Ventspils

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.

1 Tourism Information Centre, Dārza iela 6, ☏ +371 63622263, +371 63607664, fax: +371 63607665, [email protected]. Information about sightseeing, events, recreation, transport and accommodation. Guided tours with the certified guides of Ventspils. Tourist maps and brochures.

Getting there

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 Nynäshamn in Sweden

By bus There are regular bus services from Riga (2½–4 hr, €7.55), Liepāja (2 times a day, 3 hr, €5.50), Kuldīga (about €3) several times a day. All buses arrive at the central Bus Station on Kuldigas iela 4. Schedules can be found on 1188.lv.

1 Ventspils Bus Station (Ventspils autoosta), Kuldīgas iela 5, ☏ +371 63622789.

By car The most commonly used routes are from:

Riga, 190 km on main highway E22 (A10) Kuldīga, 60 km on highway P108 Liepāja, 120 km on highways P111, P108, and P110

By ferry

Stena Line ferries run between Nynäshamn 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 yacht 2 Ventspils Marina. In the summer season Ventspils Marina offers 50 berths for yachts and motor yachts.

By plane 3 Ventspils International Airport (VNT IATA) (some 5 km (3.1 mi) southwest of the city). The airport mostly serves general aviation and has not seen commercial flights in years. Despite the grandiose name the flights it did see some time around 2008 were domestic ones (from Riga).

Getting 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 90° angles, all signposts marking the directions to interesting or important locations are at 90° 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

1 Livonian Order Castle, Jāņa iela 17, ☏ +371 63622031, +371 63626288, [email protected]. 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 Ventspils’ 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. €3 or day ticket for all 3 museums (Castle, Seaside Open-Air Museum and The House of Crafts): €5. 2 Ventspils Market Square, ☏ +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 “Pie dzintara jūras” (On Amber sea - "Am Golf von Biskaya" Latvian version), except for 12:33 and 00:33, when the song “Uz priekšu, Kurzeme” (Ahead Kurzeme) of Uldis Marhilēvičs is played. 3 Ventspils House of Crafts, ☏ +371 63620174, [email protected]. Old school building (1763) with an exhibition hall and a craft shop, with weaving, ceramics and retro photo workshops and a 19th-century classroom. €1. 4 Senču putekļi (museum), Ērgļu iela 1, ☏ +371 63625004. M–F 11–17:00. A small local-ethnographic collection founded and donated by the author Herberts Dorbe (1894–1983). Free. (updated Apr 2018) 5 Ventspils Town Hall Square, ☏ +371 63622263, [email protected]. It houses a modern lib

Do

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

1 Ventspils Blue Flag Beach (Ventspils Zilā karoga pludmale), ☏ +371 63622263, [email protected]. A fully facilitated white sand beach with broad dune belt, viewing tower, pier promenade, special areas for surfers and nudists. 2 Narrow-Gauge Railway Mazbanitis (Piejūras Brīvdabas Muzejs), Riņķa 2, ☏ +371 63624467, [email protected]. W–Su 10:30–13:30 14–17:30 (May 1–October 30). Ride on the historic, World War I and former German narrow-gauge railway (600 mm) steam engine (1916) along a 2.6 km track from the Seaside Park (Muzejs) via beach to the Adventure Park (aka Kalns) – Kalna linija: 11:30, 12:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:30 to Kalns; 12:00, 13:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00 to Muzejs). There are actually two lines, another one only does a 1.4 km circle around the Seaside Park (Rinka linija: 11:00, 11:15, 17:20). Adult €3 (Kalna linija), €2 (Rinka linija). 3 Skiing Hill "Lemberga hūte" (Slēpošanas kalns "Lemberga hūte"), Saules street 141, ☏ +371 28611333, [email protected]. Great viewpoint in summer, and best ski destination in winter. 4 Akvaparks, Medņu iela 19 / Piejūras parks. 10:00-21:00 (1st weekend in June till September). Heated open-air swimming pool. 200 m to the beach. 5 Olimpiskais Centrs Ventspils, Sporta iela 7/9, ☏ +371 63622587, [email protected]. Ice skating rink, basketball, skate park, etc. 6 Children's Town (Bērnu pilsētiņa), Vasarnīcu iela / Lielais prospekts, ☏ +371 63622263. Summer: 07–22:00, winter: 07–20:00. Go play with