Sigulda & Turaida: Hiking in the Gauja National Park, Sigulda, Latvia

Latvia is a country rich in history, castles and beautiful scenery. During my 48 hours in Riga, I wanted to explore beyond this big city and decided to visit the renowned Gauja National Park, located less than an hour away from the capital.

The day turned out to be a fascinating hike in the snow. For a good reason this park is known as the Switzerland of Latvia!

Getting to Sigulda from Riga couldn't be any easier. Both trains and buses leave every hour approximately, and to make things better, the train and bus stations are just next to each other.

I took the bus just because I preferred its schedule. I bought the ticket online the night before, but they can also be purchased directly from the driver; my bus at around 10AM was quite empty so there was no need to book in advance. A one-way ticket cost less than €3, which is a great price for a trip of about 1h. 

After arriving in Sigulda, my first stop was the tourist office. They gave me a very useful map that can also be downloaded online. The map is great as offers a few different itineraries to explore the area, including the main points of interests and the length to complete. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).