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When spring has sprung, it’s time to go outside. This time, you won’t have to drive to a far-off location from Riga; you can even leave your car in city and jump into a train or hop on a bike to Jūrmala. The town is host to many well-known and lesser-known walking routes for various tastes. Here are ten longer and shorter routes to take this weekend.

All paths and routes mentioned in this article are marked on this map:

You can read more about walking routes in Jūrmala here.

Unique Natural Gems on the Ragakāpa Route

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The Ragakāpa Nature Park is located in a pine forest near the Lielupe river estuary. It is beautiful and almost untouched by humans, and you can walk through the pine forest along wooden walkways or needle-coated paths. You can walk as far as the sea along the recently renovated walking paths or climb one of the viewing platforms.

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There are also benches where you can sit and eat your sandwiches or drink some tea from a thermos. But if you want something nice and refined, you can go from your forest walk to 36 Line, a restaurant on one end of the walk on the side of the park closest to Bulduri. Here, the chef will treat you to delicious food while you enjoy the beautiful view and fresh sea air.

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Meanwhile, at the other end of the walk, where the famous Jūras līcis fishing collective was located during the Soviet period, you can view ancient fishing boats and cottages nestled among the pines at the Jūrmala Open Air Museum.

A Walk with Attractions in the Dzintari Forest Park


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If you’re looking for something interesting to do with your kids at the weekend, then it is certainly worth going to the Jūrmala Forest Park, where there are attractions for children of various ages, as well a skate park and tarmac path away from cars for rollerbladers and cyclists.

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A walking path weaves among the pines and spring rhododendrons, with benches along the sides. The Forest Park also contains a 33 metre high tower with 12 viewing platforms—here you can see the sea, the meadows of Lielupe, and Jūrmala from a bird’s-eye view.

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The park also has a cafe, although it usually only operates in the warmer months.

Beach Walk in the Day or Night


A walk along the beach has been the most popular form of entertainment and relaxation in Jūrmala for centuries. From the mid-1800s, holiday makers began visiting to clear their heads, breathe the pure pine and sea air, and have interesting discussions.

Even today, nothing has changed—as soon as the weather becomes the slightest bit suitable, the Jūrmala beach is full of both the first sunbathers and more active leisure seekers, and the afternoons are host to many enjoying a walk along the sea before attending a concert at the Dzintari Concert Hall.

Of course, you can walk the whole 24.2 km length of the beach, but a wooden boardwalk allowing you to avoid sand in your shoes and offering easier access to those with pushchairs or disabilities has been installed on the beach at Dzintari. The wooden path is around 1 km long.

The beach is illuminated between the Dzintari Concert Hall on Turaidas Street and Tirgoņu Street in Majori.

A Nostalgic Literary Walk: The Pines of Rainis

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A route which is short, yet rich with stories, is the Pines of Rainis in Pumpuri. This is where Rainis, the king of Latvian literature, gained inspiration, made plans and simply relaxed.

Leave your car on one of the small surrounding streets, or at Laiks, a nearby restaurant, and head towards the sea. As the houses’ end, a beautiful forest begins where a park and paths have been installed among the lofty pines adorning the sand dunes. Right near the sea, before the pussywillows, you will see sculptor Kristaps Gulbis’ installation Pine Trees of Rainis. It symbolises the memories of a time, place and events which once took place here, and organically blends in to the environment with its simplicity, while also not holding back on the drama.

Afterwards, you can turn left and go on a short walk along the sea until you see a sign for the Pumpuri railway station; here, if you go through the dunes opposite the old Liesma hotel, which is waiting to be restored to its former glory, you will see a small building at the base of the dunes: the first real home of Latvian poets Rainis and Aspazija in Jūrmala.

Health Route in Kauguri

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Jūrmala is definitely a wellness city—there is no lack of sanatoriums, spas and other centres for relaxation and rejuvenation. However, its greatest asset is its fresh pine air and proximity to the sea. These can be enjoyed in abundance on the leisure and health walking route in Kauguri. It starts right after the final houses in Kauguri, opposite the old shopping centre, where you can conveniently leave your car or alight from the bus.

The two kilometer-long health route in Kaugari leads through the pine forest past Kaugurciems to the sea. This was once where the local fishermen landed the catches which they then turned around and sold. Though these scenes are no longer to be found, the coastal area is well suited to leisure activities.

Among the pines, you can follow the instructions on stands for exercises to train your mind as well as your body, which are suitable for both old and young.

