Jūrmala
Riga's seaside: a strip of pine woods and wooden villas between the Gulf and the Lielupe, thirteen kilometres from the runway.
- Arrival
- Riga International Airport · RIX
- To the resort
- About 13 km from RIX as the crow flies
- Private jets
- Business Aviation Center at RIX, open 24 hours
- Best time
- June to August
The city
Pines, sand and summer houses.
Jūrmala stretches along the Gulf of Riga as a chain of old resort villages, with the river Lielupe at its back and the beach running the whole length in front. Wooden summer houses with verandas and carved gables stand among the pines, and Majori, with the pedestrian Jomas iela, is the busy centre.
Baltic Beach Hotel, a five-star house on the sand, has one of the large spas of the region, with a pool of purified sea water. For a long dinner, 36.Line cooks beside the beach; and Riga, with its Key hotels and two starred tables, is twenty kilometres up the road.
Arriving
Between the airport and the sea.
Riga International lies between the capital and the coast, about thirteen kilometres from Jūrmala in a straight line, with a 3,200-metre runway and customs on site.
- Vienna 1 h 45
- Frankfurt 2 h 00
- Ibiza 3 h 40
- Tokyo 10 h 45 long-range jet
- Los Angeles 12 h 15 long-range jet
When to go
June to August.
June to August is beach season, with highs of twenty to twenty-one degrees and the light lasting late into the evening. July and August bring the summer's rain in short spells, and from December to February the coast sits close to freezing.
- -2° J 36
- -2° F 27
- 3° M 32
- 10° A 41
- 17° M 48
- 20° J 58
- 21° J 77
- 21° A 76
- 16° S 73
- 11° O 61
- 4° N 61
- 0° D 49
What to see and do
Days in and around Jūrmala.
-
Landmark
The beach
A long band of pale sand facing the Gulf, backed by dunes and pine woods.
-
Landmark
Jomas iela
The pedestrian street of Majori, lined with wooden villas, cafés and shops.
-
Landmark
Ķemeri National Park
Bogs, forest and boardwalks at the western end of the resort, by the old spa of Ķemeri.
-
Opera & music
Dzintari Concert Hall
Home to a 690-seat hall of 1936 and an open-air hall of 1960 for about 2,000, staging symphonic music, ballet and choirs.
-
Opera & music
Latvian National Opera and Ballet
Opera and ballet in Riga's theatre building of 1863 on Aspazijas bulvaris, with a Grand Hall of 946 seats.
Official site -
Nature
Ragakāpa Nature Park
A 150-hectare protected area of coastal dunes and old pine forest, crossed by a trail of about 2 km, mostly on boardwalks.
-
Culture
Jūrmala Open Air Museum
A fisherman's household of the late 19th and early 20th century at Buļļuciems, with a smokehouse, boats, anchors and rope-making tools.
-
Culture
Jūrmala Museum
Tells the story of the resort from the late 18th to the late 20th century, with a multimedia exhibition on the poet Rainis.
-
Nature
Dzintari Forest Park
Pine woodland with a viewing tower, open all year, and cross-country skiing on the paths when snow lies.
Where to stay
On the beach, or twenty kilometres away in Riga.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Baltic Beach Hotel & SPA Five stars on the shore, with a beach club, a 25-metre sea-water pool and the Amber View and Il Sole restaurants.
-
Grand Hotel Kempinski Riga The capital's five-star address by the Opera, for those who split their stay between the city and the sea.
-
A22 Hotel One MICHELIN Key: twenty rooms in what was the American Embassy in the 1930s.
-
Dome Hotel & Spa One MICHELIN Key: fifteen rooms under the cathedral, with a roof terrace.
-
Grand Poet Hotel and SPA by Semarah One MICHELIN Key and a full spa, in a nineteenth-century building facing Bastejkalns park.
Where to dine
The best tables are in Riga.
From the MICHELIN Guide Latvia 2026, shown for information. All four are in Riga, about 20 km away.
- JOHN Chef’s Hall One Michelin star Modern €€€€ A22 Hotel, Riga, about 20 km
- Max Cekot Kitchen One Michelin star Creative €€€€ Riga, about 20 km
- Le Dome MICHELIN Guide French, fish €€€ Dome Hotel & Spa, Riga Old Town, about 20 km
- Stage22 MICHELIN Guide Asian €€€ Grand Hotel Kempinski Riga, about 20 km
Flying to Jūrmala?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.