Liepaja
Liepāja [2] is a city in Latvia. ContentsUnderstandLiepāja, a wonderful city of about 90,000 residents, is a gemstone, located on Latvia's Baltic coast. It is Latvia's third largest city (and arguably the next most important city after the capital Riga) and the former capital of Latvia during World War I. It is important for tourists to know that Liepaja city consists of two main areas of interest - 1) the city center, and 2) Karosta, the northern part of the city, which used to be a secret soviet military town. Both the city center and Karosta have great beaches, and you will be surprised how unspoiled and beautiful the central beach is, and how white and soft the sand is! Karosta is essentially another city, because it really has a different history and look from the rest of Liepaja; Karosta is worth a separate visit. In Liepaja there is no place to be called `the old town`, but the center and surroundings are full of old, beautiful wooden buildings, little irregular streets, etc. The center also includes the Seaside Park (Jurmalas parks) area, which has a fantastic white, soft sand beach; the park itself is great, too, with many nice buildings. Get inLiepaja is easily accessible. It is located 220 km (136 mi) west from Riga, 100 km (62 mi) north from Klaipeda, on the coast of the Baltic Sea. You can get to Liepaja by plane, train or bus from Riga, and by bus from Klaipeda or Palanga. You can get to Liepaja by your own car from Riga even faster than by public transport. Normally a bus ride from Riga to Liepaja takes about 3hours 30minutes, and a bit less than 2 hours from Klaipeda. By planeAs of the end of 2009, all regular airline services to and from Liepaja were suspended. Check AirBaltic.com website. Palanga airport is just about 65 km (40 mi) south; it has some more direct routes all year round. Riga International airport (the largest airport in the Baltic states with many direct flights to Europe and Asia, including cheap Ryanair, AirBaltic and Easyjet routes) is 220km east from Liepaja city. Liepaja International Airport is located 7 km (4 mi) from the center and is connected with the city with bus number 2. It goes further than the center, so make sure to get off some stops after you have crossed the channel bridge in the center, otherwise you will end up in the residential area Ezerkrasts-2, which is nice too, since it is located near Liepaja Lake. This bus would take approximately 20 minutes to get to the center and it costs 35 santims. Make sure to validate your ticket, which you can buy from bus driver! (See GET AROUND - BUS section) By carThere are two main roads going to Liepaja. One is A9 from Riga direction, and the other is A11, from Klaipeda, a city in Lithuania. Other roads are P111 to/from Ventspils, and many regional roads. By hitch-hikingIt is pretty popular to hitch-hike in Latvia and if you want, you should try it for Liepaja, too. To get out from the city and hitch-hike from Liepaja to somewhere else, the tram is extremely good. Go to the north terminus, cross the railway crossing and you are in the hitch-hiking spot to Riga (also Ventspils) direction, or go to the south terminus, walk some 400 meters (1,300 ft) till the city ends completely and you are on the way to Klaipeda! By busLiepaja is connected by bus service with Riga (many times every day), Klaipeda, Palanga, Ventspils, Kuldiga and other towns, as well as smaller villages in Liepaja region. The Bus station is located some distance away from the center. Take the tram to the south to get to the center (take the tram at a tram stop which is on your right side when you quit the Bus station building. Do not cross the tram-railway, which is a wrong direction! The Liepaja region bus terminal is in the southern part of the center, at Sienatirgus. But all busses also go to the main Bus station. A ticket to Riga costs around 6,40 Lats (9 Euros). By trainA nice and relatively quick train runs every day to and from Riga. It leaves the Liepaja railway station (which is the same building as the bus station) at 6AM, and arrives at Riga railway station at 9:10AM. The train from Riga leaves at 6:30PM and arrives in Liepaja at 9:37PM. These trains also stop at Skrunda, Saldus, Dobele and Jelgava. On the train one can watch a DVD movie or use a vending machine to have a cup of coffee. Despite the fact that the train actually takes a longer route – about 240 km {149 mi} compared to 220 km {136 mi} if you go by bus – because it goes through Jelgava, it takes a bit less time to go to Riga by train than by bus. As of February 2009, a single one-way normal fare ticket cost 5,80 Lats (around 8,80 Euros). The railway station is located some distance away from the town center. Take the tram heading south to get to the center (get on the tram at a tram stop which is on your right side when you exit the railway station building). Do not cross the tram-railway — it will put you in the wrong direction! By boatA ferry service connects Liepaja with Germany. The ferry terminal is in Ziemelu priekspilseta, 15 minutes from the center by bus 10,11 or 15, or minibus 3. However, there is some distance between the terminal building and the street where public transport operates. If you have a yacht, you are welcome to Liepaja yacht harbor, located in the center, in Tirdzniecibas channel. Get aroundThere are four types of public transport in Liepaja city - tram, bus, minibus, taxi. Trams, buses and minibuses now have the same tickets, which you can purchase from the driver (0,50 Ls - about 0,73 EUR) or in many shops and small newsagents` boutiques such as Plus Punkts or Narvesen, which can be found in many place throughout the city. There are also 1 DAY PASS, week, month etc. passes. 1 day pass costs 1,50 Ls and gives you unlimited number of rides, but you must validate it when you first use it. This ticket is then valid on that specific date, printed on your ticket once you validate it. (Important - it is valid until midnight, not for 24 hours!)