A walk along the forest paths, with a short portion along the sandy seaside, will take just over an hour.

Bird Watching on the Sloka Lake Trail and Tower

Foto: Publicitātes foto

Slightly beyond Kauguri, driving in the direction of Jaunķemeri, is Sloka Lake on the left—a wonderful place to which thousands of birds return every year. Bird spotting days are organised in spring and autumn, with educational lectures and excursions.

But those who don’t enjoy these group events can feel free to discover the lake surroundings themselves. A winding path leads along the Sloka Lake for around three kilometers, weaving both next to the water and through the forest. The walk reveals different types of forest, from the dry dune pine landscape to the flooded, romantic alder trees.

Several protected species of bird nest at Sloka Lake, and it is a significant resting place for migrating birds, making this a great location for bird spotting, particularly during the spring and autumn migration. There is even a floating watchtower for bird spotting on the shores of the lake.

Alder Swamp Boardwalk Through the Old Resort and a Romantic Forest House

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Turning onto the Ķemeri road and driving for a few kilometers, you will see a sign for the Ķemeri National Park Administration at Meža māja (Forest House). Turn here and you will soon see an old-fashioned, renovated Bavarian-style hunting lodge.

This is where the trails begin which will allow you to get to know the old Ķemeri resort and walk around the extremely romantic, almost Venice-like canal and stream system through the forest.

You can walk along the alder swamp boardwalk and keep your feet dry as you explore the natural boggy deciduous forest - the alder swamp. The length of the walk is just half a kilometer, and the best time to visit is the spring, when the surrounding forest is flooded by the waters of the Vēršupīte River; yellow marigolds are in bloom, and birds sing deafeningly from the bulrushes, blossoming bird-cherry trees and other plants. Surreal and fabulous views guaranteed!

The swamp boardwalk joins on to the forest trail which leads along the paths of the historic resort park and introduces visitors to a rare, vibrant and rich deciduous forest: an old oak forest. Meanwhile, visitors to the park should definitely walk as far as the Love Island and its small pavilion, the Ķirzaciņa sulphur spring, the impressive sanatorium building, and the old Orthodox church.

The trail is suitable for pushchairs and visitors in wheelchairs.

A Proper Hike on the Green Dune Trail

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This is the longest walking or biking route on this list, and it also takes you slightly outside of Jūrmala.

A trail winds from Ķemeri through several forests to the steep Green Dune. As you cycle or walk along the forest path from Ķemeri, it will suddenly seem as though you have come to a vertical wall—be assured, this is the Green Dune, or the several kilometer-long sandbank overgrown with a pine forest. It was formed as the coast of the ancient Littorina Sea several thousand years ago, according to the website of the Latvian Nature Conservation Agency.

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This route can be taken both by bicycle and on foot. However, you shouldn’t cycle on the Green Dune itself, because it is a protected area. It is better to secure your bike to a tree and go further on foot.

After exploring the Green Dune, the path takes you to Antiņciems, which was one of the last places in Latvia to be connected to the nation’s electricity supply (1988/89). Nearby are also the Kaņieris Castle Mound Nature Trail and the Kaņieris Lake birdwatching tower.

To cycle the trail, you will need around an hour and a half, or three hours by foot.

Swamp Kingdom on the Ķemeri Moorland Trail

The Ķemeri National Park is full of countless natural riches, and is a special place on a Latvian and European scale. There is good reason that this is one of the most-visited attractions in Latvia. And, as the park is larger than 44,000 hectares, you can barely feel the presence of other visitors. Although none of the park is lacking for beautiful walks, a favourite is the moorland trail through the swamp.

Foto: DELFI Aculiecinieks

You will be taken into the domain of moss, pine, marsh pools, dark lakes and the scent of wild rosemary. A boardwalk leads into the swamp and consists of two loops: the small loop is 1.4 km long, while the large is 3.4 km. If you take the larger loop, you will also be able to climb the viewing tower and see the calm of the swamp kingdom from above.

A Meaningful Walk to the Brothers’ Cemetery Birch Grove

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If you drive back to Riga along the Ventspils motorway, you will see a sign straight after Kūdra on the left pointing to the First World War Military Cemetery. Leave your car on the right-hand side of the side road and keep going by foot.

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Along a boardwalk, you will pass a small pond and then through a calm white birch grove until you reach two old oak trees. Here, there is a commemorative plaque for the fallen soldiers. Nearby, yellow marigolds flower in the spring, followed later by bright rhododendrons.

This is a very short, yet romantic and quietly respectful memorial trail.

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