Holidays in Jurmala in the summer: reviews. Tours to Jurmala
resort capital Latvia have long been counted Jurmala. This town is distinguished by its unique atmosphere and beauty. The infrastructure here is quite highly developed, despite the fact that the city does not have large skyscrapers, business centers, and in everything else it is cozy and quiet. You will find many buildings that will amaze you with their beauty and intricate architecture. Due to its geographical location, the city can be considered a health resort, as it will provide a lot of opportunities to admire the diversity of nature and gain strength.
Sea coast in Jurmala occupies about 30 km long. The city is famous for all its beaches, but two of them are worth mentioning separately. The first one is Maiori. He once received the well-deserved European Blue Flag award and to this day is not inferior to the standards of the nomination. The beach is special in that it is equipped for people with special needs. Here you will find not only a free shower, toilet and changing cabin, many gazebos and the opportunity to hide in the shade from the sun will please any vacationer. Jurmala beaches wide enough so that tourists can not only sunbathe under the sun, but also play sport games I don't interfere with others. Just behind the coastline you will find many shops where you can rent equipment for swimming or playing volleyball.
The second beach, which has the right to annually raise the "Blue Flag" - Jaunkemeri. Here you can not only enjoy clear water and clean sand, but the beach is sure to have everything necessary for the safety of vacationers, the movement of motor boats, boats and scooters is prohibited. Moreover, rescue towers will rise at an equal distance from each other, where a security officer is watching you and your children.
Peculiarity beaches of Jurmala in that along the entire coast stretched forest. On the one hand, you can feel the spray of the surf, and on the other, the smell of pines. The beach is especially good. Jurmala vacationers with children, because the coast is completely shallow and very slowly declining. Also, you will not get hurt on stones, shells, jellyfish or get entangled in algae, because all this is part of the obligations of the city government, in particular, the owner of the beach, which must be fulfilled in order to obtain a European quality certificate.
If you want to dilute your usual stay on the beach, then you can visit one of the largest water parks in Europe, Livu, located in the Lielupe region. The territory of the water park is divided into several thematic zones: from a tropical beach to an area with artificial waves. divided. All activities are designed for different age groups, so children will be safe and youngsters and parents will be able to experience the adrenaline.
IN Jurmala also flows a river called Leilupe. Here you will be offered a walk along the coast on a yacht, or extreme water skiing. You can also take windsurfing or boarding lessons while tied to a motorboat. And all these incredible experiences you can get in one place - the local yacht club.
The easiest solution for finding a beach in Riga is go to Jurmala and if you do so, you will be right, because the word Jurmala means “seashore” in Latvian.
All beaches of Jurmala are equally good for relaxation. There are no paid beaches here, renting an umbrella and a sunbed costs 5-8 euro. The beaches are usually equipped everything you need: shower, toilet, changing cabins, there is always a cafe nearby.
beach season here is not too long: from the end of June to the end of August. The temperature of the sea water in the season can rise up to 22 degrees. At other times, the sea becomes cool, but the endless sandy beaches remain just as inviting.
The best beaches in Jurmala
Bulduri beach
This beach is one of the best in Jurmala, for which it has been awarded the highest award "Blue Flag", as well as other beaches of Jurmala, which we tell you about. Not far from the beach is the Dendrological Park, where you can take a walk in the shade of trees.
Dzintari beach
Usually the beaches in Jurmala are named the same as the areas in which they are located. Dzintari is no exception. This is the most luxurious area with luxury houses and the most expensive real estate, and the beach of this area is also known far beyond the borders of Latvia. Although in fact, in terms of the quality of the services provided, it is no different from other beaches.
Maiori beach
This beach is located in the very center of Jurmala, near the main walking street Jomas. The beach is perfectly clean, equipped with everything you need, there are many cafes, entertainment for children and adults. On the beach you can play volleyball or do other sports.
Dubulti beach
Another city beach where you can have a great rest. There is always free space, there are cafes and shops nearby, there are changing cabins and beach equipment rentals.
