Tour Type

Cycling Tour

Tour Duration

~6 Hours

Location

Vidzeme - Central Latvia

Tour Season

April - November

From 50 EUR per person

Inquire / Book

One of the most romantic and beautiful places in Latvia where to take a walk and surely one of the most exciting places where to go cycling thanks to picturesque landscapes and hills. Enjoy steep downhils and experience challenging going up hills. Cycling tour for those who like moderate phisical activities and don't mind combining active recreation with amazing sightseeing.

About The Tour

Tour Description

Cycling tour in Latvia to visit Gauja National Park in the area of Sigulda. Switzerland of Latvia is what you might often hear locals saying about Sigulda. This is because of the river Gauja valley which is ~100 meters deep and this for a country with highest hill of only 312 meters above the sea level is significant.

Between Latvians this area is considered as very hilly and we would even call these hills mountains. The good thing about Latvian mountains is that you can still enjoy exciting bicycle rides without having serious cycling experience.

Most of the hills can be done easily, but the steeper ones can be done by just walking up if it's too much.

Tour Highlights

Explore Sigulda and Gauja National Park by bike on an active day trip from Riga, combining forest trails, river valley views, medieval ruins, sandstone caves and scenic cycling routes.

Cycling in Gauja National Park

Enjoy an active ride through Latvia’s oldest and largest national park, with forest paths, fresh air and beautiful nature along the route.

Gauja River Valley Views

Admire one of Latvia’s most scenic landscapes, with impressive views over the Gauja River valley and surrounding forests.

Gutman’s Cave and Spring

Visit Latvia’s largest and most famous cave, see historic inscriptions and drink from the natural spring at this legendary site.

Sigulda Castle Area

See the medieval castle ruins and nearby New Castle from the outside while cycling through one of Sigulda’s most historic areas.

Krimulda Manor and Castle Ruins

Explore the Krimulda manor complex and nearby medieval castle ruins, surrounded by peaceful Gauja National Park scenery.

Big Devil’s Cliff Viewpoint

Take a break at one of the route’s memorable viewpoints and enjoy the dramatic sandstone scenery of the Gauja valley.

Route at a Glance

A scenic cycling route through Sigulda and Gauja National Park, with castle ruins, forest trails, river crossings, sandstone cliffs and panoramic valley viewpoints.

Sigulda Castle Area

Medieval ruins and New Castle

Gutman’s Cave

Cave, spring and legends

Krimulda Manor

Historic manor complex

Krimulda Castle Ruins

Medieval heritage

Gauja River Bridge

River valley crossing

Big Devil’s Cliff

Sandstone viewpoint

Gauja Valley Viewpoint

Panoramic scenery

Explore the Stops

Sigulda Castle Area

Start the sightseeing part of the cycling route near the Sigulda Castle area. See the medieval castle ruins and the nearby New Castle from the outside while getting a first impression of Sigulda’s history and landscape.

Gutman’s Cave

Visit Gutman’s Cave, the largest and most famous cave in Latvia. The site is known for its sandstone walls, old inscriptions, natural spring and local legends connected with the Gauja valley.

Krimulda Manor Complex

Continue cycling toward Krimulda and explore the historic manor area. This peaceful stop adds a cultural layer to the nature and cycling experience in Gauja National Park.

Krimulda Castle Ruins

See the ruins of the 13th-century Krimulda Castle, one of the historic sites connected with the medieval past of the Gauja River valley.

Gauja River Bridge

Cross the Gauja River and enjoy a different perspective of the valley. This part of the route connects forest paths, river scenery and the more active cycling sections of the day.

Big Devil’s Cliff

Take a break at Big Devil’s Cliff, a sandstone formation and scenic stop overlooking the Gauja valley. It is one of the more memorable natural features along the cycling route.

Gauja Valley Viewpoint

Finish the main route highlights with a panoramic viewpoint over the Gauja River valley. The views show why Sigulda is often called the “Switzerland of Latvia”.

Additional information

Total distance of the tour is ~15 km (~9 miles)
Total ascent and descent during the ride is ~170 meters.
Hike takes place on hard sand footpaths (90%), boardwalks (5%) asphalt (5%).
Please wear flat shoes suitable for walking and cycling.
The tour operates in all weather conditions, please dress according to the weather and wear proper shoes for walking and cycling.
This tour is not recommended for people with limited mobility.

Map of the tour

Tour Price and Booking

From 50 EUR*

Price includes:

Hotel pick up and drop off
Transportation
Guide
Bicycle
Helmet

*Price is provided for the complete groups! To get quote for your group size click "+Inquire / Book"!

From 20 EUR

Price includes:

Detailed itinerary
Bicycle rental
Helmet rental

*Price is provided for the whole tour program!
Learn more about Self Guided Tours!

About this region of Latvia - Vidzeme

The Wild Side of North Latvia

Vidzeme (Northern Latvia)

Reviews of this tour on TripAdvisor

"Beautiful & Fun"

Reviewed July 25, 2015
Astrid from London, UK

The tour was a great way to see and experience places we otherwise wouldn't have seen and that would have been difficult to organize as a non local. - the guides were knowledgable, reliable and friendly - the Cycling Sigulda tour is really fun, if you like a bit of sport and action outdoors its a fun way to liven the usual sigthseeing activities and see the more rural Latvia. And Sigulda is a cool place, we could have spent more than a day there.

We would both recommend the activity and tour operator to friends!

Visited July 2015

"Great Guides, lots of fun and knowledge"

Reviewed July 24, 2015
Lizzy from Germany

We took the Old Town Tour with Maija and the Sigulda Cycle tour with Rihards. The old town tour was incredibly interesting and Maija really knows her stuff, not just the well known history but also the little bits in between that make it come alive and interesting. She answered all our questions and pointed out things that we may never had noticed. Her english is great and very easy to understand, definitely worth arranging.

For the cycle tour we went with local transport with Rihards to Sigulda which was interesting in itself! On arriving in Sigulda there were bikes and helmets waiting for us, we had already given Rihards our heights so the bikes didn't need much adjusting. The tour was fantastic, through woods, along the river bank into the National Park then up a huge hill which was a wonderful lung bursting challenge. Rihards stops often and points out interesting areas and gives you as much information as you want. His knowledge is immense but never boring, many fun facts and stories are added in along the way. The weather changed for the worse halfway through our tour, it was incredible but rather than risk injury Rihard was able to change the route to ensure we were kept safe. Obviously use to rapid weather changes he had also brought some ponchos just in case which were more than welcomed. The chair lift back up to Sigulda was excellent and saved having to cycle up a crazy hill. The view was amazing from up top especially as we could see the 2nd storm coming in. Both tours were fantastic and we would definitely use them again!

Visited July 2015