Latvia is definitely worth discovering in winter, when nature is adorned in white, crystal-clear hues, forests and meadows lay dormant beneath a thick blanket of snow, and even the sea grows calm. The crisp crunch of snow underfoot and the sharp, cold air create a special kind of enchantment – winter mornings are accentuated by branches laced with silvery hoarfrost and banks of mist drifting across the valleys.
Fans of an active lifestyle can enjoy a huge range of memorable winter activities across Latvia – cross-country or downhill skiing on prepared trails, hiking along countless nature paths, or climbing viewing towers in nature parks and bogs to soak up the magic of a white winter. In Riga, public ice rinks and ski trails are available during the winter season, while in the Gauja River Valley, the Sigulda Bobsleigh and Luge Track promises an adrenaline rush during rides in real bobsleigh sleds.
The list goes on, but the easiest way to make sure you don’t miss the winter activities that best match your interests is to consult the LatviaTravel portal – where ideas for both active getaways and calm enjoyment of nature are gathered in one place. You can also enrich your trip with interesting stop-offs along the way: for example, alongside your chosen ski trail or walking route, you could plan a quiet winter retreat close to nature, tastings of local delicacies, visits to small museums and exhibitions, or a break in a cosy café – making your winter trip a comprehensively inspiring adventure.
If you’ve already sipped your morning coffee, the frost outside is nipping at your nose, and tiny ice crystals are sparkling in white snowdrifts, that’s the perfect moment to head out, enjoy what the Latvian winter has to offer, and revel in unforgettable leisure moments. Let’s go!
Exciting alpine ski slopes
When the ground is blanketed in snow, downhill skiing and snowboarding slopes come to life across Latvia. In Baldone, just outside Riga, Riekstukalns offers a wide choice of runs, a viewing tower and the cosy Riekstu krogs café. About an hour’s drive from Riga, on the slopes of the Gauja Valley in Sigulda – also known as Latvia’s winter sports capital – you will find the Sigulda City Track, the longest and widest slope in Latvia. Visitors have access to two runs – 350 m and 200 m in length – with a vertical drop of 90 m. The slope also provides artificial snow, equipment hire and a café where you can warm up after hitting the slopes. Nearby is Reiņa trase, where, alongside downhill runs, a 2 km cross-country skiing loop is also available.
In the Cēsis area, winter fun enthusiasts are drawn to Žagarkalns, with 12 runs of varying difficulty levels and extensive training opportunities, as well as nearby Ozolkalns, with several floodlit runs up to 500 m long and a chairlift. On the outskirts of Valmiera, the Baiļi recreation complex offers both downhill skiing and a cross-country forest trail. Meanwhile, at Gaiziņkalns – the highest peak in Vidzeme – the Gaiziņš recreation complex combines ski runs with accommodation and sauna facilities.
In the Tukums area, Milzkalns offers 11 runs and a snow park for more dynamic skiing. In the land of wind, on Kurzeme’s coast, the Ventspils Adventure Park features ski slopes, a sledging hill and a cross-country ski trail, providing winter fun for the whole family. In Latgale, within Augšdaugava Municipality, Egļukalns offers floodlit ski slopes and tubing runs, and the site is only around a 20-minute drive from Daugavpils.
Wherever your winter journey in Latvia takes you, you will always find a slope where you can breathe in crystal-clear air, and enjoy lots and lots of snow – just choose the run and surrender to the beauty of nature.
Nordic cross-country skiing
Latvia’s wide plains and forests make it particularly well suited to cross-country skiing. What was once required for winter survival is now a sport and enjoyable activity that is accessible to almost anyone in many places across the country.
During the winter season in Riga, trails are prepared in Uzvaras Park, on Lucavsala and in Purvciems, while in Mežaparks ski tracks of around 3.5 km are set up in winter. Meanwhile, at the Biķernieki track, skiers can also access longer loops of 5 km and 2.3 km.
Just outside Riga, skiers are particularly fond of Ogres Zilie kalni, where a cross-country skiing trail stretches for almost 12 km through a beautiful, scenic nature park.
There is no shortage of well-maintained cross-country skiing spots elsewhere in Latvia either. For example, in Liepāja – Kurzeme’s largest city – enthusiasts ensure each year that a winter ski trail is prepared on Zirgu sala, allowing visitors to ski in a picturesque coastal setting. This illustrates just how much Latvians love this elegant winter pastime. Vidzeme, meanwhile, is especially rich in skiing and biathlon infrastructure: in Gulbene there is a 2.5 km floodlit loop, and you can also ski in the park at Vecgulbene Manor, allowing you enjoy an atmosphere of bygone days at the same time. In the Madona area, at the Smeceres sils sports and recreation centre, skiing is very popular and available both on a floodlit loop (2.5 km) and forest trails stretching up to 25 km.
