Places to Visit in Ventspils, Latvia, Europe

Places to Visit in Ventspils, Latvia, Europe

Ventspils is a city situated in the Courland region of Latvia, around 185 km northwest of Riga, the capital of Latvia. It is one of the developed cities of Latvia in the fields of education, infrastructure, sport, culture and economy. A special thing about Ventspils city is, it has a noticeable relation with the flowers as its squares, courtyards and parks are adorned with flower figures and flower sculptures.

Geography of Ventspils:

Located on the River Venta in the northwestern part of the country, Ventspils coordinates with 57°23′26″ N latitude and 21°34′24″ E longitude sprawling over an area of 55.4 sq. km.

History of Ventspils:

The literal meaning of Ventspils is “Castle on the Venta” which indicates the position of Ventspils on the Venta River and the Baltic Sea. Ventspils originated around the Ventspils Castle in the 13th century and in 1378, it achieved town rights.

Connectivity to Ventspils:

Ventspils has its own airport, called the Ventspils International Airport which is located around 5 km southwest of the city centre. There are scheduled flights operational during the summer months.

Riga International Airport is located about 185 km from the centre of the Ventspils city with scheduled and seasonal international flights.

Railway connection of Ventspils with Riga is not good but there are regular buses plying between Riga and Ventspils throughout the year.

‘Ventspils Reiss’ is the major bus operator in the Ventspils city offering buses and minibuses for local travel. Rental vehicles are also useful for local travel.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Ventspils:

Ventspils is home to many sublime festival celebrations like Sea Festival which takes place in the month of July annually and the City Festival is held in the month of August every year. The Parventa Festival and the Children’s Festival are other renowned festivals celebrated in Ventspils.

Ventspils houses both traditional and modern shops all around and the famous food corners in Ventspils include:

Bugins
Black Pig
Musmajas
Karlins Pica

Things to do in Ventspils:

Swimming
Bicycle riding
Shopping

Places to see in Ventspils:

Ventspils Castle:

Being one of the survived Livonian Order castles in Latvia, the Ventspils Castle was originally constructed in 1290 and later rebuilt several times, although it retained its original structure. Before became museum in 1995, it served as citadel, residence and jail.

Ventspils Museum:

The Ventspils Museum is concentrated on the history and culture of Ventspils. It showcases the archeological findings and artworks from the origin of the settlement to modern Ventspils and it also manages the Open-Air Seaside Museum.

Beach Aquapark:

There is a water park, called Beach Aquapark situated in the proximity of the Blue Flag Beach of Ventspils and this open-air water amusement park offers top class recreational activities with amazing amenities.

List of other places of interest in Ventspils includes:

Bucher Schoerling Utility Car Factory
Ventspils Port
Lutheran church
Theatre House “Jūras Vārti”
Ventspils Library
International Writers and Translators’ House
Ventspils’ Olympic Centre
Ventspils’ Basketball Hall
Beach of the Blue Flag
Old Town of Ventspils
Narrow Gauge Train Mazbānītis

Best time to visit Ventspils:

The months between July and October are ideal traveling Ventspils while many palatial festivals takes place and the weather will be supportive for beach exploration.

Accommodation options in Ventspils:

Along with plenty of entertainment and cultural centers, Ventspils also houses many world class hotels with top class amenities such as spa, sauna, doctor on call, business centre and free Wi-Fi. The reputed hotels in Ventspils include: