Libau: Beach, Lagoon Lake and Culture

Libau combines a wide sandy beach with a distinctive lagoon lake, historic buildings and a variety of experiences on the water. Anyone planning a trip involving nature, activity and culture will find a range of options here for shared discoveries. When searching for a holiday apartment in Libau, you can therefore decide in advance what you want to focus on: Should the day begin at the beach, on cycling routes, with a guided tour or by observing nature?

Beach, Lagoon Lake and Waterways

Lake Liepāja is a lagoon lake formed by the retreat of the Baltic Sea. The lake and the surrounding meadows belong to the “Lake Liepāja” nature reserve and to a specially protected Natura 2000 site. The landscape is important for the breeding and migration of waterbirds. At the end of Lauku Street, a pier almost one kilometre long leads into the lake. It ends at a birdwatching tower with a viewing height of 10 metres.

Another prominent connection to the water is the three-kilometre-long Trade Channel. It connects Lake Liepāja with the Baltic Sea and separates Old Liepāja from New Liepāja. Water-based experiences are available there by catamaran, boat, raft or sauna on a floating house. The North Mole also tells part of the city’s history: it was built at the end of the 19th century as part of the Libau naval fortress and military port and is 1,800 metres long. There is a large car park and public toilets at the North Mole.

Walks and Active Excursions

For activities on land, Libau offers cycling routes with a total length of more than 50 kilometres. The approximately four-kilometre-long Zirgu Island Nature Trail runs across wooden walkways and offers two viewing platforms with wide views of Lake Liepāja. The trail also includes a birdwatching tower and outdoor fitness equipment. A nearby path can be used for skating and cycling. This makes it possible to combine a peaceful walk with other activities, without every travel group having to follow the same daily routine.

Culture Between Cathedral, Museum and Karosta

The Trinity Cathedral is particularly diverse in architectural terms: its exterior architecture is late Baroque with classicist features, while the interior is characterised by Rococo. The cathedral houses the world’s largest unaltered mechanical organ, with 131 stops, four manuals and more than 7,000 pipes. The 55-metre-high tower is open to visitors and offers a panorama of the city.

At the Liepāja Museum, several permanent exhibitions, archaeological objects, works of art and other evidence provide insight into history from the Stone Age to the 19th century. The “Lielais dzintars” concert hall, opened in 2015, complements the cultural offering. Guided tours of Great Amber include the Great Hall as well as other concert and art spaces.

An unusual place to visit is the Karosta Prison Museum. It showcases a real prison that has barely changed since the tsarist era. Visits are exclusively by guided tour; tours begin on the hour. Visitors can also take part in the reality show “Aiz restēm” (“Behind Bars”) and the game “Slēgtā istaba” (“Closed Room”).

Choose Accommodation to Suit Your Travel Style

When choosing accommodation in Libau, you can use the mix of experiences you have planned as your starting point. Anyone wanting to combine the beach, cycling and water activities will have different priorities from guests who are mainly interested in the cathedral, museum, concert architecture or the history of Karosta. A holiday apartment is a suitable search option for travellers who want to organise their days flexibly between nature, culture and shared excursions. Libau offers an unusually diverse range of themes for this, without requiring you to commit to just one type of holiday.

For the overarching travel overview: Liepāja.