Jūrmala and Ķemeri Bog from Riga: Which Day Trip to Pick
5 min read
For a day outside Riga, pick a tour that combines the Ķemeri Bog boardwalk with a stop in Jūrmala. Walking on the bog is the main attraction. Not every tour goes to Jūrmala, and the walking distances the tours give range from 1.5 km to about 8 km.
What is on offer
The Ķemeri Bog and seaside Jūrmala day trip takes six hours and costs €85.50. It starts at Riga Cathedral (Herdera laukums 6) and covers the bog boardwalk and its tower, the old spa town of Ķemeri, then in Jūrmala the Dzintari forest park, Jomas iela and free time on the beach at Dzintari. The guide speaks English. There is a lunch stop in Jūrmala, but the meal is not in the price. The page marks the tour as not suitable for people over 70. It has 106 reviews.
The Jūrmala beach and Kemeri National Park sunset trip lasts four hours and costs €65. It starts at St. Peter’s Church, drives through Jūrmala with a beach photo stop and about 30 minutes of free time, and then spends about 1.5 hours in the Great Bog: 3.7 km on the boardwalk with the viewing platform, or a shorter 1.5 km route, about 5 km in total with the forest path. Start time depends on sunset; the operator messages it, roughly three hours before sunset. Guiding is in English, Russian or Latvian, it needs three participants, and it is rated 4.9 out of 5 from 131 reviews.
The Ķemeri National Park and Baltic Coast trip is five hours with an English-speaking guide at €115. Pick-up is at one of three points in Riga, and the group is up to 7. The route is a 4.8 km boardwalk walk with a sweet and savoury snack at the bog tower, an hour in the Ķemeri resort park and an hour on the beach at Lapmežciems. It does not go to Jūrmala. The page marks it as not suitable for children under 6, people with back problems and wheelchair users.
The Bog Trail near Riga takes four hours for €75, with pick-up, a group of up to 4 and guiding in English or Russian. Its description gives the boardwalk as 2.8 km to an 8-metre tower, adds a stop in Ķemeri and in the centre of Jūrmala, and puts the whole trail at seven or eight kilometres, while the notes below say 5 to 6 km of walking in total. It is marked as not suitable for people with mobility impairments or pregnant women.
The bog-shoe walk costs €50 for four hours, with pick-up at one of three points in Riga and a group of up to 7. Bog shoes and rain boots are included; tell the operator your shoe size. The guided part takes two hours on a route of 3 to 5 km through the Great Ķemeri Bog, guiding is in English, Latvian or German, and the page says children can join when accompanied by a parent. You get the exact pick-up time the day before.
| Option | Length | Start | Jūrmala | Walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bog and seaside Jūrmala | 6 hours | Riga Cathedral | yes, with beach time | boardwalk |
| Sunset trip | 4 hours | St. Peter’s Church | drive-through, about 30 minutes free | 1.5 or 3.7 km boardwalk |
| Park and Baltic coast | 5 hours | pick-up, 3 points | no, beach at Lapmežciems | 4.8 km |
| Bog trail | 4 hours | pick-up | stop in the centre | 2.8 km boardwalk, 5 to 8 km in total |
| Bog-shoe walk | 4 hours | pick-up, 3 points | no | 3 to 5 km in bog shoes |
The boardwalk
The Latvian tourism board describes two loops on the Great Ķemeri Bog Boardwalk: a shorter one of about 1.4 km and a longer one of about 3.4 km, which includes a climb to a viewing platform over the bog (Latvia Travel). The tour pages give other distances, as listed above, so how far you walk depends on the tour. For opening hours and any fee, ask the park administration before you go.
The boat alternative
There is also a boat trip from Riga to Jūrmala on the ship Elizabete: 2.5 hours to Majori, €20, rated 3.3 from 10 reviews. The page lists daily departures at 10:00 from Riga and 18:00 from Jūrmala, from the pier at 11. novembra krastmala by the Vanšu Bridge; be there 30 minutes early. The boat has a heated lounge and carries up to 40 passengers. It is a ride, not a bog visit.
Who should pick what
If you want the bog and a proper stop in Jūrmala, take the six-hour trip, unless someone in your group is over 70, which its page excludes. The bog trail also stops in Jūrmala and suits a group of up to 4. For a short evening outing, take the sunset trip. Families with young children should look at the bog-shoe walk, which takes children with a parent, rather than the coast trip, which excludes children under 6. Wear shoes you do not mind getting damp.
Our recommendation
For most visitors we would book the six-hour bog and Jūrmala trip: it starts in the Old Town and gives the boardwalk, Ķemeri and the seaside in one day. Browse all day trips from Riga, or compare the Hill of Crosses day trip if you have time for only one.
