The resort village of Lielupe is located in a bend between the mouth of the river of the same name and the Gulf of Riga, just 19 kilometers from Riga and is part of the city of Jurmala. Today, Lielupe is a prestigious district of Jurmala, a favorite place for the Latvian elite, and is popular, first of all, among beach lovers. See JIBIN123 for Latvia customs regulations and visa requirements.
On the banks of the Lielupe, there are the highest dunes in Jurmala – the Raga dunes, reaching 18 meters above sea level and being part of the Ragakapa Natural Park with an area of 84 hectares.
How to get there
You can get to Lielupe by train, bus, or by car along the A10 motorway from Riga.
Entertainment and attractions in Lielupe
Due to its proximity to the capital, as well as the presence of a waterway and access to the sea, the village of Lielupe became one of the first in Jurmala, where summer cottages appeared. In the early 1910s, Lielupe already had dozens of wooden dachas scattered in the pine forest in Bulluciems, the oldest inhabited part of the village. Around the same time, 1913, the wooden building of the Lielupe railway station also belongs. In addition, many historical buildings have survived to this day, in which famous Latvian figures lived: Professor Pauls Stradins, folk teacher Ernests Birznieks-Upitis, composer Janis Zalitis and others.
After the Second World War, a large fishing artel was founded in Lielupe, known throughout Latvia and later grew into a large settlement with a fishing port. Today, the Lielupe Folk Museum with an exposition on the history of fishing in Latvia serves as a reminder of the old days for tourists.
Lielupe is known for the largest Livu water park in the Baltics with many attractions, including Kamikaze – the craziest and most extreme tube in the water park and Tornado – the only one in Europe and the third largest attraction of its kind in the world.
Lielupe has a yacht club, a national sports base and a tennis center built in 1989 and regularly used for international competitions. But still, one of the most popular places to stay in Lielupe is the sandy beach of the village.
Lielupe has the only nudist beach in Jurmala, opened in 2009.
Livu Aquapark
Lielupe is also famous for the Livu water park, the largest in the Baltics, with many attractions, including Kamikaze – the craziest and most extreme pipe in the water park and Tornado – the only one in Europe and the third largest attraction of this kind in the world. The water park also has its own SPA complex, where guests can enjoy contrast treatments, water jet massage, a foot reflexology bath and a salt room. The water park is open to visitors daily: Mon-Fri 12:00-22:00, Sat 11:00-22:00, Sun 11:00-21:00. During the winter season, the park is open from Wednesday to Sunday. The subscription price is 6 EUR for a child under 3 years old and 8 EUR for a child of 4-5 years old. Ticket prices for children from 6 to 14 years old – 19.50-22.50 EUR per day. An adult ticket will cost 28.90-25.50 EURper day and 22.50-19.50 EUR per 2 hours.
Dunes of Raga
On the banks of the Lielupe, there are the highest dunes in Jurmala – the Raga dunes, reaching 18 meters above sea level and being part of the Ragakapa Natural Park with an area of 84 hectares. There are wooden paths in the park, the so-called eco-trails: “Nature trail”, “Insect trail”, “Pine trail” and “Vegetable trail”, as well as the Jurmala open-air museum. The paths are wooden walkways intersecting with ladders and observation decks. In addition, rare plant species and protected bird species are found in the park, and the local pine trees are 300 years old.
The museum, located in the park, is a real fisherman’s farmstead with characteristic buildings of the late 19th and early 20th centuries: a residential building, a carriage house, a cage, a net workshop, a smokehouse, a bathhouse and other buildings brought here from different parts of Jurmala. Also here you can see a collection of anchors, knots and fishing boats. The museum is open to visitors from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00, Monday is a day off. A visit to the museum is free, guide services cost 4-7 EUR (depending on the language).