Hill of Crosses and Rundāle Palace from Riga: Day Tour or Drive Yourself?
4 min read
Book a day tour if you want the Hill of Crosses without handling the border, parking and timing yourself; drive only if you want to choose your own stops. The hill is in Lithuania, not Latvia, so the trip is a day out of the country, and the tours below are all long days: 7.5 to 9 hours.
Two tours: the hill and Jelgava
The Hill of Crosses and Jelgava tour takes 7.5 hours and costs €26.40. It is rated 4.8 out of 5 from 1,923 reviews. You travel in a van from Latviešu strēlnieku laukums 3, next to Town Hall Square, and the itinerary gives 80 minutes at the hill, where the description says over 55,000 crosses stand. On the way back you stop in Jelgava at the Orthodox cathedral of St. Simeon and St. Anne and the Holy Trinity Church tower. The lunch stop costs extra, and the tour needs at least five participants.
The version with an expert local guide also runs 7.5 hours and costs €36.30, with 914 reviews. It starts at Dome Cathedral (Herdera laukums 6), also spends 80 minutes at the hill, and in Jelgava adds a guided walk past Jelgava Palace and along the Driksa riverside. The page lists a Riga Black Balsam tasting and bottled water; lunch is not included, and orders are taken during the drive.
Two tours that add Rundāle Palace and Bauska
The tour with a guided visit to Rundale Palace and Bauska lasts 9 hours and costs €95.70. Inside Rundāle Palace a live guide leads you, not an audio guide, and afterwards there is time in the French Garden. Bauska Castle and a Black Balsam tasting follow. Groups go up to 16 people, it starts at Dome Cathedral, and lunch at a restaurant is paid individually.
The shared day trip to the hill, Rundale Palace and Bauska Castle takes 8 hours and costs €96.80, and it is a different kind of trip. The page lists a driver and printed information sheets, not a guide, and at Rundāle you have two hours on your own. In return, the page lists the entrance fees for the palace and gardens and for the Bauska Castle tower as included, and groups are capped at 8 people. It starts on Town Hall Square and is marked as not suitable for wheelchair users.
The hill itself
The Šiauliai district tourism centre places the hill about 12 km north of Šiauliai and says it can be visited at any time; the hours of its information centre do not affect access (siauliurajonas.lt). On a tour you get the time the operator plans: 80 minutes on both Jelgava tours. On the shared trip the itinerary shows 40 minutes and the description one hour, so ask which applies. The guided Rundāle tour gives no time for the hill on its page.
Driving yourself
A rental car gives you freedom over stops and timing, but you cover the long distance and the border crossing yourself. Conditions for taking a rental car into Lithuania differ between companies, so check them before you book. You can compare rental cars for Riga and read the cross-border terms in each offer.
| Option | Length | Stops | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hill of Crosses and Jelgava | 7.5 hours | Hill of Crosses, Jelgava | English-speaking guide |
| Hill of Crosses with expert guide | 7.5 hours | Hill of Crosses, Jelgava | English-speaking guide |
| Guided Rundale visit and Bauska | 9 hours | Hill, Rundale Palace, Bauska | English-speaking guide, guided inside the palace |
| Shared trip with Rundale and Bauska | 8 hours | Hill, Rundale Palace, Bauska Castle | Driver and information sheets |
Who should choose what
Choose a tour if you want a low-effort day. If palaces matter to you, decide between a guide inside Rundāle (the 9-hour tour) and a smaller group with entrance fees included but no guide (the 8-hour trip). Skip all of them if you dislike long days in a vehicle: the shortest option is still 7.5 hours. Bring your passport: the page of the Hill of Crosses and Jelgava tour says you need it because the tour crosses the border, and the other three list a passport or ID card under what to bring.
Our recommendation
For most visitors, the Hill of Crosses and Jelgava tour is the simplest choice. If you want the palace too, take the guided Rundale tour. More options are on the day trips from Riga page.