Jaunkemeri beach
If you want to a relaxing holiday then you need to go to this beach. There are usually very few people here, the water in the sea is very clean, and the seagulls are very arrogant. The beach is far from the center, so people usually go to the popular Dzintari or Majori, where life is seething and music plays loudly, they go to Jaunkemeri for relaxation.
In addition to these beaches in Jurmala, you can go to Kauguri and Vaivari that are equipped for people with disabilities, as well as on pumpuri beach which will appeal to fans of riding on surfer and others active recreation. On Lielupe there are fishermen and those who want to go boating, but in general, in Jurmala everyone will find something for themselves that they will remember with a smile.
The best beaches in Riga
Daugavgrive beach
This beach is located near Seaside Natural Park. Here you can calmly sunbathe by the water, or you can engage in outdoor activities. The beach is equipped with changing cabins, showers and toilets, and there is a small parking lot on site.
Vecaki beach
Address: Selgas street 20, Riga
The beach is located on the outskirts of the city, which does not prevent him from being the favorite beach of the townspeople. There are changing cabins, showers and toilets, you can rent a sunbed and an umbrella. Lying on the beach, you can hear how the pine trees rustle in the forest.
Vakarbulli beach
This beach is officially considered nudist. Nevertheless, in the area of \u200b\u200bthis beach everyone can find a place to relax. The beach has a large parking lot, changing places, shops and cafes. Vakarbulli is equipped with everything you need for a beach holiday.
The beaches of Saulkrasti
If you do not want to go to ordinary beaches, but want something unusual, go towards the city of Saulkrasti. The city is located 47 km from Riga and the whole road to it is a work of art. At the entrance to the city you will find white sand dunes, endless beaches, equipped and wild places for recreation, sandy slopes on which pine trees grow, the wind blowing through the dense crowns of trees ... Here they know how and love to have a good rest, as well as take care of their away, so people come here for a couple of days. average price for a double room 35-40 euros. Search for hotels and guest houses in Saulkrasti at guaranteed lowest prices on the website
Mezaparks Drive to Jurmala by train is only twenty minutes. If you get off at the Dzintari station, then literally in five minutes you will find yourself near the entrance to the chic Mezhaparks. Mežaparks This is a high-stemmed pine forest, with paths laid there, playgrounds and numerous benches. There (during the season) you can pick blueberries and strawberries, breathe in delicious air, and just relax. Mežaparks And there you can also climb a huge tower, the observation deck of which is higher than tall pines... Mežaparks Mežaparks View from the tower towards the sea Mežaparks I call this place "Park of the Jurmala Period". Mežaparks In addition to the pine trees, there are many flowering shrubs Fountain on the square near the Dzintari Concert Hall Having finished walking through the forest, we come to this famous place. Baltic Coast If you have time, you can sunbathe, and if you are seasoned, then swim. At the end of June, the water was only +18, and by the time you reach the depth, at least waist-deep, your legs are already freezing...)) Jurmala houses Shaking off the sand, we will walk along one (or two, or three) of the three streets, running through the city parallel to the sea. For what? Then, in order to admire the famous Jurmala mansions... Jurmala houses Jurmala houses Jurmala houses Not a bad cottage... Jurmala houses Plots under the incorruptible gaze of video cameras... Jurmala cars Here you can find very non-standard cars. Jurmala cars You look at them and immediately understand that a car is not a luxury, but a means of transportation...)) Majori train station Any of the three streets leads us to Majori The station is located right on the banks of the Lielupe River - our goal in this area Lielupe River There is nothing special here, except for beautiful panoramas... The Lielupe River The Lielupe River The Lielupe River Many yellow egg-pods grow near the shore. The Lielupe River However, the athletes... Monument to Lachplesis, the Latvian dragon slayer Latvian folklore has a national hero named Lachplesis, who is also called Lachausis (bear-eared - such a nickname is given because of his bear ears, a mysterious source of supernatural power). Among his exploits is the victory over the dragon, which is depicted on a monument located in Majori Park. Jomas Street This is the central street of the city. As you can see, it is pedestrian, and it is on it that almost all shops, cafe-restaurants and other establishments are located. Jomas Street Walking along it is as necessary as sitting on the beach.
