Top 10 Lighthouses in Latvia
Latvia's position on the eastern Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga has made lighthouse-keeping a serious business for centuries. The Gulf of Riga — a semi-enclosed body of water some 150 kilometres across — freezes partially in winter, creating a shifting landscape of drift ice that has wrecked countless vessels. The approaches are guarded by a complex of sandy shoals, submerged ridges, and unpredictable currents, particularly around the Irbe Strait that connects the gulf to the open Baltic. Systematic lighthouse construction here began under Swedish imperial administration in the seventeenth century, continued under Tsarist Russia from 1710, and was refined by the independent Republic of Latvia before Soviet control and a final post-independence restoration. Today Latvia's lighthouses are managed by the Latvian Maritime Administration and range from modest timber towers on low sandy capes to substantial masonry structures. Several are in landscapes of exceptional natural beauty, surrounded by pine forests, dunes, and the wild northern beaches for which the Courland coast is famous.
1. Kolka Lighthouse, Kolka
The Cape Kolka Lighthouse guards one of the most dangerous points in Baltic navigation: the tip of the Courland Peninsula where the open Baltic and the Gulf of Riga meet in a collision of currents over a notoriously shallow and shifting shoal. Hundreds of ships have been wrecked here over the centuries. The current lighthouse is an offshore structure, a white cylindrical tower standing on a rock pile in the sea some distance from the cape itself, erected because the shallow approach made a shore-based light insufficient. It shows a white flashing light visible approximately 16 nautical miles. The cape itself is within the Slītere National Park, where forest trails lead to the headland. The lighthouse is operated by the Latvian Maritime Administration and is active.
2. Slītere Lighthouse, Slītere
The Slītere Lighthouse, built in 1849 by the Russian Imperial Lighthouse Service to designs by the engineer Schütz, stands on the wooded slopes above Kolka within what is now Slītere National Park. The white masonry tower is approximately 37 metres tall and once served as a major coast light for vessels approaching the Irbe Strait. It was decommissioned as a primary navigation aid when more effective lights were installed offshore, and today it serves as a tourist attraction within the national park. The tower can be climbed for panoramic views over the ancient shore cliffs — relict from an earlier coastline — and the surrounding forest of pine, oak, and hornbeam. The park is one of Latvia's finest areas of natural heritage and the lighthouse visit combines well with nature walks and birdwatching.
3. Akmeņrags Lighthouse, Akmeņrags
Akmeņrags (Rocky Cape) on the Courland coast south of Pavilosta marks a low headland where submerged rocks extend offshore, creating a genuine hazard for coastal traffic. The lighthouse, a white cylindrical iron tower on a masonry base, was built in 1879 under the Russian Imperial Lighthouse Service and stands approximately 25 metres tall. It displays a white flashing light and remains active. The cape's name is appropriate: the rocky shore here contrasts with the broad sandy beaches typical of the Courland coast, and the lighthouse sits in an atmospheric setting of windswept pines and grey boulders. A keeper's compound of historic buildings surrounds the tower, and the site is accessible via forest tracks.
4. Užava Lighthouse, Užava
The Užava Lighthouse stands on a low, forested cape on the Courland coast, a slender white cylindrical tower built in 1879, standing approximately 25 metres above the water with a flashing white light. The Užava River mouth nearby creates a bar that mariners must cross to reach the small anchorage behind the headland. Like many lighthouses on this coast, Užava is set within pine forests that give the entire landscape a characteristic scent and stillness. The lighthouse and its surroundings are accessible by road from Ventspils or Kuldīga, and the keeper's cottages have been adapted for visitor accommodation, making it possible to stay overnight at this atmospheric coastal location.
5. Mērsrags Lighthouse, Mērsrags
Mērsrags is a small fishing port on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Riga, and its lighthouse marks the approach to the harbour from across the gulf. The white cylindrical tower, of late imperial or interwar construction, stands approximately 22 metres and shows a flashing white light. Mērsrags has historically been one of the centres of Latvian fishing culture, and the harbour retains fishing vessels working the gulf for sprats and herring. The lighthouse is accessible and the port area is friendly to visitors.
6. Ovīši Lighthouse, Ovīši
The Ovīši Lighthouse, built in 1814 and repeatedly modified, is one of the oldest surviving lighthouse structures in Latvia. The octagonal brick tower stands approximately 32 metres on the low forested cape of Ovīši north of Ventspils, where the open Baltic begins to narrow toward the Irbe Strait. The light is white flashing, visible around 17 nautical miles, and remains active. The keeper's compound includes several historic outbuildings, and the site has been carefully maintained as a heritage landmark. The surrounding coast, where ancient amber deposits wash up on the beach after storms, attracts both lighthouse visitors and amber hunters.
7. Ventspils Lighthouse, Ventspils
The Ventspils Lighthouse stands at the entrance to Ventspils harbour, Latvia's most important oil export terminal. The current tower is a modern cylindrical structure showing a white flashing light, but a lighthouse has marked this harbour mouth since at least the seventeenth century when Ventspils (then Windau) was an important trading port of the Duchy of Courland. The harbour entrance is flanked by two breakwater pier lights, and the combined system guides the large tankers and bulk carriers that call at Ventspils's extensive port facilities. The lighthouse area is a secure port zone, but the tower is visible from the beach promenade on the northern side of the harbour.
8. Rīga Lighthouse (Daugavgrīva), Rīga
The Daugavgrīva Lighthouse near the mouth of the Daugava River marks the approach to Riga, the capital of Latvia and historically the most important port on the eastern Baltic. A light here has guided vessels into the Daugava for centuries; the current tower is a modern cylindrical structure showing a white flashing light, situated in the industrial port suburb of Daugavgrīva at the river's mouth. Upstream, Riga's historic city centre — a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its extraordinary Art Nouveau architecture — was built on the wealth of Baltic trade that this lighthouse helped to sustain.
9. Pāvilosta Harbour Light, Pāvilosta
Pāvilosta is a small harbour town on the Courland coast, sheltered behind a sandy bar that separates the harbour from the open sea. The entrance light here is a compact structure on the breakwater pier, guiding local fishing boats and the windsurfers and kitesurfers who have made Pāvilosta one of Latvia's leading water sports destinations in recent years. The harbour's sheltered waters and the consistent Baltic winds attract enthusiasts from across northern Europe.
10. Liepāja Lighthouse, Liepāja
Liepāja on the southern Courland coast is Latvia's third city and a historic naval base, the site of one of the Russian Empire's most important Baltic naval stations. The lighthouse here marks the entrance to Liepāja Harbour and the Liepāja Canal, a man-made channel connecting the coastal lake of Liepāja Ezers to the sea. The white tower is approximately 18 metres and shows a white flashing light. Liepāja's naval heritage includes a remarkable Soviet-era military port, Karosta, now open as a tourist attraction with guided tours of its fortifications and the notorious Karosta prison.
Visiting Latvia's Lighthouses
Latvia's Courland lighthouses are best explored on a road trip along the coastal highway from Riga westward through Jūrmala, Sloka, Tukums, and down to Ventspils and Liepāja. The Slītere National Park, which encompasses both the Kolka and Slītere lighthouse sites, is a highlight of any Latvian coastal journey and repays a full day or two. The Ovīši and Užava towers are fine examples of imperial-era lighthouse architecture. The lighthouse tourism season runs from May to September; in winter the coast is blustery and some facilities close, but the atmosphere of ice and fog has its own character. Open the map to locate all Latvian lighthouses along the Baltic coast and the Gulf of Riga shores.