Join us on one of our Latvia tours to understand why the country, nestled between Estonia and Lithuania, is arguably the most beautiful of the three Baltic states.

With breathtaking nature, charming villages, ancient folklore, colourful festivals and delicious cuisine, Latvia is defiantly one of the most underrated countries in Europe. It’s easy to get lost in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Riga Old Town or enjoy the stunning beaches at Cape Kolka. 

However, Latvia has a much darker side – from the Great Northern War (1700–1721) when 40% of the population died to the Second World War, when the country was invaded by the Soviets, then the Nazis, and the Soviets again – an occupation that would last until 1991. Join YPT as we discover Latvia’s turbulent past and beautiful present. 

GROUP TOURS TO LATVIA 

Currently, YPT offers one yearly group tour to Latvia, in combination Lithuania and Estonia. The 8-day tour is packed full of adventures, including Soviet era nuclear missile bases, secret ghost cities, a radio telescopes station and a visit of Riga, a truly underrated capital. 

Budget Baltics Tour – April 18th – 21st 2025 – €795

Baltics, Kaliningrad & Belarus Combo – April 18th – May 1st 2025 – €3095

Soviet Baltics Tour – August 20th – 27th 2025 – €1495

INDEPENDENT TOURS TO LATVIA

Latvia and the Baltic States have always been a favourite for YPT, not only for their complex history but also for their cultural identity which is perfect to experience on independent and bespoke Latvia tours. Prices depend on the number of people and what level of accommodation you desire, but YPT can arrange everything you need for perfect independent Latvia tours.

As Latvia is located between Estonia and Lithuania, it is a perfect place to explore the entire Baltics. It’s also possible to extend your tour into Belarus or Russia.

Example of a Latvia Itinerary (4 days)

Day 1 – Riga, Latvia

• Arrive at your convenience into Riga and meet your expert guide. 
• Explore Riga old town, an UNESCO World Heritage site, seeing the House of Blackheads, and the Rifleman monument. Only recently the Monument dedicated to the Soviet liberators was taken down. We’ll head there to see the remains of the huge memorial complex. We’ll continue exploring Riga heading in the direction of Cathedral Square where we’ll see Latvia’s Radio (Latvia Radio Station), which is always a great spot to have a beer.
• For lunch, we’ll go to a popular local restaurant which serves amazing Latvian cuisine with locally brewed beers. Here you can sample the traditional black pudding with sauerkraut accompanied by a porter. There are plenty of vegetarian dishes also. 
• Time to explore the historical old town at your own pace and visit the Museum of Occupation, a difficult and dark time in Latvian history. 
• Dinner and overnight stay in Riga.

Day 2 – Riga – Skrunda-1 – Leipaja

• Breakfast at hotel, check out of hotel and depart at 8:00am.
• We’ll leave Riga and head towards Skrunda-1, a secret city. During the cold war, many secret cities were built throughout the Soviet Union. Skrunda-1 was built to house over 5000 military personal to operate radar installations which could detect early warnings of Western European military offences. Now abandoned and derelict, the city is perfect for urbex exploration. 
• Before leaving Skrunda-1, we’ll show you a secret area within the complex. Here you’ll find a huge perfectly intact Lenin mosaic, the only known one to still exist in Latvia.
• Continue onwards to Liepaja – a charming city on the Baltic coast. We’ll take a break along the drive for lunch.

Afternoon

• Visit Karosta prison. Here you’ll be met by a local guide dressed as KGB officer. The prison was originally built to be an infirmary but ended up playing a much darker role as it was used as a military prison by both the Nazis and Soviets. It is labelled as ‘’one of the most haunted places on earth”: within these walls hundreds of Latvians were detained, sent to solitary confinement, tortured and shot dead.
• After the hard-hitting tour, we’ll head back to Liepaja, and on our arrival we’ll check into our hotel. We’ll have some time to relax and freshen up or simply enjoy a cool beer.
• Once we’re ready we’ll head to a Latvian Western saloon style bar which serves great dishes and cold drinks! For those inclined for a few more refreshments, this is the perfect place.
• Overnight stay in Liepaja.