A person may know absolutely nothing about Latvia: neither that its capital is Riga, nor that Raimonds Pauls was born there, and even may even confuse it with Lithuania (shamefully, but it happens). But when the cherished word “Jurmala” is pronounced in front of our person, a red exclamation mark immediately lights up in his head. Because everyone really knows Jurmala - both as a venue for the most popular music competition, and as the largest resort in the Baltic countries. Riga seaside - is it really necessary to paint these words somehow on purpose?
Tourism and resort recreation in Latvia is a fundamental source of national income, much like metal music in Finland. And Jurmala plays a major role in this. It's not even a resort - it's a whole network of resorts and beaches, a huge complex, which provides everything that the most demanding tourist might need (well, except for outright exoticism - you still need to go to another country for elephants and fried grasshoppers).
When is the best time to go to Jurmala? It would seem - in the summer, at the height of the swimming season. But here it is necessary to take into account some important nuances. Let's start with the fact that the Riga seaside is not limited to resorts alone. Remember that Soviet music festival? So, it was only flowers.
The famous Jurmala concert hall "Dzintari" is known far beyond the borders of Riga, and the number of events that take place in it makes you whistle respectfully. These are “Voicing KiViN”, and the festival “Comedy Club”, and the contest “New Wave”, and “Jurmalina” ... These are only the most famous events. For a number of reasons, they are held almost simultaneously: approximately from mid-July to mid-August. Do not forget to book Jurmala hotels in advance, at this time they are not just overcrowded - in principle, there may not be free rooms there.
So here you have to make a difficult choice: on the one hand, all the charms of the high season, on the other, the human sea, the “Russo touristic image of morality” and the clogged hotels that need to be stormed like the fortress of Minas Tirith, and just as unsuccessfully. If you purposefully go to the same "KiViN" - then, of course, you have to put up with it. But as soon as you like a more relaxing holiday - in this case, go to Jurmala better at another time.
For example, in the second half of August. At this time, the flow of tourists is already beginning to dry up, and the sea (quite cold) is already warming up so much that it is quite possible to swim comfortably in it. Yes, and the mild August weather in Jurmala is the most for people who do not tolerate, for example, the Egyptian heat.
This year, as in previous years, at the beginning of August I went to Jurmala to create a small summer sea holiday on the Baltic Sea coast.
What is Jurmala. First of all, it is a city with a population of 56,060 people along which along the coast of the Baltic Sea lies a magnificent sandy beach with a length of 26 km.
The oldest district of Jurmala, Sloka, began to develop already in the 17th century. Well, the first vacationers in modern Jurmala, the Courland landowners, appeared at the end of the 18th century and this gives the right to consider the Jurmala resort one of the oldest seaside resorts in Europe.
Modern Jurmala, these are the regional beaches of the city: Kemeri, Jaunkemeri, Kaugurciems, Kauguri, Vaivari, Asari, Melluzhi, Pumpuri, Yaundubulti, Dubulti, Majori, Dzintari, Bulduri, Lielupe and Bulluciems.
Jurmala is unique due to the combination of three recreation areas - sea, forest and cultural. Here those who are attracted by the mild climate, healing sea air, a combination of wide opportunities for restoring health with a variety of entertainments have a rest.
Over the past 22 years, I had to visit 24 countries Europe and Asia, visited the resorts of Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Cyprus, Greece, Italy ... visited the Baltic, Mediterranean, Aegean, Adriatic and Ionian seas ... and I can proudly say that today, Jurmala is worth at the first place.
