Castles of Sigulda and the Gauja Valley, Sigulda, Latvia (B)

Just an hour away from the capital of Latvia is the small town of Sigulda. While often a day trip for visitors to Riga, I opted to spend a few days there to better explore the region. Boy was I glad I did, as I soon came to realise that Sigulda and the Gauja Valley were a cornucopia of sights, both historical and natural. I ended up with a pretty packed itinerary moving between cool medieval castles, scenic panoramic views and some really neat natural landmarks. Allow me to take you through all the there is to see and do in the vicinity of Sigulda and the Gauja Valley. 

A natural place to start is with the town of Sigulda itself. Found 53 kilometres northeast of the national capital Riga in the region of Vidzeme, Sigulda is a modest town lying on the edge of the dense Gauja National Park. This town of 16,000 people has often been dubbed the “Switzerland of Vidzeme”, because of the sandstone formations found in the nearby valley. Despite its small size, Sigulda is actually quite spread out and almost feels like it lacks a town centre. Wandering is advisable as you get to explore the pleasantly serene streets of this intensely green town. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).