Day 3 – Leipaja – Irbene – Riga 

• Breakfast at hotel, check out and depart.
• We’ll head to the naval base of Liepaja. Under the Soviet Union, this city became a top-secret area completely closed to outsiders and commercial maritime traffic. This was where the Soviets built their vital Baltic naval base stocked with nuclear weapons. A total of 26,000 Soviet military staff were based here which made up more than a third of the city’s population. We’ll explore the former Soviet bunkers and remains of the submarine compounds.
• We’ll next visit one of the most epic Soviet military sites in the Baltics, RT-32. The former Soviet radio installation was known as Zvezdochka which means “Little Star”. Its purpose was to listen in on Western communication. It is still functioning and we’ll have a private tour of the facility and area including the underground tunnels.
• Before we leave the radio centre, we’ll visit a huge Yuri Gagarin monument. An amazing tribute to the first man in space! A perfect opportunity for an epic group photo!

Afternoon

• We’ll start making our way back to Riga; along the way stopping for lunch.
• Late arrival into Riga. Check into our hotel. Before heading out for the evening, you’ll hear a story about the famous Black Cat of Riga and have some interesting Soviet relics in old town pointed out to you.
• After a busy day, we’ll head to a local restaurant for some delicious Latvian food and a few drinks. We recommend trying the Kartupeļu pankūkas – potatoes pancakes with various side dishes to choose from.
• Overnight stay in Riga.

Day 4 – Riga – Ligatna – Tartu, Estonia

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel, check out and depart at 8:00am.
• We’ll take a road trip to Ligatna. Along the scenic journey, we’ll take breaks to stretch our legs and pick up supplies.
• Ligatne Bunker, built during the Cold War when the Soviet Union maintained constant high alert for a Western nuclear attack. Built under a sanatorium for discretion, it was designed to protect the Communist elite of Latvia in the event of nuclear apocalypse. The bunker was supplied with everything necessary to survive several months after a nuclear fallout.
• We’ll descend deep underground and enter through a blast proof door to privately explore the entire bunker system with a local expert.
• The Soviets left this bunker in a hurry so all of the interior is completely original, from the government phones with a direct line to Moscow to military canteen with peeling propaganda posters on the wall.
• After a few hours in the bunker complex, we’ll ascend to ground level and enjoy lunch at the sanatoriums Soviet style canteen with great food.

Afternoon

• Once we’re ready, we’ll start heading to Tartu. Along the way, we’ll stop at Zeltini, a secret nuclear missile base. The top-secret facilities housed ballistic missiles ready to attack the West when ordered. We’ll also find the second largest Lenin head in the world!
• We’ll then drive back to Riga and finish our tour in the late evening

BESPOKE TOURS TO LATVIA

We can offer bespoke and independent Latvia tours. The unique position of the country allows you to combine your Latvia tours with trips to Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus and Russia, for in depth Soviet tours.

For more information on the following programs, or if what you are looking for not be on this list, simply get in touch and we’ll arrange it.

Soviet Latvia tours

Latvia was formally known as The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Latvian SSR). The country coastal town of Jurmala was popular retreat for the elite from Moscow and the dense forest was ideal to hide secret military activities, from functioning satellite stations to abandoned nuclear missile bases. 

Nature-focused Latvia tours

Latvia’s nature is incredibly underrated. Its beautiful rural villages, 12,000 rivers and 3,000 lakes make it an ideal place for hiking, cycling, kayaking and camping. It makes a perfect retreat for those enjoy the peaceful outdoors.

Gastronomy tours in Latvia

Latvians culturally live of the land they live on, so it’s not uncommon to see self-sufficient household and villages, producing some of the most delicious food found in Eastern Europe. We’ll take you on tour to experience Latvia’s gastronomy. 

School tours to Latvia

In recent times, Latvia has built a closer relationship with Western Europe. This includes the educational system where English is taught as a second language. We can arrange school exchange programmes and tours in Latvia. 

Sports tours to Latvia

Football and ice hockey are the most popular sports in Latvia. We can arrange domestic and international Latvia tours and tickets for sporting events in Latvia. Please get in touch for more details.

Historic Latvia tour

Riga has a beautiful historical UNESCO World Heritage Old Town. However, there’s a darker side to the capital, from WWII and the Soviet occupation. Visiting places such as the Karosta prison and the Riga Ghetto, we can create a bespoke and independent tour within Riga and throughout Latvia. 

Military tours to Latvia 

Latvia has faced many challenges and struggled for independence, which its flag represents. The country was not only occupied by the Nazi, but also by the Soviets. We can create an independent Latvia tours to visit memorials, monuments and sites of fierce battles.

Filming in Latvia

Through our media arm Pioneer Media, we can make arrangements for productions, journalists, or others to film within Latvia from big-budget to guerrilla productions.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAVEL TO LATVIA

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