On the main road 5km west of Majori, this gaudy beachfront Soviet-era sanatorium resembles a giant, beached cruise ship that’s been mothballed since the Brezhnev era. Surprisingly it still functions, catering to an elderly clientele who have been visiting regularly since, well, the Brezhnev era.
Vaivari Sanatorium
Jūrmala
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
10.29 MILES
Like a huge painting that you can spend hours staring at, as your eye detects more and more intriguing details, this must-see Rīga sight is in fact a…
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10.41 MILES
Forming the centrepiece of Rīga’s skyline, this Gothic church is thought to be around 800 years old, making it one of the oldest medieval buildings in the…
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10.83 MILES
A real-life house of horrors, this imposing fin de siècle building is remembered by generations of Latvians as the local headquarters of the notorious…
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9.41 MILES
There is hardly a place in Latvia that can tell such a poignant and optimistic story as this quietly stunning memorial. Žanis Lipke saved over 50 Jews…
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Rīga Ghetto & Latvian Holocaust Museum
10.84 MILES
The centrepiece of this arresting and challenging museum is a wooden house with a reconstructed flat, like those that Jews had to move into when the Nazis…
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14.02 MILES
Between 1941 and 1944, the Nazis – aided by Latvians – shot more than 35,000 Jews at 55 different sites in this forest. It is one of several killing sites…
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Museum of the Barricades of 1991
10.27 MILES
Latvia's independence came after enormous struggles. One of the most remarkable stories involves the barricades built by thousands of citizens around…
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27.16 MILES
These striking pine-covered cliffs loom above a pristine white-sand beach dissected by a glistening stream. This is one of the most enchanting places…
Nearby Jūrmala attractions
1.66 MILES
This well-funded museum features a cool permanent exhibit detailing Jūrmala’s colourful history as the go-to resort town in the former USSR. One popular…
2. Art Rezidence ‘Inner Light’
1.71 MILES
Local Russian artist Vitaliy Yermolayev runs this studio out of his home and dabbles with a secret recipe for glow-in-the-dark paint by creating portraits…
1.8 MILES
Jūrmala's ribbon of white sand stretches for 24km. The sand is hard-packed and ideal for walking – or packing into sand sculptures or castles – and the…
3.2 MILES
Before the clothing of choice in Jūrmala was the bikini (with or without a parka), the peninsula was home to fishing people who eked out a living through…
8.93 MILES
A lovingly restored courtyard with several vintage wooden buildings is home to creative cafes, shops and restaurants. It's also home to a fantastic…
9.2 MILES
A rare example of an all-wood art nouveau building, this 1909 four-storey apartment house was built as worker housing. Now renovated for the better-heeled…
9.41 MILES
There is hardly a place in Latvia that can tell such a poignant and optimistic story as this quietly stunning memorial. Žanis Lipke saved over 50 Jews…