Free Walking Tour Sigulda: Caves, Castles, Cable Car

Your Sigulda Walking Tour, From Castle to Cable Car

1. 1

   Sigulda Medieval Castle Ruins and New Castle

   

   Your walk starts with two castles in one place, and two very different eras. The New Castle went up in 1878 in neo-Gothic style, built as the family home of the Kropotkins, who owned the Sigulda manor estate. Look beyond the main house as well: several buildings of the old estate complex have survived around it, and together they show you how a manor here was laid out.

   The New Castle never became a museum piece only. Since 1993 it has been the seat of the Sigulda municipal council, so the neo-Gothic house you're admiring still does everyday civic work. Next to it stand the ruins of the Livonian Order's medieval castle, the older layer of the story, which you visit on a separate ticket.

   Is it worth going in? If you like history and have the whole day, the combined ticket for the New Castle and the ruins is the sensible choice. If Turaida is your priority, a look from outside is enough here, because the museum reserve later in the day will ask for much more of your time. Keep one name in mind: Victor, the gardener in the legend of the Rose of Turaida, worked at Sigulda Castle, and you'll meet his story again at Gutmanis Cave.

   From here it's 2310 m, about 32 minutes, to Peter's Cave, and the town gives way to the sandstone landscape of Gauja National Park.

   Local name

   Siguldas Jaunā pils

   Hours

   01.05.-31.10.: Daily 09:00–18:00 | 01.11.-30.04.: Daily 09:00–17:00

   Price

   Jaunā pils (New Castle): 3.50 EUR full, 3.00 EUR reduced | Livonijas ordeņa pils (Medieval Castle Ruins): 2.50 EUR full, 2.00 EUR reduced | Combined ticket: 4.50 EUR full, 3.50 EUR reduced

   Website

   tourism.sigulda.lv ↗

   Location

   Sigulda Medieval Castle Ruins and New Castle on Google Maps ↗

2. 2

   Peter's Cave

   

   Peter's Cave is not a vaulted hall but a narrow crack in a wall of red sandstone, set into the slope of a side ravine of the Vējupīte, a small tributary of the Gauja. It rises to 6.4 metres, runs 6.3 metres deep (only 4 metres of that under a sandstone ceiling) and is 2.3 metres wide. Stand at the opening and look up: the interesting part is high on the walls.

   That is where, in 1997, the historian Andris Grīnbergs discovered petroglyph signs. At least 42 different signs have survived in the cave, and together with its setting they mark Peter's Cave as an ancient place of worship. Alongside them you'll find carvings dated with years, going back as far as the 18th century, left by visitors who wanted their moment recorded in stone.

   The cave has been described in books since the late 19th century, yet it stays one of the quieter stops on the route. It's free and always accessible, so give it ten minutes and let your eyes adjust to pick out the old marks among the newer ones.

   Next comes Kraukļu Cliff and Raven Gorge, 890 m and about 16 minutes away in the same ravine landscape.

   Local name

   Pētera ala

   Hours

   Freely accessible, no opening hours

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Peter's Cave on Google Maps ↗

3. 3

   Kraukļu Cliff and Raven Gorge

   

   Raven Gorge, Kraukļu aiza in Latvian, lies on the slope of the same Vējupīte side ravine as Peter's Cave. It formed as an angular pocket with walls 11.5 metres high, cut into the red sandstone of the Gauja formation. The walls close in around you, and that sense of a room carved by nature is the reason to come.

   Look closely at the rock: there are old inscriptions on the walls, and the stone has yielded fossils of armoured fish, a reminder of how ancient this sandstone is. In one wall opens Raven Cave, 5.2 metres long, with a ceiling 3.3 metres high and an entrance 5 metres wide; its floor covers just 7 square metres.

   The gorge has been under state protection since 1974, and the protected area covers 8.03 hectares. It's free and open at all times, a good place to slow down before the view that comes next.

   Painter's Hill is only 110 m and about 3 minutes further, which is why you'll also hear the spot called Paradise Hill as you approach.

   Local name

   Kraukļu aiza

   Hours

   Freely accessible, no opening hours

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Kraukļu Cliff and Raven Gorge on Google Maps ↗

4. 4

   Painter's Hill

   

   Minutes after the gorge, the forest opens at Painter's Hill, and its other name, Paradise Hill, tells you what to expect. For the first time on the route you see the scale of the Gauja valley, and across it stands Turaida Castle. It's your next stretch of walking, laid out in front of you like a map.

   The viewpoint is free and always open, and it's the right place for the day's biggest decision. Look at the castle on the far side and decide how much of the day it gets: a quick look from outside, or a long visit to the museum reserve. Your answer decides whether you finish with time to spare or race the light at the end.

