Ventspils

Ventspils is a city in Kurzeme on the western coast of Latvia and one of Europe's busiest ports.

Understand

Ventspils is the Latvian flower capital and is adorned with flowers from spring till autumn. Even the City Festival on the first weekend of August is a time when florists from the Baltic States cover Promenade of Ostas iela with carpets of flowers.

Ventspils is a modern summer and sea resort city, which has all the amenities to spend a summer week at the beach and exploring the surrounding places. Its roads and sidewalks are made up of various kinds of cobblestones. Ventspils is famous for its artistic spirit and its numerous cow statues all over the city from the 2002 Cow Parade.

Due to immigration of many workers from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine in the past, about 1/3 of the population of Ventspils is from those countries.

Get in

There are bus connections from Riga, Liepāja and Kuldīga. The closest railway stations with passenger service are in Tukums and Liepāja, approximately 120 km east and south of Ventspils, respectively; Ventspils has no passenger services. There is a ferry from NynƤshamn in Sweden

By bus

There are regular bus services from Riga (2Ā½ā€“4 hr, ā‚¬7.55), Liepāja (2 times a day, 3 hr, ā‚¬5.50), KuldÄ«ga (about ā‚¬3) several times a day. All buses arrive at the central Bus Station on Kuldigas iela 4. Schedules can be found on 1188.lv.

By car

The most commonly used routes are from:

  • Riga, 190 km on main highway E22 (A10)
  • KuldÄ«ga, 60 km on highway P108
  • Liepāja, 120 km on highways P111, P108, and P110

By boat
See also: ferries on the Baltic Sea

Stena Line ferries run between NynƤshamn in Sweden and Ventspils, an 11- to 12-hour journey. These are mainly used for transport of HGV's to Sweden but passengers and small vehicles can use the service. Tickets can be purchased from an office at Ventspils Ferry Terminal.

By plane

Get around

Within the city centre, most locations can be reached on foot within 15-20 minutes at most. But cars and bicycles can travel just as easily on the roads and bicycle paths around town.

Public transportation is run by the local bus company 'Ventspils Reiss' with modern blue coloured buses and minibuses. Most bus stops have a map of the routes and schedules for the lines that stop there.

Do not trust the signs. Since most streets in Ventspils intersect at 90Ā° angles, all signposts marking the directions to interesting or important locations are at 90Ā° angles as well. So often a sign will be pointing in the wrong direction (if your destination lies at a different angle) or onto impassable objects such as a wall (if your destination lies behind it). So be wary and carry a map - which you can get for free at the tourist office next to the ferry terminal.

