Kuldīga is the prettiest small town in western Latvia, set where the Alekšupīte stream slips through old streets before joining the Venta River. Its centre is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for the way a Courland trading town survived with its low wooden houses, red roofs, cobbles, and river pattern intact.
The town is not dramatic in a big-city way. Its pleasure is in walking: along Baznīcas iela, through the old centre, across the brick bridge, and down to the Venta Rapid, the widest waterfall in Europe.
Kuldīga makes a strong overnight stop between Riga, Liepāja, and Ventspils, but it also rewards a spare day. Come for the old town, stay for the slow river light and the odd local habit of swimming under the low falls in summer.