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Best Pilgrimage Hikes in Latvia

24 routes in Latvia qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 23.3 km and 512 m (1,680 ft) of ascent.

That is 9 percent of the 269 routes we map in Latvia.

Historic pilgrim ways come with waymarking, infrastructure and a rhythm built up over centuries of use. These lean toward the demanding end, so plan for a full day and check the forecast before you commit.

Trails

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Svētā Jēkaba ceļš (Valka-Rīga) 4 etaps: Valmiera – LiepaGauja National Park20.3 km446 m5 hr 3 minHardApril to October
Svētā Jēkaba ceļš (Valka-Rīga) 5 etaps: Liepa – CēsisGauja National Park22.4 km494 m5 hr 38 minHardApril to October
Svētā Jēkaba ceļš (Valka-Rīga) 6 etaps: Cēsis – LīgatneGauja National Park26.0 km572 m6 hr 36 minHardApril to October
Svētā Jēkaba ceļš (Valka-Rīga) 7 etaps: Līgatne – SiguldaGauja National Park26.2 km576 m6 hr 39 minHardApril to October
Svētā Jēkaba ceļš (Valka-Rīga) 8 etaps: Sigulda – KrimuldaGauja National Park10.2 km224 m2 hr 28 minModerateApril to October
Svētā Jēkaba ceļš (Valka-Rīga) 9 etaps: Krimulda – VangažiGauja National Park22.9 km504 m5 hr 46 minHardApril to October
Svētā Jēkaba ceļš (Rīga-Skaistkalne) 1 etaps: Rīga – SalaspilsLatvia22.8 km501 m5 hr 44 minHardApril to October
Svētā Jēkaba ceļš (Rīga-Skaistkalne) 2 etaps: Salaspils – OgreLatvia26.1 km575 m6 hr 38 minHardApril to October
Svētā Jēkaba ceļš (Rīga-Skaistkalne) 3 etaps: Ogre – ĶegumsLatvia21.4 km470 m5 hr 21 minHardApril to October
Svētā Jēkaba ceļš (Rīga-Skaistkalne) 4 etaps: Ķegums – VecumniekiLatvia23.1 km508 m5 hr 49 minHardApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Svētā Jēkaba ceļš (Valka-Rīga) 7 etaps: Līgatne – Sigulda, Svētā Jēkaba ceļš (Valka-Rīga) 6 etaps: Cēsis – Līgatne, Svētā Jēkaba ceļš (Valka-Rīga) 8 etaps: Sigulda – Krimulda. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

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