off! At the first turn I banged my head/helmet against the side of the roll cage – the g-force really jostles you around. I was sitting behind the driver, so I focused on watching her helmet so I could copy her movements leaning into the turns. It was a very thrilling but short ride, it only lasts about 60 seconds but it was a lot of fun. At the bottom of the track a truck hooks up a rope to the bobsled and then tows you back up the hill to the start – they drive very quickly so this was quite a fun part of the ride too.

Sigulda Town Centre

After settling in to our accommodation, we headed out to explore the pretty and peaceful town of Sigulda and to get something to eat. There are a number of cafe’s and restaurants to choose from as this is a popular tourist location. We stopped in at Burritos and Chips (Ausekļa iela 7, Sigulda, 2150, Latvia) for some tasty burritos, then headed to the large trendy market place, Jāņa Tirgus (Krišjāņa Valdemāra iela 2, Sigulda, Siguldas pilsēta, LV-2150, Latvia), to get some food for our stay. We were lucky when we visited, as it was the end of summer and lots of fruit like tomatoes, blueberries and the funny looking flat donut peaches were perfectly ripe. We also grabbed some Latvian bread which my husband loves. Latvians love a very dark and heavy rye.

On our way back to our apartment we stopped in for a sweet treat at the delicious pastry store Eklers (Pils iela 1, Segewold, Siguldas pilsēta, LV-2150, Latvia). During out stay in Latvia we discovered that they have strong cake game, and this place didn’t disappoint. We made this one of our daily stops. They also cater for lunch.

Sigulda Adventure Park

In the evening we walked down to the heart of Sigulda’s adventure area in Svētku laukums park. There is plenty of car parking in this area as well. Tarzans Park is filled with fun activities including an outdoor luge on rails, trampoline park, and a chair lift that takes you up and down the steep hill side into the gully. This place is popular place that is busy up until it closes at 8pm. Find out more on their website.

Where to Go Swimming in Sigulda

It was a very hot summers afternoon, so we walked down the steep hillside to get to the Gauja river where there is a lovely sandy shore you can swim and sunbathe. There is also one of those changing booths that you usually get on the beach. Latvia has loads of beautiful clear, clean rivers that are very refreshing to swim in during the summer. This swimming spot in Sigulda was beautiful, but the water was rather cold so I didn’t stay in the water for too long. It was very relaxing spending our afternoon lying in the sun on the sandy bank by the river. We were a bit lazy on the way back so ended up getting the chair lift back up the hill.

Sigulda Castles

Pils iela 18, Sigulda, Siguldas pilsēta, LV-2150, Latvia. Entry fee applies. Parking is located at the entrance to the castle grounds.

The next morning we got up early and headed over to visit the Sigulda Castles. On our way there we also walked past the Sigulda Evangelic Lutheran Church. It was surprisingly quiet when we arrived at the castle, I think we were the first visitors of the day. Visiting at the end of August was a perfect time as the European school holidays were ending and a lot of the tourists were gone already. As well as the castles, there are souvenir shops, a cafe, and some other interesting historic buildings.

There are two castles on the grounds, one is the original medieval castle, and the other is the ‘new’ castle which was built in 1878 in the Neo-Gothic style. The latter was the home of Duke Dimitri Kropotkin and his wife Duchess Olga. It was destroyed in WW1 but later restored in the 1920-30’s. Unfortunately you can’t go inside.

However, the medieval castle beside it is open to visitors for a small fee. The original castle was built in 1207. It once belonged to the Livonian Brothers of the Sword who were known as “warrior monks”. These German crusaders travelled to the Baltic region to fight and Christianise the local pagans.

Today it is ruins but the old castle walls have been fortified so you can actually clamber around it and explore. There are some information plaques around, but I would have liked to have seen more information about the history of this place. There was a place for hanging people and a head and hand lock that you can place yourself in for a photo. They must also have performances here as there was a large outdoor stage.

I enjoyed walking up the tower to enjoy the beautiful views of the valley and surrounding area. There are lots of steps to get up to the top, but there is also a lift inside. You can also see views of Turaida Castle as well which we visited in the afternoon (see below).

Sigulda Cable Car

Jāņa Poruka iela 14, Sigulda, Siguldas pilsēta, LV-2150, Latvia. 

After visiting the castles, we walked down to the Sigulda Cable car which takes you across from one side of the valley to the other. Check the website for opening times, as it tends to open a bit later in the morning to sync up with the tourist busses arriving (hence we visited the castle prior). It provides really lovely views of the valley and easy access to the walking tracks on the Krimulda side. You can also enjoy a thrilling zipline ride here, which we did the following day. See more about this below.

Krimulda Manor

As we got off the cable car, we turned left to explore the grounds of the Krimulda estate. The historical manor house, which we had seen the previous day from Svētku laukums park on the other side of the valley, was built in 1848 in neo-classical style. There are a number of other interesting buildings to see on the grounds as well as a small formal garden and a cafe. However, you can’t actually go into the manor as it is now used as a private spa and wellness centre. You can actually stay here as they have budget accommodation available to book.

