Latvia's most important cities

Although until recently Latvia It was considered as the "little sister" of the Baltic Republics, this country is waking up to offer visitors a most interesting tourist offer. It may be one of the most interesting in northern Europe. And it is that here you can find a green land with sandy beaches by the sea, extensive forests, a virgin nature, hospitable and discreet people, a safe environment, many possibilities for relaxation, legends ...

It is important to note that in Latvia there are only 9 citiesThat is, villas that have more than 25 thousand inhabitants and offer a well-developed commercial activity, public works, transport and social infrastructure, in addition to being significant cultural centers. Of course, in some cases these requirements are ignored if there is a sufficient population. Do you want to discover the 9 Latvian cities? Well, all you have to do is join us!

Riga

How could it be otherwise, we will start by talking about Riga, the capital Latvia and the largest city in the Baltic States. Located in the Gulf of Riga, the city has a historic center declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which highlights its architecture art nouveau and its wooden constructions from the XIX century.

Daugavpils

The second most populous city in Latvia is Daugavpils, which is considered to be the third nucleus industrial from the country. You should know that, surrounded by lakes, the city is the gateway to the Latgale highlands, a place of high natural and scenic value. In addition, it houses a fortress of great historical and architectural value.

Liepāja

We also have to talk about Liepāja, a city located in the west of Latvia. It is important to note that in 2013 he obtained the EDEN distinction from the European Commission as one of the top tourist destinations "Tourism and accessibility".

Jelgava

The fourth most populous city in Latvia is Jelgava, which is located on a plain on the right bank of a river that from time to time endangers the city. Of the city, which is made up of regular and wide streets that surround palaces of German-Baltic nobles, the ancient castle Curonian Spit, which contains all the royal sarcophagi.

Jūrmala

We continue our tour of the most important cities of Latvia in Jürmala, a very tourist place that is located between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe river. Their Beaches and its festivals have attracted many travelers, especially from Russia.

Ventspils

Another city that we must highlight is Ventsplis, which is located in the northwest of the country, on the shores of the Baltic Sea. After its independence in 1991, the city left behind its industrial activity to become an important center tourist Thanks, among other things, to the restoration of the old town.

Rēzekne

To the east of Latvia we find Rēzekne, a city founded on seven hills and settled at the intersection of the Moscow-Riga and Saint Petersburg-Warsaw railway lines. It is important to bear in mind that in 2008 it obtained the EDEN distinction for one of the twenty “Best tourism destinations and local intangible heritage”.

Valmiera

We must also speak of Valmiera, which is the administrative and cultural center of the historical Vidzeme region. Although its historic center was destroyed in 1944, it conserves some interesting buildings, such as the Castillo de Valmiera and the church of San Simón. We also want to highlight its forest park, which has an observation tower and a calcareous tuff monument.

Jēkabpils

Finally, we must talk about Jēkabpils, which is located between Riga and Daugavplis. It is worth visiting the old part of the city, which has preserved some buildings of interest.

10 Biggest Cities in Latvia 2014 (April 2024)