14 Dec Jurmala
Jurmala is a beautiful town located between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River. It has appr. 55,000 residents. It is most popular beach resort town in Latvia and attracts annually thousand tourists from Baltic states, Finland, Scandinavia and Russia to pamper themselves in beaches and luxurious spa treatments. It is the only city in Latvia that has a Healthy City status.
Jurmala has an unique wooden architecture and 4000 historic buildings, giving to a city peculiar and calm atmosphere.
What to do and see in Jurmala
Beaches
Jurmala has 26 kilometres long network of fine quartz sand beaches, and city is the biggest resort of its kind in Latvia. Majori and Jaunkemeri beaches are Blue Flag certified. Here visitors can play beach football or volleyball, rent water bicycles and rest in cozy beach cafés. In Pumpuri beach is possible to try kite and windsurfing.
Spas
Jurmala has been known as a spa resort since the Czar regime and in Soviet times the party elite pampered itself here. In various spas a visitor can enjoy sauna, aromatherapy, mud and chocolate treatments and swimming. Prices are cheaper here than in Central European and Scandinavian spas.
Open-air museum
Idyllic 19th century fisherman’s farmstead in Lielupe (Tīklu iela 1a) has been changed to be a museum with old, characteristic buildings. Here one can get introduced to historic Latvian farm architecture collection of anchors and fishing boats, and also the rope making workshop.
Kemeri national park
Want to observe beautiful Latvian nature and hike in wilderness? Kemeri National Park, established in 1997, outside of the city is the place. Unique moorland has network of wooden trails for walking without a hurry and watching various ecosystem. Here one can meet an elk, wolf or a woldboar and the flora consists 897 species of non-seed and seed plants. Jurmala city minibus route 10 connects Ķemeri to Jurmala.
Art gallery ”Inner Light”
This gallery of luminous art shows artwork made in an extraordinary fluorescence painting technique. Works are glittering in a special light and a new picture will be exposed to a viewer underneath the first work. Here is also available art therapy.
Shopping
- There are lots of shops and restaurants in Jurmala, from which the most of them can be found from the Jumas street. It is the oldest and most popular pedestrian street of the city stretching from the Bulduri to Majori district. The street is known for cosy shops and local souvenir shops, from which you can get, for example, silver amber jewelries.
- Several restaurants offer everything from fast food to international delicacies. In summer, street artists play music, paint and entertain tourists.
Pictures: CC licence / Lestath, William Heusmann, Jullo Gago, Karmen media, Bernt Rostad
| Jūrmala, Latvia |  | 3°C overcast clouds |
Wind
7 m/s, S
Humidity
96%
Pressure
745.56 mmHg | ||
Top 5 Jurmala
- Kite surfing on the beach
- Spas
- Kemeri National Park
- Inner Light art studio
- Livu water park
How to get in Jurmala
The closest international airport is in Riga. Minibus line 241 from airport goes to Imanta railwaystation, where is the suburban connection to Jurmala.
Suburban trains via the Riga-Tukums route goes to Jurmala, leaving approximately every 30 minutes from Riga Central Station (€2, 30 minutes). Jūrmala has several stations, but Majori is the most central.
E22 goes through Jurmala from Riga. A fee of €2 is charged for entering the city area by car.
How to get around in Jurmala?
In Jurmala, it is possible to get around by a train operating from Priedaine to Kemer and has 14 stops. A Tourist Information Centre is located in Majori, the city center. It is easy to get around in the city by walking, because many attractions are located in the city center near each other and there are several good walking routes. Car rental is possible. More information: www.carrental-jurmala.lv Bicycle network is large. Taxi is also an alternative.
