MULTIDAY / LATVIA / KURZEME CIRCLE

THE RUNDALE PALACE / JAUNPILS CASTLE / ABAVAS WINERY / KULDIGA / VENTSPILS / CAPE KOLKA |
About 72 hours
3 days, 800km
PRICE ( one person)
THE PRICE INCLUDES
• Travel by transport along a route
• Entrance & degustation fee
• Services of a guide or a group leader
• Hotel Pick-up and Drop-off
• Excursion accompaniment
• Organization of the itinerary
ADDITIONAL COSTS
• Meals (lunch & Dinner)
• Medical insurance
• Hotel in Kuldīga (~60.00EUR)
• Hotel in Ventspils
(~60.00 EUR)
• Personal expenses
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• Travel Agency reserves the right to change the order of the excursions, keeping their number
Description
DAY ONE
Start from Riga at 09:00am;
10:30 The Rundale Palace (3hrs) - is set amidst the fertile Zemgale Plains in the south of Latvia. The Rundale Palace ensamble, one of the most outstanding monuments of Baroque and Rococo architecture in Latvia, was built between 1736 and 1740 as a summer residence for Ernst Johann Biron, Duke of Courland and a favourite of the Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna. The palace was designed by the Russian court architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli and built under his supervision;
14:30 Lunch time in Medieval pub ( 1,5h) - under the velvet ceiling, in one of the oldest parts of the Castle –the Knight’s dining hall, you will find the Jaunpils Castle medieval tavern, where guests can enjoy delicious fare by candlelight with the accompaniment of ancient musical tones;
16:00 Jaunpils Castle (1h) - is one of the rare medieval castles, that has preserved its historical look. Jaunpils castle was built in 1301. as Livonia Order fortress. The castle was bult by Livonia Order master Gotfrid fon Roga. More than 350 years the palace was inhabited by fon der Recke strain. Nowadays at the palace, which is surrounded by water from three sides, there is Jaunpils social life. The picturesque landscape and social life folklore is a background for sideshows meant for tourists. Together with monks, jesters, lords of manor and servants you will have possibility to become a real medieval hero;
18:30 Family Winery "Abavas" (1,5hrs) - was established in 2010 in parallel with grape garden planting in the southern slope of the Abava valley. The owners also grow apples, currants, raspberries and rhubarb, collect bounty of the forest , which becomes aromatic beverages – apple and black currant wine, chokeberry port, apple pommo and apple brandy. All this can be enjoyed in a romantic atmosphere;
21:00 Check at the Kuldīga hotel Metrapole (3 star) -this newly renovated hotel is located in the very heart of the beautiful and romantic old town of Kuldiga.;
Kuldigas Metropole has been a hotel and restaurant since 1910;
Kuldigas Metropole has been a hotel and restaurant since 1910;
21:30 Dinner time in Hotel restourant.
DAY TWO
08:00 - Breakfast and check out from the hotel;
09:00 - Kuldiga ( 2hrs) - is a small and attractive town in Kurzeme which has always been admired and praised by poets and painters. The city centre, which developed in the 17th –18th centuries, has still preserved the old wooden buildings which form small and narrow streets. Venta waterfall - the widest waterfall in Europe (249 m) . There are many legends and historical events concerned to it. The idea by Duke Jacob the creels on Venta waterfall – made Kuldiga in ancient times as the town where it is possible to catch salmons in air. Brick bridge over Venta - this bridge is one of the oldest brick arch bridges in Europe, build in 1874, restored in 2008. It was built according to the Tsar time road traffic standards, 500 feet long, 36 feet wide, enough for two carriages to pass;
11:30 - Riezupes cave (1hrs) - the third longest labyrinth of underground caves in the Baltic States (about 2 km, available for viewing - 460m). The caves are not of natural origin, they were excavated by men;
13:30 Lunch in Zaķi pub (1,5h);
15:00 Jūrkalne seashore bluffs (0,30min) - are one of the most picturesque sea shores of the Baltic Sea in Latvia with a quiet beach, untouched by civilisation, and impressive bluffs of up to 20 m high. It offers extensive possibilities for both leisurely and active recreation;
16:45 Ventspils (2hrs) - history is still alive in Ventspils Old Town, in the Castle of the Livonian Order, and in the narrow cobbled streets of Ostasgals. A 6 metre high and 23 tonne anchor is displayed on the Anchor Path. A ride on the narrow gauge railway “Mazbānītis” or in the velo rail car at the Maritime Open Air Museum offer unique sensations, as does a tour of the aquatorium of Ventspils Port in the ship “Hercogs Jēkabs”;
19:00 Check at Olimpiska Centra Ventspils Hotel (3 stars) - is located next to the multifunctional sports centre and just 50 metres from the town square. Free Wi-Fi access is available;
20:00 Dinner in Ventspils pub;
DAY THREE
08:00 - Breakfast and check out from the hotel;
11:00 Slitere National Park ( 1,5hrs) - is a specially protected area of nature which is included in the “Natura 2000” network of European specially protected nature territories. The Slitere National Park territory may be considered a unique geological history museum of the Baltic Sea. The National Park includes the 30–50 m high steep coastline of the ancient Baltic ice lake which has grown up with varieties of very rich broadleaf forests, as well as a complex of dunes and depressions;
13:00 Cape Kolka (1h) - is a meeting place created by nature. Seas and people meet here. Man with nature, sunrise with sunset. The meeting of public and private capital has been used to bring Cape Kolka in good order, make it well-equipped and well-cared for both in the summer and winter months;
14:30 Farmestad "Ūši with tradtitional Kurzeme dessert - The Kolkas rags headland, where the Baltic Sea meets the Gulf of Riga, was once home to the Livonians. At the Ūši guesthouse and restaurant you can taste some of their culinary specialities. The žograusis or sklandrausis is a carrot tart and the bukstiņbiezputra, a porridge of groats, carrots and potatoes, is guaranteed to keep the cold out;
17:00 Freshly smoked fish - we will stop to visit Kurzeme’s fishermen, who will welcome us and present their products of smoked fish, where we will also taste the freshly smoked flounders;
20:00 Arrival in Rīga