Liepaja city is relatively big for Latvian city sizes. For example, to go from the center to Karosta by bus 3, you will need approximately 35 minutes and the distance you go would be around 10 km. SeeThe former secret military town of Karosta (northern Liepaja), the Fortress of Liepaja (its parts are located all around the city, the most spectacular ones are on the Baltic shore in Karosta), Liepaja city center with many old art-nouveau and wooden building and cobblestone streets, and the seaside park with its white sandy beach, as well as Liepajas lake - fifth largest lake in Latvia, are nice places with lots to see.
ChurchesChurches of Liepaja will surprise you nicely with the huge variety of architecture styles they are built in. This depicts very well the religion situation in Latvia - it is very mixed. It is mostly within Christianity, but several branches of it, and this can be seen in Liepaja, because there are Lutheran, Protestant, Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Russian Oldbelievers and other religious groups` churches and these vary from tiny wooden churches to huge towers and cathedrals. There are about 20 churches in Liepaja.
Many other churches are scattered throughout the city, the most important being St. Nicholas maritime cathedral in Karosta (see Karosta). Open air marketsThey are always something special for western tourists, but part of daily life for local people. There are many markets throughout the city, but the two most important and largest are Peter’s market (Petertirgus) and Anne’s market (Annas tirgus). Petertirgus is in the city center. It has big indoor and outdoor sections. In both you can find food and non-food items. There is a fish market in the basement of the indoor market building. Some craftworks can be bought outside, such as amber bracelets etc. This is the best place to buy local, ecologically clean fruit and vegetables, and July is strawberry time! Everything is relatively cheap. Annas tirgus is located one tram stop closer to the center than the bus/railway station, in Jaunliepaja. It is smaller, but has a big flea market section, where you can find many things from the Soviet era. Liepaja LakeLiepaja is surrounded by water. There are the Baltic Sea coast, two big lakes, some smaller ones, four channels in the city. The city, especially the southern part (Vecliepāja) is almost an island. Liepaja Lake is the fifth largest lake in Latvia. It is lagoona-type, meaning it was part of the sea in ancient days. It is not deep, and is relatively narrow - up to 3.5 km (2.2 mi) - and long - about 15 km (9.3 mi). Liepaja city is on the north-western coast of the lake. If you go to Ezerkrasts (Lakeside), you can see the best lake views from Tise iela (Tise street). On one side are apartment buildings, and on the other, a meadow; behind the meadow is the lake. The lake, together with surrounding meadows, is a nature protection area, mostly because of some rare plants growing there and many species of birds that live or come across this place regularly. Swimming in the lake is not as nice as in the sea (but warmer), because the bottom is sometimes swampy. There is, however, a special place for swimming at the very end of Vainodes street. There is an interesting, yet very dirty and untouristic place called Zirgu sala. It is the biggest isle in the lake and is very close to city center, where it is connected by bridge. From the island, an approximately 1 km (0.6 mi) long jetty, accessible even by car (a very bad road though) built of metallurgical factory oven-burned metallic stones, goes into the lake, providing nice views. It is sometimes called Golodova dambis or Zirgu salas dambis, but does not appear in any travel guides. KarostaA former secret Soviet military town. If you are in Liepaja, you must go to Karosta. It is the northern part of the city, about 10 km (6 mi) from the center. Karosta translates as War Port (or Navy Harbor) from Latvian. It used to be a secret military town for Russian empire, and later also for the Soviets. Latvia became independent, and some years after that, in 1994, the Soviet militarists had to leave Karosta. The population dropped dramatically from 25000 to 6000, leaving many empty houses behind. Then Karosta experienced something like a war without guns. Many houses where turned into ruins. Everything was taken away. Brick by brick, many historic, beautiful buildings disappeared forever. Now, Karosta has a population of 7000 and a dream of renaissance, which has already started. It is now a popular tourist destination and also home for international artist’s center, called K2. Many places of Karosta still look like after a war. Some places remind the abandoned towns of Chernobyl nuclear disaster area.