   From here the route commits to its longest leg: 5080 m, about 73 minutes, to Turaida Museum Reserve, with no stop in between. Take a drink, take a last look, then go.

   Hours

   Freely accessible, no opening hours

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Painter's Hill on Google Maps ↗

5. 5

   Turaida Museum Reserve

   

   Turaida Museum Reserve is far more than a castle. It covers 43.63 hectares with 37 buildings and structures, and it brings together the Turaida hillfort, Turaida Castle, Church Hill, Dainu Hill and the Turaida manor, with exhibitions both inside buildings and outdoors. The reserve was founded in 1988, built on the local history museum Sigulda had set up in 1948, and since 1994 it has been a specially protected cultural monument.

   On Church Hill stands a wooden church built in 1750, one of the oldest wooden churches in Latvia built by rural craftsmen. Nearby is the grave of the Rose of Turaida, the young woman whose legend you'll hear at the next stop. On Dainu Hill, the Folk Song Park is dedicated to Krišjānis Barons, which makes it a natural pause for anyone curious about Latvian folk songs.

   The reserve owes much to one person: Anna Jurkāne, who created it and led it from 1989 to 2021. After a long search by the Ministry of Culture, Jolanta Borīte was confirmed as director in November 2024. In 2018 Turaida was the most visited museum in Latvia, with 273,312 visits; by 2023 the figure had fallen to 140,000.

   This is the stop that justifies a ticket. Plan around an hour and a half if you want the castle, the church and the parks without rushing. Then it's 1730 m, about 23 minutes, to Gutmanis Cave.

   Local name

   Turaidas muzejrezervāts

   Hours

   01.05.-30.09. (Summer): Daily 09:00–20:00 | October: Daily 09:00–19:00 | 01.11.-28./29.02. (Winter): Daily 10:00–17:00 | 01.04.-30.04.: Daily 10:00–18:00

   Price

   9.00 EUR full, 7.00 EUR pensioners, 6.00 EUR students, 3.00 EUR pupils

   Website

   turaida-muzejs.lv ↗

   Location

   Turaida Museum Reserve on Google Maps ↗

6. 6

   Gutmanis Cave

   

   Gutmanis Cave is the widest and highest cave in the Baltic countries: 18.8 metres deep, 12 metres wide and 10 metres high, cut into the yellow-brown sandstone of the Gauja riverbank. It began forming more than 10,000 years ago, when meltwater after the Ice Age wore away the rock, and its shape comes from a long interplay between the river and an underground spring. Entry is free.

   Look at the walls before anything else. Gutmanis Cave counts as the oldest tourist attraction in Latvia, because visitors have carved their names, initials and dates here for centuries; the oldest inscriptions date from the 17th century. Among them you'll find coats of arms and the names of barons and estate owners. Those weren't scratched by the nobles themselves: local craftsmen waited near the cave with tools, stepladders and templates and carved them to order for a fee. Today the cave is a protected monument, and writing on the walls is no longer allowed.

   Long before the tourists, this was a place of worship, and until the 19th century people came here to make offerings to the deities. It's also where the legend of the Rose of Turaida begins. In the spring of 1601, during the Polish Swedish wars, the Swedish army took Turaida Castle. After the battle the castle clerk, Greif, found a baby girl only a few weeks old among the dead, took her in and raised her as his daughter. It was May, so he named her Maija. She grew into a young woman so beautiful that people called her the Rose of Turaida, and in the evenings she met her fiancé Victor Hail, the gardener at Sigulda Castle across the river, here at the cave.

   From the cave it's 1410 m, about 25 minutes, to Krimulda Manor.

   Local name

   Gūtmaņa ala

   Hours

   Freely accessible, no opening hours

   Price

   Free

   Website

   daba.gov.lv ↗

   Location

   Gutmanis Cave on Google Maps ↗

7. 7

   Krimulda Manor

   

   Krimulda Manor, Schloß Cremon in German, stands at the edge of the ancient Gauja valley in the right bank part of Sigulda. The main house is among the most striking examples of classicist villa architecture in Latvia, and around it you'll find wooden buildings in the 19th century style of what was called the "Vidzeme Switzerland". That mix of elegant villa and timber architecture gives the place its particular charm. The ruins of Krimulda's medieval castle lie close by.

   The estate passed through notable hands. In 1726 the Helmersen family acquired it, and in 1817 the Lievens bought it at auction. The exact year the present house was built and its architect are unknown, but most researchers date it after 1848, when Prince Paul Hermann von Lieven became the owner. Around 1893 his son Paul Lieven rebuilt it: symmetrical wings three window axes long were added at both ends, turning a modest summer villa into a proper manor house, with cellars beneath and the castle kitchen in the southwest end.

