What‘s Included

Reviews

• Perhaps the best your we've ever been on.

  Thomas A,

  Apr 2, 2025

  - Viator

  5.00

  Three of my brothers-in-law and I were touring the Baltics for my 50th birthday. Perhaps the best part of the trip was spending the day w Normans. He gave us such good info, was fun and happy, took us to a great meal, showed us his fisherman's village he lives in, and gave us options throughout the day on how to customize our tour. I can't honestly tell you how great it was. If you're on the bubble deciding whether or not to book the tour, please do. I don't think it could've been any better.

• Medieval Castles in Latvia

  Eliot F,

  Jul 26, 2024

  - Viator

  5.00

  If you like real medieval castles, then this is the tour for you. We have round towers , walls , halls rooms and dungeons. Lots of medieval weapons on display, as well as other items found during excavations and restoration. These castles are definitely worth visiting.

• Tour was great, castles slightly disappointing

  William J,

  Jul 21, 2024

  - Viator

  4.00

  The trip was exactly as advertised, but with the added bonus of ‘do whatever you want.’ If you decide that after the first castle you would rather see something else, or once you’ve arrived somewhere you’ve decided it isn’t for you, Normunds can accommodate. He is very knowledgeable about each location and encourages you to take your time. These are all the positives, now for the negatives. Latvian tourism is a burgeoning industry that’s really trying to attract tourists to visit ‘Latvia’ and not ‘Baltic country number 2’. Unfortunately, outside of Riga, the tourist attractions are all Russia-centric which goes against everything the people fought for over countless decades. Each castle was built for the Russians as a security checkpoint for reaching St Petersburg, and they were maintained by the German aristocracy who thought they looked nice. Overall, we arrived for the castles, and we ended up preferring the sections of the tour regarding the local legends, the current economic climate in Latvia and the local cultural elements that make Latvia Latvia. We would still recommend the tour, but mostly because of Normunds’ enthusiasm. The driving was a bit crazy for our taste, with a lot of overtaking on the motorway by driving towards oncoming traffic, but it seems normal around these parts. Bring snacks and an open mind.

• Wonderful castles and a very nice private tour guide and driver in one 👏🏻

  Khristine G,

  Jun 14, 2024

  - Viator

  5.00

  A great day tour to explore four castles outside of Riga with a very kind and accommodating Jurijs as both our driver and tour guide in one. He was very informative with all our questions and didn’t rush us in spending time in each of the places. On the castles, we specifically liked more the Cēcis Castle with a guided tour and multimedia film on the history of the castle but all the other castles Sigulda and Turaida are also interesting and worth visiting along with the Araisi lake dwelling site and the ski hill. Bravo and Liels Paldies again to Jurijs. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

• Pleasant day in the countryside

  Shanker K,

  Jun 12, 2024

  - Viator

  4.00

  While this isn't an essential trip if you're visiting Riga - there are much more spectacular and better curated castles/forts elsewhere in Europe - it is pleasant to see the countryside and learn more about growing up and living in Riga from a local. Eduards, our guide, was congenial, accommodating and happy to share his experiences, which we enjoyed a great deal. We also highly recommend stopping at Araisu Archeological Park. Bring lunch and extra water - it's a long day (8hrs).