In the city center:
In Liepaja region: there are some nice towns, 100km of beautiful Baltic coast, lots of forests and it is worth to visit the Kalvene Zoo park, which is very big and animals have bigger space to live than usually in city zoos. Pape Nature Park is another option, if you want to see wild horses and wild boars. Same animals can be seen in Vitinu meadows, which is just the opposite coast of Liepaja Lake, not far from the airport. This visit must be guided and pre-booked in the tourism info center, because it is a nature protection area. Town of Aizpute has medieval atmosphere with little irregular streets, old wooden buildings and castle ruins, and it is on the way to Kuldiga, the medieval town with Europe's widest waterfall. DoTry to see as much as possible sightseeing wise. The city center and Karosta must be visited. Nightlife places are RockCafe, Fontaine Palace, Big7 - all in the center. If you visit in summer, go to the beach and swim. Windsurfing activities are popular and city has both the sea and the lake, so there are wide opportunities for this and equipment can be rented in Windsurfing club Rietumkrasts in Katedrales street, Karosta. For visiting large areas of Karosta and Liepaja, a good idea is to rent a car. LearnSome Latvian phrases will be admired by locals, such as Paldies (Thank you). Latvian is spoken natively by more than half of Liepajas population and is the only official language. All written signs and labels are mostly in Latvian. However, you will also hear Russian in the streets of Liepaja, which is by far the most widespread minority language since the Soviet times, when lots of Russians immigrated into Latvia`s main cities, including Liepaja, to work in industries. These immigrants and their next generations form a large percentage of population of all biggest cities in Latvia. In summer there are many German tourists and German can be heard in most touristic areas. Latvians, especially younger generations, speak good English. The Latvian language belongs to the Baltic language group of Indo-European languages and its only closest relative is Lithuanian, but it is very different anyway, so most likely Latvian will sound completely foreign for you and it is hard to guess what written words mean, even if Latvian uses Latin alphabet, just like English. However, some words are borrowed from other languages and it is not hard to understand that Restorans means Restaurant, but what about Veikals? It means Shop. The language has complicated grammar, the most complex being usage of verb prefixes and suffixes, which can change the meaning completely, as well as many kinds of participles majority of which do not have equivalent in English. The pronunciation is more or less easy; however there are some complicated rules for some letters like e and o, and any foreigner trying to speak Latvian has an accent, because it is really hard to speak perfect Latvian. In Latvian, there are three pitch tones and sometimes the meaning of the word changes if you change the tone, e.g. loks can mean leek or bow, depending on the pronunciation tone. Zale can mean a hall or grass, again depends on the tone you use. The easiest part is the stress, which is almost always on the first syllable. Latvian is spoken natively by only 1.5 million people in the whole world, most of them, of course in Latvia, and also in Ireland, UK, USA, Russia, Brazil, Australia etc. WorkKnowledge of Latvian language is essential in most jobs. Some permits are required, depending on your home country. It is easier for EU citizens. The average salary is about €400-500 per month, but it varies greatly depending on the area of activity. BuyAmber, craftworks, souvenirs in Petertirgus (central market, the biggest and main one). Go to Annas tirgus - a smaller market in Jaunliepaja (open daily, except Sundays), or better to small markets in Silku/Kalpaka street corner and another one in Karosta for cool soviet-style souvenirs and other interesting stuff. Go to Petertirgus (Peter’s market, the main open market, open every day) for fresh, clean local food which is natural and healthy. Especially strawberries in July... Mmmm... :) Visit the tourism information center; they have nice souvenirs, too. A good souvenir from little bays near fortresses in Karosta is little pebbles from the Baltic Sea. It’s free and natural. Some tourists take a little jar of Liepaja central beach unbelievably white and soft sand as a souvenir. Stendera ziepju fabrika produces interesting soaps and soap-related products for bathing, such as Burbuļbumbas - the bubble balls. Try Latvian food in a cafeteria, restaurant or just buy a Sklandrausis (carrot pie, typical for Kurzeme, Western Latvia) in Šaras (a local word used for inner pavilion of a market, in this case Petertirgus market, and the official word in Latvian would be skārņi). Black