Small Group Day Trip From Riga To Kuldiga
Description
Embark on a journey to Kuldīga, a charming medieval town in the western part of Latvia, located along the banks of the River Venta. Known for Ventas Rumba, the widest waterfall in Europe, Kuldīga offers breathtaking natural beauty. If you visit in the spring, you might witness a unique natural phenomenon as vimbas fish leap over the 1.5-meter-high waterfall on their way to spawning areas. It's truly a spectacular sight! As of 2023, Kuldīga has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, recognizing the unique value of its Old Town. The town's enchanting streets and historic architecture are sure to captivate you. The journey from Riga to Kuldīga takes approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes each way, with exciting stops along the route to keep you entertained. This group tour is designed to be affordable, giving everyone the chance to experience the beauty of Kuldīga. Please note that the tour requires a minimum of three passengers to proceed.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Visit bizarre yet fascinating doll garden filled with couple hundreds of smiling dolls! Some refer to it as "crazy and creepy" while others love to make funny photos with these smiling dolls. Dolls are made from straw and dressed like singers, policeman, sportsman and many other characters.
Enjoy a guided tour of this beautiful town! Explore the streets of charming Old Town of Kuldiga. Its cobble stones and historical building complex has played a big role in getting Kuldiga Historical Centre added to the UNESCO World Heritage! Take charming, romantic photos, listen to interesting legends and simply admire surroundings.
Free time to enjoy the Old Town by yourself and have a lunch if you wish (at your own expense)
Admire surrounding from the 25m high observation tower.
Visit Ventas Rumba - the widest waterfall in Europe! On average 110m wide, however during flooding period the width of the waterfall can reach 270m! The waterfall is not too high, with the highest point of about 2,2m. During the summer months it's a common attraction to cross the waterfall bare feet! Travellers participating in this tour will have an option to do it, if desired.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The travel time is already included in the total duration of 9,5 hours
- This is a shared ride where you'll go together with other travellers.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travellers
Reviews(8)
Kuldiga was a highlight of our trip to Latvia, it's a really charming and beautiful town. Our guide Jānis was great, very friendly and accommodating. It made the long drive from Riga go by quickly!
I would have given this tour a 4 if it didn't have the doll garden it was a little weird to have as part of a tour. No one from our group was even interested and also said it was freaky, weird, the word was gobsmacked. We got off the tour bus and back on the tour bus within 5 minutes.
Thank you for your feedback, Karen. Just to clarify for future guests: the "doll garden" is not a main attraction of the tour — it’s a short, optional stop (up to 15 minutes) used to break up the long drive to Kuldiga. While it’s definitely an unusual and quirky place, many past guests have found it to be an amusing and memorable curiosity. Of course, nobody is required to get off the van if they'd prefer not to — and in this case, your group chose to hop back on in just a few minutes, which is absolutely fine. That said, we do believe that part of the beauty of travel is stepping beyond the typical tourist landmarks and encountering the unexpected — including the local people behind these unique places. The doll garden might seem weird at first glance, but there’s a real person and story behind it. The owner is usually there in person, and guests have the chance to hear firsthand why she started it, and how it has become a meaningful part of her life. It’s these personal moments and local characters that often leave the most lasting impressions. We understand that tastes vary, and for those looking for a more tailored experience, a private tour might be a better fit. But for group tours, we aim to offer a mix of sights — iconic, offbeat, and everything in between — to give a fuller picture of the region. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. Kind Regards, Krista
I was expecting my tour to be cancelled as I’m the only participant but Viator honoured the booking and I had a great trip at kuldiga. Kudos to the responsibility and putting customer first. Will certainly opt for Viator again. Guide was great company too! Knowledgeable, friendly
Long day but it was broken up very well. Vytenis, our guide and driver, did a great job. Funny and informative. The sites were interesting and unique.
It was a great day out. Lots of countryside to see with our guide Jānis telling us stories and history about the area. Latvia Gem is a great company to travel with. They treated us more like family rather than just a tour company. Jānis our tour guide was so much fun, had us in fits of laughter with mythical stories, history and personal experiences. He was also extremely helpful as 2 of the 4 guests on our trip had leg or knee issues and needed help in and out of the minivan. Nothing was to much trouble for him he was very accommodating and a gentleman. We can highly recommend this trip. And a bonus for us the Vimba fish were jumping up stream, such an added bonus for us.
Excellent trip. My guide Janis was fantastic also well done to Krista for asking if 3 others travellers would change their date so I could go on the trip. I am slightly disabled but Janis was very kind and looked after us all very well
The whole day was highly enjoyable. Krista the host was fantastic. She really put us at ease. Kuldiga itself is a beautiful town and worth the two hour plus journey to get there. It's beautiful and the tour of the town on a train helps show you the sights and the small alleys you wouldn't otherwise see. The architecture is amazing. The Venta waterfall is stunning and the observation tower gives you a fantastic view. Walking in the waterfall is a great experience. We didn't walk the entire length as it was slippery, but you could do so if you wanted. Very different to Riga itself, worth visiting if you're after such a change.
Kulidiga has a lot of untouched medieval buildings, giving me a more realistic feel of this ancient time. The guide is also very knowledgeable which gives the whole trip more meanings.