Jurmala is perfect for those who want to improve their health - in particular, to solve problems associated with the organs of the respiratory system and the musculoskeletal system. It will be extremely useful to visit such sanatoriums and health resorts as Jaunkameri and Kemeri. For more than a decade they have been famous for their balneotherapy centers, where they conduct effective courses of treatment with the help of phyto- and mud baths, various body wraps, as well as mineral waters with a high sulfur content. All this, combined with a favorable climate, saturated with iodine and coniferous ethers, sea air invariably gives a positive effect.
Not far from these two health resort centers is the Kemeri National Natural Park, where a huge number of representatives of the flora and fauna of this region are gathered - it will be nice to get to know them during leisurely walks along neat tourist trails or specialized thematic events organized by park enthusiasts. These activities include sport fishing and kayaking on the Lielupe River.
On the banks of the same river, there is another Ragakapa park, within which a rather unusual museum is located, all of its exhibits are somehow connected with fishing. Here you can not only watch the process of smoking seafood, but also conduct their own tasting. Along the picturesque winding paths from here you can go down directly to the seashore.
Those who simply dream of spending their holidays in seclusion, not without comfort, among centuries-old pines and juniper groves, on the amber Baltic coast, should definitely visit the resort villages of Asari and Melluzhi. Here, time slows down, and in a light sea breeze, together with notes of pine needles, it spreads harmony and peace everywhere. You can wander for hours along the coast, feeling the delicate velvet of sand under your bare feet, in search of magical amber that brings incredible luck to everyone who finds it. This is the perfect place for a relaxing family holiday.
Well, if you are an avid lover of secular entertainment and cannot imagine your vacation without expensive restaurants, branded boutiques and modern entertainment centers, you definitely need to come to Maiori. Walking along the local promenade - Jomas, full of chic and brilliance, will give you real pleasure. In addition, from here it is literally a stone's throw to the notorious Dzintari with its humorous festivals, song contests and concerts of world stars.
There is also a place in Jurmala intended for active rest, — Lielupe. All conditions are created here for lovers of boat trips on yachts, playing golf or tennis, and a grandiose water park is always happy for visitors, where about one and a half thousand people can spend time without any problems and have a lot of fun at the same time. It will be interesting to come here for both couples and noisy youth companies.
Jurmala, the resort is not cheap. For example, the rooms of the hotel "Ligt Houze" cost from 210 to 1800 euros per day, and "Baltik Beach" offers rooms from 90 to 1300 euros per day. However, there are cheaper hotels, for example, "Dzintari" from 42 to 100 euros or "Jurmala from 24 euros and this is 100 meters from the sea in the Dzintari area. In addition, places are reserved even in cheap hotels without problems and in some without advance payment .
Of course, in Jurmala there is a big difference in the prices of food, clothes, souvenirs with other cities of Latvia and the same Riga, everything is more expensive in Jurmala, but everywhere you can find, if you search, prices according to your capabilities. Of course, I don’t know if it’s possible to find a cap in Jurmala cheaper than 8-10 euros and swimming trunks cheaper than 20 euros, but among 10-15 tents there will definitely be one souvenir that will please you with the same product, 2-3 times cheaper. It is worth turning off the main Jomas street and right there you can eat the first, second and sweet dishes, plus beer for 5-6 euros. Of course, in a "cool" street restaurant or on the coast of the sea in a tent, this price will only cost you to quench your thirst with beer. Another surprise is the cheap wine and vodka shop in the center of Jurmala, beer and vodka not only without extra charge, but also with "discounts".
My vacation, I must say, was a success. It was hot outside +34, but the sea was less hospitable and the water temperature ranged from +8 to +11 degrees. The water in the sea depends on the direction of the wind. A week before my arrival, it was from +24 to +27 gr.
To be honest, at +15 I even swam in the lake, but at +8 I went into the water for the first time, but at the same time the sensations are wonderful, it’s somehow impossible to swim, but I want to plunge an infinite number of times before going to the hot shore. So cold water did not become a hindrance.
Compared to previous years, the city of Jurmala itself somehow disappointed me. It seems that everyone is only interested in business and how you can extract money from a vacationer, but offer good service, is this a problem, or did I go at the wrong prices where they smile at you and offer something.