bread is extremely important part of Latvian food. There are many types of black breads and they are believed to be much healthier and better than white bread, but unfortunately in the West there is almost no black bread. Latvia is much richer in milk products than an average Western country. Try Biezpiena sieriņš - a curd snack with sweet taste. Many types are available, the most popular being Karums and Baltais. Try the dessert Maizes zupa (bread soup, made of black bread and fruits). Taste the Biešu zupa (red beetroot soup). Latvian cakes are also nice and the best place to take a cup of good coffee and a cake, such as whipped egg whites `basket` Līga, is definitely Serenade on the corner of Graudu and Pasta streets. Such a cake costs just 0.30 Ls, approximately €0.40. Any Latvian would tell you that chocolate of Laima (the local sweets factory) is much better than Belgian one. Laima offers not just chocolate, but also konfektes - candies of different types, sold by grams and kilos and the price is about 5 LVL per kilo. The best ones are Rudzupuķe, Lācītis Ķepainītis, Serenāde, Vētras putns, Rīts, Soho, Sarkanā magone, Vāverīte etc. They are really great. An assortment in a nice box can also be a nice gift to friends who stayed home and will come to Liepaja next time, after you tell them how great it was there. Try Zefirs - a soft marshmallow-type sweet. Gotiņa (Little cow - well, not exactly little, but English lacks diminutive) is a famous milk candy. Apart from Laima, there is Emihls Gustavs chocolate factory. It is more exclusive and they make little sculptures of different shapes of chocolate, but it is a bit pricy. EatBudgetFor a traveler from e.g. Western Europe or USA, Liepaja`s prices might seem quite cheap. Even top-class restaurants are cheaper than similar ones in Western Europe. This is, of course, because of local average salary, which is about 400 euro per month. Public transport is also relatively cheap. It is important to know that in Latvia the whole concept and meaning of words Cafeteria (Kafejnica), Canteen (Ednica) and Restaurant (Restorans) are different than they would be understood in other countries. A Cafeteria or Kafejnica is not just a coffee shop. Usually you can have all meals that you would probably expect in a restaurant. The difference is that in Kafejnica you sometimes bring your food to your table yourself. However, some Kafejnicas have waiters, but these are then something in between of Kafejnica and Restorans. Restorans is usually a more or less top class place. Ednica is a canteen of schools, universities, factories etc. They are very cheap, but sometimes have limited access. Some place are very cheap and yet good - for example, Cepeline 5 minutes from the Bus and Railway Station on the corncer of Rigas and 1905. gada streets. For a more soviet kitch experience - go to Chebureki on the corner of Raina and Jelgavas streets. In the center, try Tris Siveni pizza in Rose square or RockCafe, go to Fontaine Delisnack and many, many other places, which are all reasonably priced and offer tasty food. Some Restaurants in Liepaja
All cafeterias (kafejnīca) in the center are nice, too. In Karosta Prison there is an authentic soviet style canteen, but it does not operate regularly and is used by group requests only. Mid-rangeSome Restaurants in Liepaja
Splurge
Drink
SleepIn Liepaja you have all you need - choose a cheap and cosy hostel or a five star hotel - Liepaja has it all. Some examples:
Stay safeLiepaja is a safe place. Some people think it is not safe at night, but it is all a matter of personal opinion. Avoid walking alone in darkness. Do not leave your belongings unattended in clubs and pubs, or on the streets. Be careful in Karosta - during the 1990s it was a criminal place; however, it is much better now. CopeLatvia is Nordic in its weather. The temperatures in July can reach 30ºC (86ºF). And they can also fall as low as -30ºC (-22ºF) in January... But both winter and summer has their beauty. Make two visits - one in summer, one in winter - and you will have two totally different experiences! And make yet another visit in mid October, when all the trees are colorful. Get outThere is so much to see in the city that there is actually no need to get out. Nature is everywhere, even within the city: those are not just artificially planted city parks. There are also absolutely unspoiled and natural beaches, forests and meadows near the Liepaja lake. There are some swamps, but they are not that accessible. You can visit special swamp trails in Liepaja region, as well as even bigger and denser forests. You might want to go to other towns and villages. In addition to Riga (Latvia's capitol), an excursion to Kuldiga (about 100 km away) is highly recommended; there you will find Europe’s widest waterfall.
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