EuroVelo 13 Iron Curtain Trail

Latvia

The itinerary of EuroVelo 13 in Latvia is over 550km and follows the sea coast as closely as possible from the Estonian border (Ainaži) to the Lithuanian (Nida). Visitors will enjoy Latvia’s rich natural landscape of which 56% is covered by forest. Riga, the largest city in the Baltic States, offers a good counter-balance to the wilderness of its countryside. The route also visits Ventspils, which boasts the most developed cycling infrastructure in Latvia, whilst Liepāja and Karosta are very fitting destinations for the Iron Curtain Trail route thanks to their rich and well preserved Soviet military heritage.

EuroVelo 13 - Iron Curtain Trail is a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe since 2019.
EuroVelo 13 - Iron Curtain Trail is a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe since 2019.
Countries

Legend

Development status
  • Certified Section of at least 300 km that has successfully undergone the certification process in line with ECF’s European Certification Standard. It is the highest quality level on the EuroVelo network
  • Developed with EuroVelo signs Developed route (see category below) with continuous signing along the route, incorporating EuroVelo route information panels.
  • Developed Route developed for cyclists and signed in line with the respective national standard (i.e. it is part of a local, regional or national cycle network). There must also be a website providing information to users. Developed route can be heterogeneous in terms of infrastructure: type of cycling infrastructure, surface, width, gradients, etc
  • Under development Route containing sections that require further development (e.g. stretches on public highways with high levels of traffic). Cyclists are advised to use public transportation to skip these non-developed stretches.
  • Planning Undeveloped route with no detailed information publicly available on the Internet. The itinerary communicated is a proposal for the best possible option currently available. It may also contain dangerous sections. Cyclists are advised to use public transportation to skip these non-developed stretches.
  • Public transport link

Markers

  • Natural Heritage
  • UNESCO World Heritage Site
  • Cultural Heritage
  • Culinary Delights
  • Maritime Heritage / The Rhine / The Meuse
  • Other Point of Interest
  • Bus station
  • Train station
  • Mobility info center

National & Regional Information

Latvian bicycle information centre

The Latvian bicycle information centre is a bicycle tourism organisation founded in Riga in 1991. Their website contains a lot of information and maps for domestic routes and bicycle tourism in Latvia. However, much of it is currently only available in Latvia, so send any questions about EuroVelo 10 and 11 to their e-mail address: [email protected] and they will try and provide all the necessary information - route descriptions, public transport, cycle friendly services, rental facilities etc.

Visit site

Vidzeme Tourism Association

Vidzeme is one of the four historic provinces in Latvia, located in the north east. Its regional tourism association is responsible for the development of EuroVelo 13 in Latvia, and provides information about the route and work in progress as well as information about accomodation and cycle-friendly actvities in the region.

Visit site

Maps & Guides

EuroVelo 10, EuroVelo 13: Iron Curtain Trail 1 [Bikeline Esterbauer]

This cycling guide describes EuroVelo routes in Finland from Helsinki, across Russia and Estonia (1,778 km). 10 km to Riga are also described in Latvia. Also available in German. The perfect tool to guide you during your journey preparation and on the road: precise and very informative maps at a scale of 1:120,000 and 1:400,000, elevation and distance profiles, GPS tracks, accommodation and service directory, LiveUpdate, handlebar bag format, and spiral-bound.

EuroVelo 10, EuroVelo 13: Iron Curtain Trail 2 [Bikeline Esterbauer]

This cycling guide describes EuroVelo 10 & EuroVelo 13 in Latvia from Riga, across Lithuania, Russia, and Poland and in Germany up to Lübeck (1,604 km). Half of the route in Latvia is described in the book. The perfect tool to guide you during your journey preparation and on the road: maps at a scale of 1:85,000, elevation and distance profiles, GPS tracks, accommodation and service directory, LiveUpdate, handlebar bag format, and spiral-bound. Also available in German.

Bookable Offers

From:
1370€
11
days
Easy

Cycle the Baltics: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania – half-guided or guided tour

EV11
EV13
@Estonia @Latvia @Lithuania

Bike tours through forests, bike paths along lakes, unique landscapes, villages like those from bygone centuries, baroque splendor in restored cities. The Baltic States have all of this to offer You. Take a ride and discover three extraordinary countries: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Thanks to the highly interesting guided tours, you will not only get to know the three Baltic countries on this bike tour, but also their history and, above all, their people.

From:
1255€
11
days
Easy

Cycle the Baltics: Lithuania – Latvia – Estonia

EV10
EV13
@Estonia @Latvia @Lithuania

Explore the Baltic coast and the National Parks of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia on very scenic routes. The tour includes the three capital cities – Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn – with their Old towns designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO; the Curonian Spit which was previously closed to visitors; nowadays it is often called the Lithuanian Sahara; the beautiful Gauja River valleys and the largest and most beautiful Estonian island of Saaremaa.

From:
455€
8
days
Easy

Cycling tour from Klaipeda to Riga (West Lithuania - Latvian Kurzeme / Courland)

EV10
EV13
@Latvia @Lithuania

A self-guided cycle tour through some of the most beautiful areas of Lithuania before crossing into Latvia to explore its hidden treasures: Kurzeme (Courland) with its historical towns, Liepaja and Kuldiga, and finally Jūrmala seaside resort and Riga, the capital city and former Hanseatic port. The journey begins by cycling on cycle trail along the Baltic coast. The route continues through beautiful countryside in Western Latvia with its changing landscape, small villages and old towns.