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For the trail · alpventurer.com/gauja-national-park

Gauja National Park, the largest National Park in Latvia

Gauja National Park · Latvia

In short

Gauja National Park in Latvia has hiking, castles and other outdoor activities. From Sigulda Rail Station, the walk to Turaida Castle is around 5 km, and it takes one day to explore the park’s main spots. Trains from Riga to Sigulda take about 1 hour.

What to pack

Every hike

  • Water: half a litre for every hour of walking
  • Food and snacks for the day
  • Rain jacket
  • A warm layer (fleece or light down)
  • Sun cap, sunglasses and sun cream
  • Boots or trail shoes with good grip
  • Phone with the map offline, and a power bank
  • Small first aid kit
  • Headlamp, in case it gets late
  • Some cash and your ID

The guide

Gauja National Park, located in the northern part of Latvia, near the city of Gauja, is the largest and oldest National Park in Latvia. A lot of outdoor activities and cultural monuments can be seen in this National Park. As for outdoor activities, I can mention hiking, bungee jumping, cycling, skiing, and boating. Also, there are a lot of castles like Turaida Castle, Sigulda Castle, and Sigulda Medieval Castle.

How to get there

You need to go to Riga Central train station, and there you can ask for a ticket to Sigulda. There are a lot of trains that go from Riga to Sigulda. The journey takes around 1 hour to arrive there.

In Sigulda, you can find supermarkets as well.

About the Gauja National Park

The Gauja River reflects autumn forests at sunset in Gauja National Park

From Sigulda Rail Station, I would suggest walking to Turaida Castle, which was built in the 13th century. The path to Turaida is around 5 km. During the road, you can see the New Sigulda Castle, which is very beautiful too.

Inside the Turaida castle is excellent, especially for everyone who wants to know more about the Latvian history. There you will see castles, prisons, and a lot of historical things. You can walk to the top of the castle. Check out the pictures from the Turaida castle:

Sunlit forested landscape in Gauja National Park seen through an old brick window

After this visit, I went through the Gauja River to explore nature and see the caves in this area. It is a great outdoor experience. During the walk, I was lucky to see one of the best sunsets, I’ve ever seen. A goldy sunset, also the river looked so beautiful and peaceful. On the bottom, you will see the pictures!

It takes one day to explore the main spots of this park, but if you want to explore more, you need to stay there for more days.