Tour Type

Sightseeing Tour

Tour Duration

~10 Hours

Location

Vidzeme - Central Latvia

Tour Season

April - November

Full day tour in Latvia to the ancient city Cēsis and Switzerland of Latvia - Sigulda. Explore the hallways of the medieval castle in candle light, walk the Cēsis old town streets and admire wooden architecture. Enjoy Sigulda with the medieval castle, Gauja national park, gardens of the gods and amazing medieval castle in Turaida on this day tour from Riga.

About The Tour

Tour Description

Sigulda area is one of the most picturesque location in Latvia and as part of the Gauja National Park it makes one of the most visited places in the country all year round.

Nature of Gauja National Park, medieval castles, viewpoints and fascinating Turaida museum reserve are visited on this tour in Latvia.

Just 40 kilometers further down the road from Sigulda is a charming town of Cēsis, which has rich history from medieval times until today.

Medieval castle of Cēsis has preserved partly in a shape of impressive ruins and it's worth visiting to learn about life of the people in the past days, different handcrafts, to touch and walk over more than 800 year old solid stone constructions.

Besides the medieval castle, Cēsis has a nice old town with lots of ancient wooden architecture as well as beautiful, well maintained parks.

Sigulda is well visited area in Latvia, but we believe that adding visit to Cēsis on a day trip from Riga, is like adding a tasty desert after the main course and few extra hours in traveling around Latvia are worth it.

Tour Highlights

Discover medieval castle of Cēsis

Cēsis medieval castle was one of the first stone fortifications built within the borders of ancient Latvia by German crusaders.The complex of castle buildings, preserved throughout the centuries, should be regarded a landmark of monumental architecture, which reflects construction traditions and features of artistic styles from the Livonian period. New Castle is a monument of great architectural importance and was built in the middle of the 18th century.

Admire St. John's church

St. John’sChurch is one of the oldest medieval architectural monuments in Latvia. Church was built in the beginning of 13th century during the Christianization of Baltic’s for the purposes of the Livonian Holy Order because residence of the order was located in Cēsis; therefore Cēsis became one of the most important German power centers in the Baltic’s from 1237 up to 1561.

Walk the streets of Cesis Old Town
Walk around Sigulda castle ruins and sea the new castle

The Order of the Brothers of the Sword began building Sigulda (former Segewold) castle in 1207. Initially, it was a castellum-type fort; following the defeat of the Brothers of the Sword in 1236, the Livonian Order modified it. During the Great Northern War, the castle was destroyed and never restored again. The south-west section of the convent building with Gothic window lintels and the main gate tower have survived to the present day.

Visit Gutmans cave and hear the legend about what once happened here

The Gūtmaņala (Goodman's Cave) grotto is the most popular and vast cave in Latvia, located in Gauja national park. It was formed in the course of 10,000 years by water gradually eroding sandstone. The grotto is a protected geological site and the oldest tourist attraction in Latvia. Gūtmaņala is 10 m high, 12 m wide and 18.8 m deep, and notable for inscriptions on its walls, the oldest of which date back to the years 1668 and 1677.

Be amazed about Turaida museum reserve and spectacular castle of Turaida

Turaida Museum Reserve is a heritage site. The 42 hectares of grounds are replete with archaeological, architectural, historical and art monuments, all of which provide an account of the events from the eleventh century onwards.

Additional information

Tour includes moderate amount of walking, please wear flat shoes suitable for walking.
The tour operates in all weather conditions, please dress according to the weather and wear proper shoes for walking.
This tour is not recommended for people with limited mobility.
You will have to climb 100 steps to reach the top of the Turaida medieval castle tower (optional visit)
Infant seats are available on request during the booking.

Map of the tour

Tour Price and Booking

From 75 EUR*

Price includes:

Hotel pick up and drop off
Transportation
Entrance tickets
Guide

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

From 50 EUR*

Price includes:

Rental car with unlimited mileage
Detailed itinerary

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

About this region of Latvia - Vidzeme

Vidzeme (Northern Latvia)

EDEN 2011 Cēsis

EDEN 2011 Turaida and sigulda

Reviews of this tour on TripAdvisor

"Must Do in Latvia!"

Reviewed July 1, 2024
Caroline from USA

Rihards and Discover Latvia are the best tour group in Latvia! My mom and I were interested in doing a tour of Sigulda, Turaida, and Cēsis and spent a lot of time looking at different options before landing on Discover Latvia which we chose both based on price and the fact that it did all three cities. Rihards was incredibly communicative in terms of booking on the front end which made us feel even better about our choice. The tour itself was absolutely excellent, giving us a great feel of each of the places we visited and a better understanding of Latvia as a whole. We got to visit all three castles as well as Gutman's cave, and there were additional stops along the way that enhanced our tour even more. My mom and I cannot say enough good things about Rihards and Discover Latvia and encourage anyone and everyone who visits Latvia to book a tour!

Visited June 2024

"Excellent, professional service"

Reviewed June, 2022
Rosemary from UK

We approached Discover Latvia Tours to provide us with full day sightseeing transfers from Vilnius to Riga and from Riga to Tallinn. We were really delighted with the service we received. Rihards is so professional and knowledgeable, and we thoroughly enjoyed his company and our conversations as we travelled across the Baltic States. Rihards also arranged an excellent guide for us on a day trip out into the Latvian countryside whilst we were staying in Riga: Maria took us on a fascinating tour of the castles at Sigulda, Turaida and Cesis. We would highly recommend Discover Latvia Tours. Rihards is very flexible in accommodating the interests of his clients and the tours are very competitively priced.