Krimulda Castle Ruins

If you turn right after getting off the cable car, this is where the hiking trails are and where we also found the ruins of the Krimulda Castle. The castle dates from the 14th century and was destroyed in a war in 1601. Krimulda castle once belonged to the Riga High Council which was a group of twelve high priests who advised the archbishop. It was built using large-sized boulders and the outer walls were about 2 metres thick!

The castle was involved in a number of battles between the Livonian Order and the Archbishop of Riga who were on opposing sides of the valley. Its location made it nearly impossible to conquer. However, in the spring of 1601 during the Swedish-Polish war, it was conquered by the Swedish army. Advancing Polish troops burned the castle down so it would not fall into the hands of the enemy and the castle still lays in ruins to this day.

Hiking in Gauja National Park

From the Krimulda Castle ruins, we embarked on a hike on one of the many nature trails in this beautiful national park. We found the paths in excellent repair and the tracks were well signposted. The forest was thick with trees which was a lovely cool escape from the hot summer sun. We walked along the ridge until we got to an extremely long set of stairs that took us to the very bottom of the valley. The stairs just go on and on. There was a point where I thought we had finally reached the end but then discovered there was another set of stairs to go!

Down in the beautiful valley is a wetland where we found lots of butterflies, dragonflies and bees enjoying the wildflowers. There is a road that runs through the valley which makes it accessible for those not able to manage the trails. There is a small cafe called Bundulītis (Turaidas iela 4, Sigulda, Siguldas pilsēta, LV-2150, Latvia) where we stopped for an ice cream. It sits beside the caves in the valley.

Gutman’s Cave (Gūtmaņa ala) and Devils Caves

Along the Devil’s Cliffs you can also see the Devil’s Cave and Little Devil’s Cave, named so because of their unusual appearance and tales of the Devil hiding within them, charring their insides black. The larger Devil’s Cave was once a site of pagan worship and is a nationally protected historical and natural monument.

Gutman’s cave is the largest grotto in the Baltic and has a rather sad legend attached to it.

The Legend of the Rose of Turaida

“After a battle at Turaida Castle in 1601, the castle clerk found a baby in the arms of its dead mother. He called the child Maija and brought her up as his own. She grew up to be a beautiful woman known as the “Rose of Turaida”. She fell in love with Viktor, the gardener at the castle of Sigulda and they planned to marry. Shortly before the wedding Maija received a letter from Viktor asking her to meet him at the Gutmanis Cave which was their usual meeting place. She went to the cave with Lenta, the young daughter of her adoptive father. When she reached it, however, it was not Viktor, but a Polish nobleman or soldier called Adam Jakubowski who was lying in wait for her with the intention of forcing her to be his wife. Maija promised to give him her magic scarf, that had the power to make the wearer immune from injury if he would let her go, and persuaded him to test its power on her. He struck her with an axe and she died, having thus saved her honour.

In the evening Viktor came to the cave and found the body of his betrothed and was accused of the murder. But in court there appeared a witness called Peteris Skudritis, who testified that he had been commissioned by Jakubowski to deliver the fatal letter. Lenta confirmed the course of events. Viktor buried his betrothed near the castle, planted a linden tree on the grave and left the country forever. According to documents in Sigulda’s archives the soldier was later caught, tried and hanged for his crime. From then on it has been customary for newlyweds to leave flowers on the grave of the Rose of Turaida in hopes of knowing the same eternal love and devotion.”

 Tip

• The Gauja Valley is also a great place to cycle around with lots of tracks through the national park. You can hire a bike in Sigulda.

Turaida Museum Reserve

Turaidas iela 10, Sigulda, Siguldas pilsēta, LV-2150, Latvia. Large car park on opposite side of the entry. Entry fee applies. Visit their website for more information. 

To get from the valley to the Turaida Museum Reserve, we walked up the side of the P8 road, Turaidas iela. The Turaida Museum Reserve is set on a very large site with beautiful gardens, sculptures and interesting exhibitions. The main attraction is Turaida Castle with its rusty red coloured brick and its tall round tower. Inside the tower is a small gift store and if you have the energy, it is worth walking up the stairs to the very top as you are rewarded with spectacular views of the surrounding area.

I enjoyed seeing the 18th century church where they had old black and white photos of the villagers on display. I also enjoyed getting an opportunity to look inside the little buildings. I thought that the small bath house was interesting with all of the plants and herbs they used.

We walked back to Sigulda from the reserve, but if you are out of energy, then you can take the bus line 12 back to the train station of Sigulda. Check the bus schedule at the ticket office in Turaida Museum Reserve.

