Latvia is the central of the three Baltic states, bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south and Belarus and Russia to the east. From Riga, you can go west and take in the historical fortress and market town of Kuldiga, the busy seaport of Ventspils, and the seaside town of Liepaja – with its previously secret Soviet naval base – in a manageable loop drive of about 500km in total. This western part of Latvia – Courland or Kurzeme to the Latvians – was originally ruled by the pagan Baltic Curonian tribe, who were conquered by the German military orders active in the medieval Baltic States. This later became the Duchy of Courland, part of the Duchy of Lithuania, and was later annexed by Tsarist Russia in 1795. Many of the cities were part of the Hanseatic League, which you can read about here https://www.aerotrekka.com/full-hansa-lubeck-rostock/. Start your trip in Riga and head past its own seaside town of Jurmala west towards Kuldiga.

Kuldiga

Kuldiga owes its start in the 1240s to the development of a fortress overlooking the River Venta, which provided connections to other rivers while being a short distance to the coast. The river is traversed by a 19th-century brick bridge – one of the longest of it’s type – that is the venue for traditional midsummer night running races. Just upriver from the bridge is a set of rapids, evocatively referred to as the Ventas Rumba.

The city joined the Hanseatic League in 1368 which gave connections throughout the Baltic and Eastern Europe. The Aleksupite River runs through town and to match the midsummer night runners over the Venta Bridge, has another annual race where the runners go along the river bed.

The eastern part of town overlooking the river and the Ventas Rumba has a large set of mounds on which the fortress and associated medieval buildings – including a convent – stood until their destruction in the great Northern War with Sweden in 1702. It’s now a rolling park adjoining the river, populated with stone sculptures by Livija Rezevska, a Latvian artist. The city museum (Pils Iela 5)(https://www.kuldigasmuzejs.lv/eng), in a manor house by the river, is worth checking out.

The town itself lies further west and was developed later in the 17th-20th centuries after a major fire consumed earlier wooden structures.  It’s a good place to stop off on your way to Ventspils or Liepaja from Riga, to grab lunch around the main square at Baznicas Iela and have a wander round. Kursas Zeme (Baznicas Iela 6) is a good cafe or if you want the cellar experience try Pagrabins (Baznicas Iela 5).

Kuldiga retains an older feel to it – plenty of houses in town have a traditional rural style with small landholdings now superseded by the local supermarket. The city’s synagogue (1905 Gada Iela 6), built in 1875 and now the public library, is worth seeing to understand Kuldiga’s Jewish past.

If you ignore the cars, the 19th century is still going strong here.

Ventspils.  Continuing northwest to where the Venta River flows (or spills) into the Baltic, Ventspils is a major port city and a good way to access Sweden if you prefer alternative sea-routes in and out of the country.

Ventspils has a small downtown so it’s most likely good for an overnight, although livelier in the summer. There is a cow-themed waterfront promenade that starts at the old city and works it’s way west along the Venta and up to the seawall.

You can park at the base of the seawall which is worth taking to the end for some bracing weather and to check out the ocean-going trawlers mounted on their plinths.

Walking west of the city center along the waterfront will take you to the main historical attraction in town, the Livonian Order Castle (Jana Iela 17 – http://muzejs.ventspils.lv/en/the-castle-of-the-livonian-order/) – the site of Ventspil’s main fortress since around 1250 but which was progressively modernized since and so today looks like a large manor house, but has a good museum explaining the region’s history. You can then head out to the beach and waterfront to complete your concrete cow tour:

There are a few small hotels and guesthouses in town as this is a low-key place. I stayed at the Raibie Logi Hotel (Lielais Prospekts 61) which was comfortable and a 15-minute walk from the center.

The city center is just south of the ferry terminal around Skolas Iela. Skroderkrogs (Skroderu iela 6) is a good traditional Latvian restaurant and the Ventspils alus Darītava Courlander (Tirgus iela 9) is a good place for a beer – however it (along with much of the other venues) closes on Monday nights.

