A nostalgic tour through LatviaYou can easily continue the tour through Estonia in Latvia. Is it even possible to continue further from Latvia, to Litauen and Poland.
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Valga - ValkaStart your trip similarly to the tour through Estonia. Continue from Vöru towards Latvian border and the city of Valga. Visit the interesting City Twins: Valga on the Estonian side and Valka in Latvia. During the Czarist era the city was at the border between two language areas. When Estonia and Latvia became independent, the borderline between the two nations was drawn according to the language border in the city.
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CesisCesis is a charming small Latvian town. The centre of this old Hansatown is so small that it is easy to walk around it. The old parts of the city have remained in a good condition, although some of the houses have been decayed. There is also a beautiful park with a small lake and castle ruins next to the centre.
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SiguldaLeave Cesis and travel further towards Sigulda (southwest). It is worth stopping at the Ligatne National Trails and see its specialities: wild dogs, wild boars and bears, that you can admire safely behind the fence. Sigulda is famous for its old castle ruins of Turaida surrounded by a beautiful park. There are a lot of romantic stories connected to the 13th century castle and therefore the Gutmana Cave near the castle is still popular among the couples in love. The walls of the cave are full of inscriptions, some of which date from the 16th century. In addition to the castle, the old church of Turaida and old farming houses are also worth visiting.
Ligatne National Trails
Sigulda
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RigaFrom Sigulda it is very practical to continue to Riga, to the capital of Latvia. The historic centre of Riga has been inscripted into UNESCO World Heritage List and is a must for a tourist. Riga is famous for its old houses and the Art Nouveau architecture. The giant bazaar with ist five huge aircraft hangars at the Central Market is worth visiting: buy different kind of delicacies to home.
After visiting Riga you can turn to the North and drive back to Pärnu and Tallinn along the Via Baltica. Or continue your tour in Latvia.
Riga
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Rundale and MezotneRundale is the biggest palace in the Baltic countries. The palace was designed by the famous architect F.B. Rastrelli and it is said to look like the Versailles in France. The restoration of the palace started already in 1971 but is not yet completed. Of the 138 rooms 48 are now open for tourists. You may, for instance, admire the Duke Johann von Biron´s bedroom and the boudoir of the empress Anna Ivanovna.
Near the border crossing place is another famous destination, the Mezotne palace. In this completely restored palace is nowadays a hotel. You may even stay here over night!
Rundale palace
Mezotne palace
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To the South, towards Litauen and PolandFrom Riga you can travel further towards Litauen and Poland: visit the famous Latvian castles first and travel then along the Via Baltica to Kaunas and Warsaw, where the Via Baltica ends.
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KaunasKaunas is the second biggest city in Lithuania with approximately 410.000 inhabitants (as much as in Tallinn). It is an important trade- and industrial centre with a well-known university. It is often said that Kaunas is much more Lithuanian than Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. In 1920-1940 Kaunas was even the capital of the independent Lithuania.
The churches, monastries and museums of the city are worth visiting. One of the most popular museums of Kaunas is the Devil´s museum, adterwards it is good to visit the Pazlaislis monastry at the artificial lake in Kaunas.
The main avenue of Kaunas with its many shops, restaurants and cafeterias is a paradies for tourists.
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The dunes of LithuaniaNext you can travel towards Palanga beach. All three Baltic countries have their "summer capitals": Pärnu in Estonia, Jurmala in Latvia and Palanga in Lithuania. Long, beautiful beaches, charming bathing cabins and docks - you will most definitely enjoy your holiday! Palanga is famous for its magnificent sunsets and amber. There is even an amber museum in Palanga - also worth visiting. You might also enjoy the amusement park and the zoo in Palanga.
If you are interested in swimming and spending time on the beach, you should visit the nearest towns, like Kleipeda, too. Near Kleipeda is the world famous Curonian spit - a national park with a sixty mile-long bank of sand dunes and pine trees which stretches from the seaport of Klaipėda and encloses the vast Curonian Lagoon. The biggest dunes in the Europe can be found there.
From Kleipeda it is practical to travel towards Kaunas and back to the North or then continue to the Middle Europe.
Lithuania
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