Riga: Hill of Crosses & Guided Rundale Palace with Bauska Castle
Overview
Available languages
8 hours
Mobile ticket
This experience stands out by offering a fully guided day at every main stop, including a professionally guided visit inside Rundale Palace Museum with an official certified palace guide, as required by the museum. Unlike many similar tours, the palace interiors are explored with a live guide rather than audio guides or self-guided visits, ensuring a deeper understanding of the site.
The tour is also distinguished by its smooth and well-organized structure. A lunch stop is pre-arranged by the guide after the palace visit, allowing travelers to relax and enjoy the day without worrying about logistics, while still choosing and paying for their own meal.
By combining expert guiding, cultural depth and careful planning, this tour delivers a more informative, comfortable and engaging full-day experience to the Hill of Crosses, Rundale Palace and Bauska Castle from Riga.
Additional Info
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Please bring your walking shoes
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Latvia–Lithuania Border Photo Stop Short stop at the Latvia–Lithuania border on the way to the Hill of Crosses for photos and a brief explanation by the guide.
Travelers will take part in a guided visit to the Hill of Crosses, learning about the history, religious significance and traditions of this unique pilgrimage site. After the guided introduction, guests will have approximately one extra hour of free time to explore the area at their own pace, take photos, and — if they wish — visit the nearby Franciscan Monastery, where the chapel is open to visitors.
What‘s Included
Professional English-speaking tour guide
Transportation by air-conditioned bus / minibus / minivan
Wi-Fi on board
Fully guided visit of the medieval part of Bauska Castle, including tower access
Bottled water provided
Fully guided visit inside Rundale Palace Museum with an official certified palace guide
Entrance tickets to Rundale Palace Museum and Bauska Castle
Lunch (the lunch stop is organized, but guests pay for their own meals)
Personal expenses
Options
Riga: Hill of Crosses & Guided Rundale Palace with Bauska Castle
Reviews
26 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great choice for a day out from Riga
Umberto B,Apr 1, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great day put, blessed by the nice weather. Ellen's is very nice, able to create a good balance between guided time and time alone. We managed to arrive at all sites with very very few other people around, which was the added value for me. Definitely reccomended.
Cross border.
Cherry L,Mar 27, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00We had a great time exploring the Hills of Crosses. Enjoyed the tour at the Rundale Palace, very informative, entertaining and fun tour guide. The food at the palace restaurant was also great. The fun experience we had we give credit to our tour guide Elrens who is very accomodating and kind enough to agree to our requests. We all had a beautiful experience and we really enjoyed our trip. We do recommend this trip. 👍
Fantastic day trip
Kerry M,Mar 16, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great day out from Riga. Hill of Crosses was great to see but our special guide Olaf at Rundale Palace was exceptional and his outfit amazing. Maris our main guide was very informative and a great driver. Highly recommend the tour
Great tour of 1 day
Paulo C,Mar 12, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.001 day tour departing from Rīga and we went directly to Monte das Cruzes. Parade p coffee and on the border for photos. Well dosed the trip, with excellent guide, friendly and with good explanations without being massive. The mountain of the crosses is a place of pilgrimage that I kept for me as a place of representation of the mourning of dead people. Then we went to the obelissimum Rundales Palace where everything was perfect: a guide from the phenomenal palácii itself who kept the visit always with lightness and elegance. Lunch in the palace simple and tasty. On the return we also made a visit to Bauska Castle very beautiful and interesting. Congratulations to the entire team for the beautiful tourist service.
Great tour!!
Alice M,Mar 9, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great tour! The tour was well paced and the tour guide, Edite, was extremely knowledgeable. She was also just a pleasure to talk to about travel and she gave great restaurant recs. Highly recommend this tour if you are interested in getting out of Riga to see some of the countryside, a castle, and a beautiful palace.
Great daytrip
alexandravF683TB,Feb 20, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a great time on our daytrip! Our guide Erlens was very knowledgeable not only about what we went to see that day, but also about the more general history of Latvia and the Baltics. As it was a small group, we had plenty of opportunities to ask questions and learn more about anything from everyday life in Latvia to local culture and origins of the language. The timing of each stop was somewhat flexible based on the group's consensus (it was a very cold day so we spent less time e.g. in the Rundale castle gardens) and Erlens dropped us off directly at our hotel in the evening which was highly appreciated.
Cold....but an amazing day!
vesna1212,Feb 18, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00This was an absolutely fantastic day. It was -21 when we left but the sun was out for us. We were greeted by our tour guide Erlens. What a great lovely guy. He started by greeting us and giving everyone refreshments. Maybe it was only a bottle of water, but it was a very thoughful gesture. Erlens was such a nice guy and So friendly. He was very informative and knowledgable, and quite clearly loves his job. He answered all questions fully and was very witty. The coach trip just flew by, and the visit to the hill of crosses, the palace and the castle was amazing. Erlans also gave us some local chocolate which was very nice of him. I cannot recommend this excursion enough, and if you are thinking of going with Erlens, dont think, just book. A special mention has to go to our driver, and the guide at Rundale Palace. He was absolutely fantastic and such a character. All in all, a brilliant day.
Incredible views with lots of art, culture and history.
Marius M,Dec 31, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00The tour was well planned and paced. All sites are worth visiting with incredible views and lots of art, culture and history. Erlens was our guide. He was excellent! He was very kind, respectful, and well informed. Although the Bauska Castle was closed on the day we visited (we knew about it beforehand as we checked the website, but that was the only date we had available), they made arrangements for us to be able to go inside and visit the medieval part of the castle. That was much appreciated!
Over and beyond our expectations
Suzan S,Dec 28, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This is a full day experience!! It was wonderful. The hill of crosses was overwhelming to see and hear the stories about. Rundale Palace (and our guide in the palace) was amazing!! The food in the palace was a 5 star experience!! Don't miss it. Bauska Castle was so fun to explore. Our guide and driver we had for the day was very knowledgeable and went out of their way to accommodate us. I would highly recommend this tour!! But we really think it was the guide/driver who made it memorable. Thank you so much to those two gentlemen
Really nicely organized...
Emily S,Dec 21, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Really nicely organized day trip- Rundale Palace was definitely the highlight, but enjoyed all the stops and the guide was excellent!
From €110.00
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Operated by Latvia Guide Tours