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Engure harbour (Engures osta) with a boat, the pier and open Gulf of Riga water beyondLaima Gutmane / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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Latvia

Latvia packs 24 spots into a country most riders skip, split between the exposed west-facing Kurzeme coast and the sheltered Gulf of Riga.

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Pāvilosta anchors it, a small port at the Saka river mouth that fills with an international surf/sail/kite crowd each summer.

Cape Kolka, inside Slītere National Park at the Courland Peninsula's tip, is the remote, current-warned end of the map, while Riga's Ķīšezers lake gives flat, year-round riding inside the city.

It suits riders after variety - sheltered lake laps, a summer beach town, exposed Baltic points - over polish.

Seasonevery monthsomewhere in the country
How we count
Places
6 towns and 7 single spots
Beginners
where a spot record says a beginner can ride; the Beginners page also asks for a school there, so it lists fewer
Best forBeginners4Flat water4Foiling7Waves and flat3Waves10

When to go

month by month, from the towns' own wind series

  1. Jan69
  2. Feb58
  3. Mar44
  4. Apr30
  5. May29
  6. Jun32
  7. Jul42
  8. Aug35
  9. Sep38
  10. Oct60
  11. Nov55
  12. Dec52

The windiest town in season each month: its share of windy days

Windiest single town in any month: Baltic coast, 69% of days in January, from the Salacgrīva series.

How this is modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Which place is yours

Grouped by region, the most spots first

How this list is ordered

The places are in the order of how many spots each place holds. None of them carries a wind score: the atlas scores wind reliability one spot at a time, against a named weather station and the distance to it, and a place that groups several spots has no single station to stand behind one number.For wind by month, see When to go above.

Limbažu novads

Baltic coast Under the radar3 spots · 1 school · May to Octoberflat water choppy beginner-friendly quiet car needed gear rental

Rīga

Riga Under the radar4 spots · every monthflat water choppy waves beginner-friendly no car needed mid-range

Tukuma novads

Engure & Bērzciems Under the radar2 spots · 2 schools · August to Marchlagoon choppy beginner-friendly quiet car needed gear rental

Talsi novads

Cape Kolka4 spots · May to Octoberwaves beginner-friendly quiet car needed budget

Other places

Pāvilosta Local favourite2 spots · 5 schools · every monthwaves beginner-friendly sociable car helps gear rental budget to mid Liepāja Under the radar2 spots · 1 school · May to Octoberflat water choppy waves beginner-friendly buzzing scene no car needed budget

Standalone spots

Single spots with no town of their own

Limbažu novads

Tūja1 spot · May to Octoberadvanced

Tukuma novads

Ragaciems1 spot · May to Octoberchoppy waves beginner-friendly

Talsi novads

Mērsrags1 spot · August to Marchbeginner-friendly

Other places

Jūrmala / Pumpuri1 spot · May to Octoberbeginner-friendly Lilaste1 spot · May to Septemberbeginner-friendly Saulkrasti / Koklītes1 spot · May to Septemberchoppy waves advanced Ventspils1 spot · September to Octoberbeginner-friendly

By region

The country's regions, the most spots first

Limbažu novads4 spots · 1 placeRīga4 spots · 1 placeTukuma novads3 spots · 1 placeTalsi novads2 spots · 1 place

Best for

Pages that pick the places in Latvia for one kind of riding

Beginners in Latvia4 placesFlat water in Latvia4 placesFoiling in Latvia7 placesWaves and flat in Latvia3 placesWaves in Latvia10 places

Destinations

All 13 places, by name

Every place in the lists above, by name only, in the order the country guide keeps them.

Cape KolkaPāvilostaRigaEngure & BērzciemsBaltic coastLiepājaSaulkrasti / KoklītesJūrmala / PumpuriRagaciemsMērsragsLilasteTūjaVentspils

Visa & entry

EU passportFree movement, no visa, no stay limit (EU/EEA citizen rights).
US passportVisa-free Schengen tourism up to 90 days in any 180-day period (2026).
UK passportVisa-free Schengen tourism up to 90 days in any 180-day period (2026); passport must be less than 10 years old on arrival and valid 3+ months beyond planned departure from Schengen.
Tax residency days183 days in a 12-month period is the general EU and Latvian tax-residency trigger; unconfirmed.
NotesEES active; Russian citizens refused entry except in narrow categories, including family members (spouses, parents, grandparents, children) of Latvian or EU/EEA/Swiss nationals under Latvian Cabinet Regulation No 123. The guidance is in force until 1 January 2027, and British-Russian dual nationals may also be refused (2026).

Money

CurrencyEuro (EUR)
Card acceptanceWidely accepted in cities and tourist areas; unconfirmed for rural Cape Kolka and Pāvilosta.
ATMs and feesATMs are widely available including at Riga Airport and in small towns; network, fee and limit figures are unconfirmed.
TippingNot obligatory; rounding up the bill by roughly 5-10% is common and appreciated but not required (2026).

SIM & internet

NotesLatvia's main mobile operators are reportedly LMT, Tele2 and Bite; unconfirmed.

Insurance

Is kiting covered?Standard EU travel and EHIC/GHIC-type cover generally excludes kitesurfing as an 'extreme or adventure sport'; unconfirmed for Latvia.
RecommendedTravel insurance with a watersports/kitesurfing extension and medical repatriation cover is recommended by the UK government's travel advice for Schengen entry generally.

Health

VaccinesNo special vaccines beyond routine or home-country recommendations; check NHS travel-health advice before the trip.
Tap waterAn EU country, so tap water is generally presumed potable; unconfirmed.
Emergency numbers112 (general EU emergency number); 110 police, 113 medical.

Driving

Road safetyDrive on the right. Headlights must be on at all times year-round. Winter tyres mandatory 1 Dec to 1 Mar. Speed limits 50 km/h urban, 90 km/h non-urban (2026).

Regulation

Protected areasCape Kolka sits within Slītere National Park; no specific kitesurfing or launch restriction inside the park is published.

Calendar & costs

CurrencyEURSee Money
Year2026

Kite bag rules for your airline

Flying into Latvia

Type the carrier you are flying: what it charges for a kite bag, and the year of the policy that says so.

Checked so far for Latvia:airBaltic (national carrier, hub Riga)

Every carrier, with limits and what riders report at the counter →

Still being checked

We have not verified these yet — tell us if you know.

Show the 4 open questions
  • Does Latvia offer a digital nomad or remote-work visa?
  • Which mobile operator covers Cape Kolka and Pāvilosta, and is eSIM available?
  • Confirm whether kitesurfing/launching is restricted inside Slītere National Park at Cape Kolka.
  • What do a beer, a meal, a coffee and rent cost in Latvia?

Last updated September 2026