See
  • šŸŒ Livonian Order Castle, Jāņa iela 17, ā˜ +371 63622031, +371 63626288, . One of the oldest medieval fortresses to have survived. In 1290 the castle was first chronicled and this date is now considered to be the year of Ventspilsā€™ foundation. In 1995 extensive archaeological research and renovation of the castle began. During renovation, features retained included niches of the 14th century, wall paintings of the 15th century, door openings of the 17th century and prison doors of the 19th century. The Castle has now outwardly regained its 19th century look. There is a nice museum inside, offering both permanent (i.e. city history) and occasional (i.e. money design, Japan post-World War II photography) exhibitions. ā‚¬3 or day ticket for all 3 museums (Castle, Seaside Open-Air Museum and The House of Crafts): ā‚¬5. 
  • šŸŒ Ventspils Market Square, ā˜ +371 63622263. Established at the beginning of the 17th century. Has all kinds of local produce, vegetables, fruits, cloths. But the best bet here seems to be the meat, which is sold at numerous stalls in various forms; raw, smoked, sausage-d. Check out the beautiful carillon bell/clock tower, which has some history aspects, starting from the listing of various market measurements. Each hour the clock plays the melody ā€œPie dzintara jÅ«rasā€ (On Amber sea - "Am Golf von Biskaya" Latvian version), except for 12:33 and 00:33, when the song ā€œUz priekÅ”u, Kurzemeā€ (Ahead Kurzeme) of Uldis Marhilēvičs is played. 
  • šŸŒ Ventspils House of Crafts, ā˜ +371 63620174, . Old school building (1763) with an exhibition hall and a craft shop, with weaving, ceramics and retro photo workshops and a 19th-century classroom. ā‚¬1. 
  • šŸŒ Senču putekļi (museum), Erglu 1, ā˜ +371 63625004. Mā€“F 11ā€“17:00. A small local-ethnographic collection founded and donated by the author Herberts Dorbe (1894ā€“1983). Free. (updated Apr 2018)
  • šŸŒ Ventspils Town Hall Square, ā˜ +371 63622263, . It houses a modern library, International Writers and Translators' House, Lutheran church (early 18th century) and the Digital Centre. 
  • šŸŒ Ostgals, ā˜ +371 63622263. Ancient fishermen's village (mid-19th century) that is now a part of the city, a national cultural and historical monument. 
  • šŸŒ Seaside Open-air Museum (Seaside Park with Anchor and Jungle Trail / JÅ«rmalas parks ar Enkuru taku un Džungļu taku), Riņķa iela 2, ā˜ +371 63624467, +371 63622263, . Seaside Open-Air Museum. Museum of maritime fishing with ancient houses, a windmill, smokehouse, mesh huts, barns and a spacious boat, exposition of anchors and the history of narrow-gauge railway. Founded in 1954 to preserve the heritage of the seaside fishing village. Today it is the only open air museum dedicated to fishing in Latvia. It features fishermenā€™s homesteads, barns, wind mills (from the Užava parish), smokehouses, curing cabins, net sheds and other samples of native building and household artefacts. In an area of 4 ha, you will find an extensive sea boat collection and the largest anchor collection in the Baltics with more than one hundred exhibits dating from the 17th century to present day. At the Seaside Park you can enjoy the Enkuru taka (Anchor trail) which is formed of the biggest anchors. Also, a Jungle Trail with footbridges, bridges, wooden animal sculptures, playgrounds and picnic places. ā‚¬2. 
  • šŸŒ Svētā Krusta Romas katoļu baznÄ«ca, JÅ«ras 32, ā˜ +371 63622361. This Catholic church with its Corinthian columns without eye-catching tower leave a classicist impression. 
  • šŸŒ Ventspils St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (Svētā Nikolaja pareizticÄ«go baznÄ«ca), Plosta 10. 
  • šŸŒ Southern Pier (Dienvidu mols), ā˜ +371 63622263, . Pier promenade, sculpture "Cow-Sailor", šŸŒ 19 m high observation tower, sightseeing object ā€“ fishing boat and chain chair, and further out the šŸŒ Ventspils South Pier Lighthouse. 
  • Flower artwork. At various locations throughout Ventspils there are examples of flower artwork in the streets. The flowers are arranged not only in flower-beds, but also a flower-clock and vivid flower-sculptures: The Duck Family in the Childrenā€™s Town, Lady-Birds at the Promenade of Ostas Street, Underwater World next to the Beach Waterpark, Bobsleigh Team on the main street Lielais prospects, and the newcomers The Bunny Family at the end-station Kalns of the narrow-gauge train.
  • Cow Parade: in 2002 Ventspils hosted this international art event and several of the cow sculptures still reside throughout the city.
    • Latvijas melnā (Latvian Black Cow) dwells on the Promenade of Ostas iela;
    • Pretim gaismai (Towards the Light) that usually climbs the lamp post on Pils iela next to ā€˜Latvenergoā€™ JSC;
    • Ms. Moo-Dunk the basketball cow resides near the Basketball Hall of the Olimpiskais Centrs Ventspils;
    • DzÄ«ve ir skaista (Life is Beautiful) is situated at the Childrenā€™s Town;
    • JÅ«ras govs (Cow of the Sea) dwells next to the Livonian Order Castle facing the River Venta;
    • Nafta (Oil) lives next to the Childrenā€™s Home Selga;
    • Londonas govs (London Cow) welcomes the residents of the camping site PiejÅ«ras kempings.
    • CeļojoŔā govs (Travelling Cow) is shaped like a huge suit-case and awaits the city guests on the Promenade of Ostas iela to take some pictures;
    • Govs-Matrozis (The Sailor Cow) is a giant blue-coloured cow dressed as a seafarer and situated at the Southern Pier of Ventspils;
    • Å Å«pojoŔā govs (Cow on the Swings) is a large, but cute and girly cow sitting on the swings not far from the excursion boat Hercogs Jēkabs.

Do

There are a lot of things to do in Ventspils ā€“ go grab a free booklet at the castle to find some of them. The city is very-well-prepared for families with kids.

Events
  • Knights Festival at the Castle. First half of June. 
  • Festival of the Sea. Beginning of July. 
  • Ghetto Games Festival. End of July. A youth festival celebrating ghetto basket, streetbike freestyle, BMX freestyle, MTB freestyle, skateboard, etc. FB. 

Buy
  • Ventspils Regional Market at the Market Square
  • šŸŒ Tobago Shopping Centre, Lielais prospekts 3/5. Rimi, etc. 

Eat

Sleep

Budget accommodation is scarce in Ventspils, so it is better to continue further to Liepāja or Kuldīga. Also, Rinda, just 30 km north and a little inland, has a cheap place to stay.

Go next
  • Cape Kolka ā€“ A beautiful wild cape inside SlÄ«teres National Park. North.
  • Irbene ā€“ Visit the worldā€™s eighth-largest radio telescope at the Irbene Radio Astronomy Centre, located between Cape Kolka and Ventspils. Irbene was a Soviet village that is now abandoned, leaving behind dull concrete buildings.
  • KuldÄ«ga ā€“ The capital of Duchy of Courland, Venice of Latvia, with unique and wooden architecture, red-tile roofs, bridges, cobbled streets, the widest widest waterfall ledge in Europe, and nearby the longest underground (sand) cave labyrinth in the Baltics. In the centre of Kurzeme.
  • Pāvilosta ā€“ A small fishing village with nice beach, camping and museum. South.


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