   After the 1920 land reform the family lost the estate. In 1921 the Latvian Red Cross took over the house, part of the outbuildings and 226.26 hectares of land, and under its first head, Professor Jānis Jankovskis, it opened the only sanatorium in Latvia at the time for patients with bone tuberculosis, starting with 50 beds. After rebuilding it could treat 165 patients in winter and 200 in summer, becoming the largest institution of its kind in the country. Its greatest asset was said to be its beautiful setting, which helped patients recover.

   The grounds are free to wander; only the castle tower visit is paid, worth it if you want one more view over the valley. The last leg to the Gauja Cable Car is 1260 m, about 24 minutes.

   Local name

   Krimuldas muiža

   Hours

   Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00 | Sat–Sun by advance booking only

   Price

   Grounds/outdoor area: free | castle tower visit: 5.00 EUR adults, 1.00 EUR children

   Website

   krimuldaspils.lv ↗

   Location

   Krimulda Manor on Google Maps ↗

8. 8

   Gauja Cable Car

   

   The route ends in the air. At the Gauja Cable Car the reward is motion rather than a monument: cabins leave at short intervals through the day, but the real timetable is set by the weather, and strong wind or a storm simply closes the service. Check conditions before you promise yourself the ride.

   At the counter you choose one way or return, and that depends on where you want your day to end. Discounts exist for Sigulda Card holders and visitors with a disability, and children under three ride free.

   If Turaida has already stretched your budget, skip the cabin without guilt. The walking route brought you here for nothing, and the GPS navigation can lead you back to the start on foot. However you finish, in a cabin or walking, this is the end of the line.

   Hours

   Daily 10:00–18:20 (departures every 20-30 min; weather permitting)

   Price

   15 EUR adult one-way, 22 EUR adult return | 12 EUR youth (13-17) one-way, 17 EUR youth return | 12 EUR child (3-12) return

   Website

   siguldaadventures.com ↗

   Location

   Gauja Cable Car on Google Maps ↗

Three Ways to Shape Your Day in Sigulda

You can join the route at any stop, so the full line splits easily into shorter days or a walk that costs nothing at all.

Sigulda side: castle, caves and the view

Stops: 1, 2, 3, 4

For a half day or a first taste of the valley. About 3.3 km and 51 minutes of walking from the New Castle to Painter's Hill. Only the castle charges entry; the caves, the gorge and the viewpoint are free, and you end looking across at Turaida, which leaves you a reason to come back.

Turaida side: museum reserve, legend and cable car

Stops: 5, 6, 7, 8

For anyone who mainly wants Turaida and the Rose of Turaida story. About 4.4 km and 72 minutes of walking from the museum reserve to the cable car. Turaida charges entry, the Krimulda tower is paid while the manor grounds are free, the cable car is paid, and Gutmanis Cave costs nothing.

Every stop, nothing paid

Stops: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

For walkers on a tight budget. The full 12.8 km and 3 h 15 min of walking, but you see the castles, Turaida and Krimulda from outside and finish on foot rather than in a cabin. Peter's Cave, Raven Gorge, Painter's Hill and Gutmanis Cave are free anyway, and they carry much of the day.

How Long Does This Sigulda Tour Take on Foot?

The pure walking time is 3 h 15 min for 12.8 km, and the longest leg is the 73 minute stretch from Painter's Hill to Turaida. Add about 40 minutes inside the castles, an hour and a half at Turaida, half an hour at Krimulda and short pauses at the caves and the viewpoint, and the realistic total is close to seven hours before the cable car ride.

The Sigulda side alone fits into about two hours including the castle. The Turaida side takes roughly three and a half hours with a proper museum visit. Walking every stop without going inside anywhere comes to around four and a half hours. If you still have energy for another town afterwards, Cēsis is 30 km away and has its own route.

Before You Set Off in Sigulda

• Start: The recommended start is Sigulda Medieval Castle Ruins and New Castle, but you can begin at any stop and follow the order from there.
• Finish: The route ends at the Gauja Cable Car, not where it began. If you'd rather walk back, the GPS navigation in your browser can lead you from the last stop to the start.
• Time of day: Start in the morning. This is a full day, and Turaida deserves unhurried time in the middle of it rather than a rush at the end.
• Entry: Tickets are needed for the New Castle and the medieval ruins (a combined ticket exists), Turaida Museum Reserve, the Krimulda Manor tower and the cable car. Everything else on the route is free.
• Weather: The cable car runs only when the weather allows; strong wind or a storm stops it, so check conditions before you plan your finish around it.

Common Questions About Sigulda on Foot