Visited June 2022

"Fascinating tour of Cesis and Sigulda"

Reviewed June 15th, 2019
Mike from UK

Our group of eight had a tremendously enjoyable early June tour with Rihards (Richard), meeting us all promptly at the hotel for a 0900 start and reaching Cesis around 90 minutes later. Booked at quite short notice, it was certainly appreciated that Rihards was able to respond quickly to any questions and he made an interesting and helpful guide. We found the pricing to be highly competitive for a ten-hour tour given that all entrance fees were included. Highlight wise, the medieval castle at Cesis is a definite must-see for anybody visiting Latvia, particularly with a superb new multimedia exhibition charting its historical timeline in HG Wells ‘Time Machine’ style. They also have a number of in-costume inhabitants that interact with visitors to make it a great visit (the armour hut guy was a real star). Rihards also took us for a photo opportunity at the downhill ski slope after lunch and the castle at Sigulda, we finished with Gutmans cave and the interesting defensive keep at Turaida.

Visited June 2019

"Great day in Cesis and Sigulda"

Reviewed June 5th, 2019
Roxana from Norway

My wife and I enjoyed a very nice day visiting the charming towns of Cesis and Sigulda. Our guide Rihards picked us up in Riga old town, and fed us lots of interesting information during the whole day. Both destinations were interesting, but we especially enjoyed the hillsided landscape in Sigulda. And we enjoyed a lot the pleasant company of Rihards, his knowledge and professionality. We learned and enjoyed a lot - thank you!!

Visited June 2019

"Very enjoyable tour to Sigulda!"

Reviewed April 24, 2017
Bronka from Israel

IRihards picked us from the hotel right on time. the tour was organized very good and so was the lunch. Rihards was friendly, informative and we had a very pleasant day with him.

Visited April 2017

"Un viaje en el tiempo"

Reviewed July 28, 2015
Julio from Buenos Aires, Argentina

Hicimos el tour "Hansa union city Cēsis and Switzerland of Vidzeme- Sigulda" lo cual fue una maravillosa experiencia el poder visitar tres castillos medievales en Letonia. Este tour nos brindó la posibilidad de visitar varios lugares en el mismo día, que de hacerlo por nuestra cuenta, hubiera sido imposible. Nuestro guía Rihards, un apasionado de su país, fue muy amable y didáctico con el que podías hablar abiertamente de cualquier tema. Nos ofreció un servicio de excelencia y siem.

Visited July 2015

"Excellent Customized Tour of Sigulda and Cesis"

Reviewed July 27, 2015
Kartik from Irvine, USA

Rihard worked with us to create a customized tour of Sigulda, Ligatne and Cesis. He was very responsive via phone and email and came up with an excellent plan for us. We visited Turida Castle, Ligatne's Soviet Bunker and Cesis Castle. He was professional and ensured our comfort by bringing water, sweets and ponchos for the weather. The best part of the tour was that Rihard, upon learning how we have never been berry picking, he took us to the forests near Ligatne to pick Blue and Strawberries. We had never seen berries in the wild and it was something we will cherish for a long time. He also gave us a close up view of the Guaja river. Thanks Rihard for making this a memorable tour for us.

Visited July 2015

"Wonderful experience"

Reviewed June 18, 2015
Chris from Sanfrancisco, USA

Me and my wife attended great private tour 'Hansa union city Cēsis and Switzerland of Vidzeme- Sigulda' and had really great time with our tour guide Rihards. The tour was really good organised, so we recommend the tour to anyone, who would like discover the great history of Latvia and see its beautiful countryside.

Visited September 2014

"Wonderful Experience"

Reviewed May 24, 2014
Ian from France

If you want to discover other sites in Latvia out of Riga do a "made to measure" experience with the "Discover Latvia" agency in Riga. Rihards took us out for the day to medieval Cesis, Sigulda and Turaida at a nice leisurely pace and it turned out to be exactly what we wanted! Medieval magic! Friendly and experienced he also gave us good tips about Riga itself = we were the very first visitors to be given tickets on opening day 1st May 2014 10am at the Corner House = KGB building now a museum and open to the public after 42 years. Waouh!
Thank you Rihards.

Visited May 2014

"The best personal tour"

Reviewed May 5, 2014
Lucas from Puerto Rico

My wife and I have travel considerably, but this is the first time that we actually write a review. The service was excellent. The tour was well coordinated and special attention was taken to make us feel at home. Highly recommended!

Visited April 2014

"Charming country"

Reviewed May 5, 2014
Manuela from Cluj-Napoca, Romania

With the help from Discover Latvia tours we found that Latvia it's not only about Riga,as beautiful city as it is, but has also small, nice, peacefull towns and villages, impressive and romantic castles,beautiful river valleys,and very interesting history. Our guide Rihards was everything you expect from a guide, right on time, polite, openminded, friendly, he gave us plenty of interesting information so we found out a lot about this country on our tour. We took the tour to Cesis, Sigulda and Turaida but it was no problem at all adding another destination at our request, that was Amatciens, and it was at least as beautiful as the other three destinations visited. We would go back to Latvia if we could, and we would surely take another tour with Discover Latvia.
Thank you, Rihards!

Visited April 2014

"It's a 11 hours tour and it worths both the time and the price"

Reviewed June 6, 2012
Oscar from Barcelona, Spain

I recommend tour to Sigulda in fall. The season makes the environment one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen. We walked in the Gauja National Forest, in the caves of Sigulda, visited castles and met some of the history of Latvia. In addition, Rihards and Sergejs are friendly, pleasant and very funny. I really loved the tour.

Visited June 2012