Sigulda & Cesis
- Local, english speaking tour leader.
- Private minibus or bus for the trip.
- Tickets to Turaida Castle and museum.
- Tickets to Cesis Castle with local guide.
- One hour stop for lunch and coffee (not included).
The itinerary :
09.00 Pick up of guests from hotel.
10.45 Approximate arrival to city of Cesis - the birthplace of Latvian national flag.
Stroll around ruins of Cesu Castle and on cobbled streets of city center.
Entry to ruins of Cesu Castle - once the main stronghold of Livonian order.
12.30 Coffee break or light lunch at local restaurant.
Perfect time to try something from local quisine such as mushroom soup,
pig's ear, pickled herring or honey ale.
13.30 Trip continued to Turaida Castle in Sigulda - the winter capital of Latvia.
Sigulda is situated in the most picturesque part of Gauja valley. This part of Gauja
valley is part of Gauja National Park.
14.00 Entrance to Turaida Castle and museum.
15.30 Photo stop at the Sigulda International Bobsleigh track.
The bobsleigh track is one mile long, has fifteen turns and several starting positions.
Many legs of international bobsleigh, skeleton and louge competitions are held here.
17.30 Approximate arrrival to Riga.
Few words on Cesis
Cesis is so homely and cosy that a visit to this town seems like a holiday to a kind Latvian granny. This is a place, where genuine cordiality and real cosiness vibrates in the air; where one can laze a bit and forget everything else in the world; where each traveller is welcomed warmly and plied with the tastiest honey-covered bread slice ever.
Cesis is truly not only one of the oldest but also one of the most Latvian towns. Rich in picturesque landscapes and testimonies of the past, it embodies both an intriguing sense of antiquity and modern self-esteem. Both Cesis and the C?sis district are among the most attractive temptations for travellers in Vidzeme.
If you wish to recover your mind from the crowd of the city, you should take a walk through the small lanes of C?sis, which still maintain their layout as in medieval times. They cross unique silent yards, with small one- or two-storey buildings with red tile roofs on the side, 
as mute but friendly witnesses with lilac bushes and roses blossoming next to them in spring-time. The C?sis church and the old castle-ruins with the castle park are places where to let yourself think and wonder.
In 2006, Cesis celebrated a grand event – its 800-year anniversary! Its biography features the times of the old Vendi tribe castle, which has given the city its German name “Venden”, and year 1206, when the town was first mentioned in chronicles, and the Hansa union period, when even the counsels of the Baltic region Hansa cities took place here, as well as the personality of the count Valter von Plettenberg, during whose reign the city prospered notably. C?sis is the origin of the red-white-red national flag of our country. The modern C?sis awaits tourists from far and near, to share with its aura of antiquity, interesting sights and cosiness, letting each guest enjoy the hospitality of the town.
