Ventspils is a port city on Latvia's northwest coast, about 190 kilometres from Riga. It has a reputation as one of Latvia's cleanest and best-kept cities — the municipality has drawn steady income from its busy commercial harbour and, to its credit, has spent much of it on parks, cycle paths, and a well-maintained old town.
At the heart of the centre stands the Livonian Order Castle, dating to 1290 and among the oldest structures in Latvia. It now houses the Ventspils Museum, with exhibits covering the city's maritime and cultural history. The riverside promenade along the Venta is a pleasant place to walk, with the Boats of the Sun fountain and the painted Cows of Ventspils — left-overs of a 2002 art exhibition that have become an unofficial civic mascot.
The city beach is broad and Blue Flag certified, backed by dunes and equipped with summer facilities. It draws Latvian families in good numbers but sees far fewer foreign visitors than Jūrmala — which is part of the appeal. Behind the beach, the Seaside Open-Air Museum preserves a village of coastal Latvian buildings and runs a working narrow-gauge railway through the grounds in summer.
Stena Line ferries run from Ventspils to Nynäshamn in Sweden and to Travemünde in Germany, making the city a practical entry or exit point if you are travelling the Baltic by sea.