If you’re looking for a well-maintained and professional setting, the Cēsis Ski and Biathlon Centre is a great option. It has a 1 km trail with artificial snow and a 2.5 km route with natural snow. Meanwhile, the Fischer Ski Centre in Sigulda, with a 1.25 km floodlit artificial snow track, extends the skiing season.
In Alūksne, where winters are harsher and snowier, the Mežinieki sports and recreation centre has prepared 1 to 3 km ski loops, allowing you to enjoy white winter landscapes and the distinctive crisp winter air. In Latgale – the land of blue lakes – the Stropi trail in Daugavpils (around 3 km) is well suited to cross-country skiing, while in Rēzekne, the region’s cultural capital, you can ski in the popular Vipingas Forest Park.
In Latvia, cross-country skiing is a much-loved and well-established tradition, so across the country you’ll find both professional tracks and enthusiast-maintained trails – your only challenge is choosing among them!
Observation towers, panoramas and landscapes
The special atmosphere of winter landscapes is best experienced from a bird’s-eye view. Viewing towers across Latvia allow you to take in wide panoramas precisely when the trees are bare and the snow outlines the relief of the terrain. In Zemgale, the Ložmetējkalns tower in Tīreļpurvs (27 m) is particularly impressive, offering views across the open bog as well as the historic sites of Christmas Battles. Just outside Riga, the Ogres Zilie kalni viewing tower (30 m) provides sweeping vistas over pine forests and distant horizons. Meanwhile, in Tērvete Nature Park a 39 m wooden tower offers a captivating view over Zemgale’s forests and plains in winter.
In Latgale, in the Daugava Loops Nature Park, winter landscapes are beautifully laid out beneath the Vasargelišķi viewing tower (over 20 m), from which you can see the famous Rozališķi bend. In Vidzeme, it is worth visiting the Viņķu kalns viewing tower (18 m), whose structure is adorned with Latvian motifs painted by artist Sandra Strēle, as well as the Brežģa kalns tower (11 m), which on clear days offers views of the surrounding lakes.
Many viewing towers are also open in winter – just bear in mind that in deep snow they may be harder to reach. But the reward is well worth it: above the treetops, Latvia’s winter horizons unfold – snow-covered forests, small villages and homesteads with smoking chimneys, frozen lakes like mirrors, and rivers like silver ribbons. These views stay with you for a long time and make you fall in love with our country for life.
Winter hikes and nature trails
Winter hikes are a great way to enjoy the season’s charm without complicated kit or special preparation – just dress warmly and set off on a short stroll on the city outskirts or a longer route out in the regions.
Just outside Riga, the Cenas tīrelis bog offers a taste of adventure with a boardwalk route of around 5–6 km, proving that nature reigns only a few dozen minutes from a major city. Bogs, in general, offer a particular winter magic – for example, the boardwalk in the Great Ķemeri Bog is accessible year-round. Its larger loop is around 3.4 km, leading to a viewing tower in the middle of the bog. In winter, snow-covered bog pools, clusters of low pines and deep silence create the feeling of having stepped into another reality.
Gauja National Park becomes quiet and tranquil in winter – Sigulda’s, Turaida’s and Cēsis’s most popular nature routes are no longer crowded with visitors as they typically are in summer, giving winter guests the chance to observe the transformations brought by winter slowly and serenely. Those who enjoy watching wildlife should pay a visit to the Līgatne Nature Trails, where Latvia’s wild animals – including lynx and bears – can be observed from dedicated, fenced-off points on the trail.
In Latgale, the Teirumnīki Bog Trail is also popular – an 800-m-long boardwalk along Lake Teirumnīki, where the snow reveals tracks left by different animals. Meanwhile, in Kurzeme you can enjoy winter’s calm and a primeval landscape on the Dunikas Bog Trail. Its 5.5 km boardwalk leads to the Lukna hornbeam grove, the only pure stand of its kind in Latvia.
Winter hikes in coastal areas have their own charm – the beaches become empty, but the wind and frost lend the coast a special and epic atmosphere. The steep coast of Jurkalne looks especially impressive in winter – here the sea and the high coastline create one of the most picturesque coastal landscapes in Latvia. At Cape Kolkasrags, where the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Riga meet, on sunny winter days colliding waves often create tiny ice crystals that sparkle in the sun.