Liepaja and the Karosta Soviet Naval Base. Heading further south, Liepaja is a major Baltic seaside resort and a good place to spend a couple of days. It has good hotel and catering options since it has to cater for the busy summer season; most of these are concentrated south and west of the Promenade Hotel, facing and back from the canal, as well as along Liela Iela south of the Tirdzniecibas Canal. The new Great Amber concert hall has a busy schedule and it’s worth seeing what’s on, with a classical and jazz emphasis : http://lielaisdzintars.lv/en

Liepaja is an interesting town to walk around and absorb a range of influences.

Other things to see in Liepaja are the city museum in a former mansion, the beaches and waterfront, with an obligatory bracing walk  along the harbor wall – Liepaja is a windy city year round. The waterfront on the south side of the river heading west has a varying collection of historical vessels as well as naval base containing more modern craft.

Liepaja’s main attraction – for those interested in the other side of the Cold War fence – is the former Soviet Naval base just north of town in Karosta (War Port in Latvian). Originally constructed around the turn of the 20th Century, you can start at the former Tsarist-era prison that was later used by the Soviets and the Germans, and as such is a grim picture into the totalitarian tides that have swept over Latvia. The museum (http://karostascietums.lv/en/) also offers ideas as to what else to see in the area as well as guided tours. Check opening times before you go as they reduce off-season.

Liepaja is a major year round ice-free port and so was valuable to the Tsarist Russian and Soviet Navy given how other major ports such as Leningrad could experience icing, as well as being a forward base against the west; Karosta was a closed city during the cold war. The area west of the dockyard basin around Virssardzes Iela – now a commercial dockyard so not accessible – is full of naval administration, storage and accommodation areas.

As with any former Soviet base, there is an Orthodox Cathedral and a challenged housing block complex on the base, located west of the administration area around Katedrales Iela.

Heading east along Generala Baloza Iela, you’ll find the Tosmale Cemetery, the final resting place for a mostly Russian civilian and military population, both in peacetime and war.

The main attractions are the Tsarist-era defense bunkers along the coast and at the north end of the site, now collapsing into the heavy Baltic surf.  First off are the Northern Forts, reached by going north along Atmodas Bulvaris and then turning west along the Krasta Iela track to the beach.

You can then head further north along Libiesu Iela and turn west along the Jatnieku Iela track to see the more extensive complex around the Ziemuju Fort (look for the single huge wind turbine at the end of the parking lot). Karosta, as a major naval base and westerly outpost against Imperial Germany at the beginning of the 20th century, was defendable both from the sea and from inland.

The Ziemuju Fort complex also runs inland from the sea along the  track – it was here that Latvian troops broke through the defensive line in 1918 to eventually take Karosta. If you are heading back in the direction of central Karosta and are not yet sick of seeing Tsarist fortifications, drive south along Libiesu Iela and turn southwest along 14 Novembra Bulvaris for about 1,200 metres to a bastion configured for all-round defense, protecting for inland attack from the northeast.

On a serious note, the memorial to Jewish Victims of Fascism is located further north at Wrede Beach, which was a Nazi execution site for the Jewish citizens of Liepaja in July 1941. Exiting Jatnieku Iela, go 800 meters north along Libiesu Iela and take the first track left to the beach where you’ll see a large memorial.

Liepaja Logistics. I stayed at the excellent Promenade Hotel (Vecā Ostmala 40), which is a converted brick dockside building facing the canal and in the town center. It has a really nice level of fit and a good breakfast. There are plenty of restaurant options, mostly covering traditional Latvian offerings, with MO Liepāja (Friča Brīvzemnieka iela 7) being a bit more higher end, and Postman’s House (Friča Brīvzemnieka iela 53) or Hot Potato (Jāņa iela 1) being a bit more traditional and along the lines of a pub restaurant venue.

For craft beer, don’t miss the excellent Miezis & Kompānija (Kuģinieku iela 5) craft beer bar, an outpost of Riga’s Labietis brewery. This area, along and behind the waterfront south of the canal and west from the Promenade Hotel has a collection of bars and restaurants. In the summer, there are plenty of options west of the beachfront Jurmalas Park.