Sigulda Zipline

Jānis Poruka iela 14, LV-2150

On our final day in Sigulda, I had booked online for us to go on the zipline first thing in the morning. This happens at the cable car where you can also go bungee jumping. We arrived early and signed our lives away on their legal documents. They then put on our gear and hooked us up to the platform. As this happened, the first bus load of German tourists arrived for the day. The German’s have a great sense of humour and were cheering us on and took photos of us – which I really appreciated, as this is how we ended up with photos. When we disembarked they took our email address so they could send them to us which I really appreciated!

They supply selfie sticks and you can purchase the video for extra afterwards. Then they launched us over the valley and it was rather exhilarating to be up there enjoying the stunning scenery. The zipline only takes you half way across the valley and then the cable car actually pushes you back. it was an exciting start to the day. Afterwards we drove to the nearby historic town of Cēsis to spend the day. Read my post on what to see and do in Cēsis.

 Tip

• If you are planning on doing this zipline and want to but the video footage, then save money by taking along your own USB device. They won’t send the image file to you and instead charge you lots for a cheap USB to load it onto. In the end I wish I hadn’t bothered paying for the video as the morning sun in the background made the video very dark and hard to see and the photos that the German tourists took were much better.

The next stop on our Latvian holiday was visiting Bauska Castle and Rundale Palace which you can read about here.

Accommodation Options in Sigulda

Search available accommodation in Sigulda

Budget

• SiguldaIR – Budget B&B
• Krimuldas Muiža – stay in Krimulda Manor!
• Krusttēvu māja

Moderate

• Villa Vanilla – rooms and apartments
• Holiday Home Ermine
• Prieka Pietura – Aparthotel
• Glempings Klaukas – get close to nature with some comfortable camping that includes wifi

Luxury

• Villa Avoti – luxury suites available

Practical Tips for Visiting Sigulda

• How to get to Sigulda:
  • By Car: We drove to Sigulda and it took about an 1hour 20 minutes from the airport (about 1hr from Riga).
  • Train or bus: The train and bus from Central Riga station to Sigulda station takes just over an hour. You can buy your tickets online or at the train station. Trains run most days and around every 2 hours. The train and bus both stop in Sigulda’s town centre and you can then walk around 15 minutes to the bobsled track or 20 minutes to the castle. To check the timetable head here. Seating is not assigned.
  • Day tour: You can also visit Sigulda on a day tour from Riga.
• How long should I visit Sigulda for? There is so much to do and see in Sigulda. Of course many people come from Riga for the day, but we stayed 3 nights (which included a day trip to Cēsis) and I could of happily spent a couple more nights and enjoyed some more hiking and sightseeing in Sigulda and the surrounding area.
• Sigulda Tourism information centre: Located in the train station Ausekļa iela 6, Sigulda, Siguldas pilsēta, LV-2150, Latvia.
• Language: Latvian is the official language of Latvia. Latgalian, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Russian are also spoken. Most younger people we came across spoke excellent English, particularly at the tourist sites. But do try your hand at a few Latvian words:
  • Hello – Sveiki (Svekee)
  • Please – Lūdzu (LOO-dzoo)
  • Thank you – Paldies (PUHL-dyehs)
  • Yes – Jā (yahh)
  • No – Nē (neh)
  • Excuse me – Atvainojiet (UHT-vay-noh-yeht)
  • I’m sorry – Piedodiet (pyeh-DOH-dyeht)
  • Goodbye – Atā (UH-tahh)
  • Where is the toilet? – Kur ir tualete? (koor eer TWAH-leh-teh?)
• Currency: Euro. Most places accepted card for payment, however, there are quite a few smaller places that only accept cash, so I recommend taking some cash with you.
• Tipping: Not required.
• Electricity: The electrical current is 230 volts AC. Wall outlets generally take the European two round prong plugs. However, you are better off purchasing a worldwide adaptor that can be used in Latvia as well other countries. At least then you can potentially get some further use out of it on future vacations. If you’re taking a number of electronics with you, then I would recommend purchasing a couple of these adaptors.
• Driving in Latvia: In Latvia they drive on the right hand side and all vehicles must have their lights on day and night. In built-up areas speed limits are 50 km/h and 20 km/h in residential areas. On normal roads car speed limits are 90 km/hr and 100km/hr on dual carriage ways. There are a lot of speed cameras in Latvia and they are hard to spot as they are a modern slim grey design. There will be a warning sign directly before it, but they are easily missed. They carefully monitor speeding in Latvia as we witnessed a number of drivers being stopped by police, so watch your speed.
• Navigating: Use Google’s free Offline Maps which allows you to access free maps for navigating that can be used offline i.e. you don’t need WIFI, data, or roaming to be able to use them. Follow this detailed guide on how to use Googles Offline Maps.
  • Using your phone as a GPS will drain your battery quickly, so use a portable battery charger which you can use to charge your phone and any other USB chargeable devices.
  • If you prefer a paper map, then purchase a Latvian road map before you go. At least it’s reliable and won’t run out of battery or malfunction like the electronic options!