Ventspils: Beach, maritime culture and active experiences

Ventspils combines a clearly recognizable focus on the beach with maritime history and a wide range of activities. The Blue Flag has flown at Ventspils Blue Flag Beach during the bathing season since 1999. Each beach access point has a number, the water temperature and a sign indicating whether bathing is permitted or prohibited.

Beach, park and activities on the water

The spacious and well-equipped Jūrmalas Park is located near the sea. It offers opportunities for recreation and walks outdoors for the whole family. The park also displays 35 different types of anchors from the 152 anchors at the Piejūras brīvdabas muzejs.

For active days, the Piedzīvojumu parks is available year-round as a sports and active recreation complex offering a wide range of leisure and sports activities for individual visitors, groups and families. The summer toboggan run operated there throughout the year is 580 metres long. The Ūdens piedzīvojumu parks offers another kind of experience. The Ūdens piedzīvojumu parks includes a wave pool, a warm-water pool, a children’s pool, slides, a lazy river, spa baths and a sauna.

The excursion boat Hercogs Jēkabs offers a 45-minute trip. During the trip, you can see the mouth of the Venta, the old town, the industrial area of the Freeport of Ventspils and the sea gates. Along the Venta, the buoy exhibition on the Ostas Street promenade presents 14 buoys and channel markers. Each of these displayed buoys and channel markers has an information board explaining its respective purpose.

Fortress, coastal culture and exhibitions

Livonijas ordeņa pils is one of Latvia’s oldest medieval fortresses still preserved today. After the restoration and renovation work was completed in summer 2012, the chapel, chapter house, dormitory of the members of the order and refectory were opened to visitors.

The Piejūras brīvdabas muzejs was founded in Ventspils in 1954 as an open-air museum of maritime fishing. Its exhibition depicts the everyday life of the inhabitants of the Courland coast and also conveys the lives of Latvian and Livonian farmers and fishermen. The Zinātnes centrs VIZIUM offers a contemporary approach to knowledge through its exhibition. It is divided into seven different galleries, and its educational interactive exhibition halls feature more than 80 interactive exhibits. Visitors can also attend science shows, use laboratories and take part in technology and creative workshops.

The “LATVIJA” Concert Hall is a centre for music, art and cultural education in North Courland. It offers guided tours for groups of adults and children of up to 10 people. The concert hall is home to both the pipe organ built by the German organ-building company “Johannes Klais Orgelbau” and the world’s largest piano, built by the Latvian-born piano maker Dāvids Kļaviņš.

For further orientation, you can also view Akmeņdziras, Jūrkalne, Zūras, Užava, Leči, Dzirnavas and Pope.

For the higher-level travel overview: Ventspils.

More about the destination

Ventspils, North Courland.