Jurmala (Latvia)

Tourism office
Majori, Lienes iela 5
Jūrmala, LV-2015
+371 67147900 +371 28334838
the website

It’s across from the train station, you can’t miss it.

At first, they were small fishing towns, they were then united in 1959 to make Jurmala.

Check out 716’s photo album

Everything started in Kemeri: someone started offering treatments, and soldiers came to get treated there after the war.

Jurmala is only 25 km from Riga, it’s the largest beach resort in the Baltic states, known for its 30 km of sand dunes and pine forests.

There’s a lot of people during the summer, but on the off season it’s nice to walk around; be careful in fall though, it’s pretty dead, and it’s hard to properly enjoy it without a car.

You have to go on a stroll in the streets and on the beach to appreciate the wooden houses: the region being full of forests, it was the most used construction material. We find a mix of styles: classical, historical, art nouveau, national romanticism and functionalism.

You have some walking paths offered on the Jurmala website : www.tourisme.jurmala.lv

The statue of the poet coupled Rainis & Aspazija

Janis Rainis and Elza Plieksane (nicknamed Aspazija) were Latvian poets that had to exile themselves during the Czarist rule. They lived in Jurmala.

Museum of Jurmala
Tirgoņu iela 29, Majori
Jūrmala, LV- 2015
the website

Free, definitely worth a visit, its staging is very much alive and tells the history of this beach resort very well, when it was at its peak during the thermal spa trends.

It gives a very good account of life in Jurmala from the birth of the beach resort to today, particularly with its large swimsuit collection, archaeological pieces from underwater. We need to also take note of the permanent exhibition “The History of Jurmala and Kemeri” that charts out the steps of the city’s developments.

Kemeri’s National Park
Meza maja
Jurmala LV

You can’t go to Jurmala and not go to the Park; actually, yes you can, because for the most part people come to Jurmala for the day, or when there’s extra time during a Riga trip. Either way, if you have the time, the park is a beauty, you’ll get a sense of the beauty of the Baltic nature, “envoutante” and strong, because it’s completely free.

Read 716’s review

Beaches

There’s the main beach which is very popular during the summer, but you can always find quieter spots like Lielupe, Bulduri and Dubulti, otherwise, here are two more that were recommended by one of my local contacts:

– Saulkrasti
http://www.visitsaulkrasti.lv/what-to-do

– Kolka
http://travelinlatvia.com/web/map/regions/kurzeme-2/the-northwest-coast/the-north-west-coastwhat-to-see/kolka/

Alus Krodzins
Jomas iela 64a
Jurmala

A nice litte bar/restaurant where you can drink a nice beer, while eating some nice, down to earth food that uses local ingredients.

Read 716’s review

The restaurants that were recommended to me by locals that I didn’t get to try:

Lighthouse Restaurant
Gulbenes iela 1a
Jurmala

I don’t know what to think about it, I was told that it was a good spot to eat at in this neighborhood, but there are mixed reviews on Trip Advisor, particularly, because clients complained that the meal prices were too high.

– Madam Brios
Mellužu prospekts 9-1
Jurmala
+371 20 785 555
the website

Very good café on the Kemeru National Park road. You can go to the park by bus or train, either way, you can stop at this café on the way. Excellent lemon and honey cake. Opened in April 2014, open until 10 pm.