I am already silent about dirty streets, for example, the same Dzintari Avenue. I will not describe the sidewalks that have not been repaired since Soviet times in the same place. But it’s elementary, because you can probably wipe a table at least once a day in one of the cafes, on which yesterday’s sweets stick, which so much attract wasps that bit several children while I tried to eat hodgepodge and at the same time beat off the spoon from annoying wasps with a cap. It is difficult to understand why the questions "Do I need sour cream for pancakes?" if the menu says "Pancakes with sour cream", it is also advisable to remind yourself to put lemon and olives in the hodgepodge. Before this was not, it was cleaner and tastier.
Of course, hotels are being built along the coast of the sea. Everywhere is chic, but there is no brilliance. Here you can still tell how dirty baby diapers float along the waves near the shore ... However, this is no longer Jurmala, but the culture of Jurmala guests.
However, what glitters is Jomas Street at night. The street is pedestrian with numerous wooden houses that are already 100-115 years old, but they glow very beautifully in the backlight. Souvenir shops are open even at 23.00. There are more people on the street at night than during the day. I was even surprised there how many people in Latvia walk at night! True, speech is more English, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, a lot of Lithuanian speech and of course Russian.
The fact that there are fewer vacationers from Russia, I'm afraid that's not true. My hotel neighbors were families from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov.. One family from Moscow has been coming to Jurmala for 8 years, 2 times a year, in January and August. And the family is financially modest. However, this is understandable, because rich people are looking for other hotels. Somehow my roommates in the hotel from Moscow were not happy with their life in Russia. They said that Russia and Latvia have the same problems, only Latvia has already experienced the collapse and collapse of industry after the USSR, and Russia is now going along this path with job cuts, price increases and low wages. Russians are shocked only by the prices for utilities in Latvia, to which they say "Oh yes, we heard about this back in Russia!". At the same time, Russians who want to relax in Jurmala, according to the same Russians, have no problems with a visa to Latvia.
For us, this is a special topic if you are a citizen of Latvia ... But this is the topic of my future autumn notes about other cities and countries ...
Noticed another nice thing. Vitas' concert was held one evening in the Dzintari Concert Hall. Tickets for concerts in Jurmala are very expensive. A lot of people listen and even look through the lattice fence sitting on the benches in the park and of course there are many children crowding around the fence. The organizer of the concert came out and took all the children of preschool and school age together with their parents to the concert for free.
I remember one funny incident. Silence in the hotel. Arrival of a family from Belarus. Mom, dad and three children boys. The youngest is 4-5 years old. The boy at 23.00 began to cry, because he wanted to eat his own potatoes! The father of the child began to be indignant that there was no good food in Latvia, saying that it was good that they took potatoes with them. With noise they went to look for a stove with a pan. When everyone was already asleep, at about 1.00 am, the potatoes were cooked, which was announced by the father of the family to the entire floor of the hotel "Son, come here, mother cooked the bulb!" At that moment, the lights went out throughout the hotel! Honestly, at that time I was drinking beer in a stuffy hotel room, which I almost choked from all this. "Mother" cut something wrong in the kitchen, there was a short circuit. Bulba was eaten until the morning with the backlight of mobile phones!
It is a pity that we had to leave in the morning, because the Belarusians had just begun their vacation!
I like Jurmala. I want to come there again and again, if only for the quiet evening sea sunsets. This is really very beautiful. You stand in the darkness of the night, and in front of you the water of the mirror surface of the sea plays with a magical brilliance, into which you can enter with your feet. Somewhere in the distance soft music is playing. And you look at this beauty, feel the warm breath of the sea and say only one word "Latvia!" Without any politics and economics. Just "Latvia!". And you feel like a part of this beautiful Latvia, and this is not just Latvia, but My Latvia. A place of beautiful nature, dreams and relaxation. The place where people come different countries peace. A place where you can just walk dissolving in water, air and sun, forgetting about all home and work problems.