Liepaja

Liepaja is easily accessible. It is located 220 km 136 mi west from Riga, 100 km 62 mi north from Klaipeda, on the coast of the Baltic Sea. You can get to Liepaja by plane, train or bus from Riga, and by bus from Klaipeda or Palanga. You can get to Liepaja by your own car from Riga even faster than by public transport. Normally a bus ride from Riga to Liepaja takes about 3hours 30minutes, and a bit less than 2 hours from Klaipeda.

By Hitch-Hiking

It is pretty popular to hitch-hike in Latvia and if you want, you should try it for Liepaja, too. To get out from the city and hitch-hike from Liepaja to somewhere else, the tram is extremely good. Go to the north terminus, cross the railway crossing and you are in the hitch-hiking spot to Riga also Ventspils direction, or go to the south terminus, walk some 400 meters 1,300 ft till the city ends completely and you are on the way to Klaipeda!

By bus

Liepaja is connected by bus service with Riga many times every day, Klaipeda, Palanga, Ventspils, Kuldiga and other towns, as well as smaller villages in Liepaja region. The Bus station is located some distance away from the center. Take the tram to the south to get to the center take the tram at a tram stop which is on your right side when you quit the Bus station building. Do not cross the tram-railway, which is a wrong direction! The Liepaja region bus terminal is in the southern part of the center, at Sienatirgus. But all busses also go to the main Bus station. A ticket to Riga costs around 6,40 Lats (9 Euros.

By plane

As of the end of 2009, all regular airline services to and from Liepaja were suspended. Check AirBaltic.com website. Palanga airport is just about 65 km 40 mi south; it has some more direct routes all year round. Riga International airport the largest airport in the Baltic states with many direct flights to Europe and Asia, including cheap Ryanair, AirBaltic and Easyjet routes is 220km east from Liepaja city. Liepaja International Airport is located 7 km 4 mi from the center and is connected with the city with bus number 2. It goes further than the center, so make sure to get off some stops after you have crossed the channel bridge in the center, otherwise you will end up in the residential area Ezerkrasts-2, which is nice too, since it is located near Liepaja Lake. This bus would take approximately 20 minutes to get to the center and it costs 35 santims. Make sure to validate your ticket, which you can buy from bus driver! See GET AROUND - BUS section

By ship

A ferry service connects Liepaja with Travemünde near Lübeck in Germany. The ferry terminal is in Ziemelu priekspilseta, 15 minutes from the center by bus 10,11 or 15, or minibus 3. However, there is some distance between the terminal building and the street where public transport operates. If you have a yacht, you are welcome to Liepaja yacht harbor, located in the center, in Tirdzniecibas channel.

By train

A nice and relatively quick train runs every day to and from Riga. It leaves the Liepaja railway station which is the same building as the bus station at 6AM, and arrives at Riga railway station at 9:10AM. The train from Riga leaves at 6:30PM and arrives in Liepaja at 9:37PM. These trains also stop at Skrunda, Saldus, Dobele and Jelgava. On the train one can watch a DVD movie or use a vending machine to have a cup of coffee. Despite the fact that the train actually takes a longer route – about 240 km {149 mi} compared to 220 km {136 mi} if you go by bus – because it goes through Jelgava, it takes a bit less time to go to Riga by train than by bus. As of February 2009, a single one-way normal fare ticket cost 5,80 Lats around 8.80 Euros. The railway station is located some distance away from the town center. Take the tram heading south to get to the center get on the tram at a tram stop which is on your right side when you exit the railway station building. Do not cross the tram-railway — it will put you in the wrong direction!