Half-day Private Trip To Sigulda And Turaida From Riga

An effective and interesting way to see the country outside the capital and learn of the history. A pleasant guide.

Martins was very friendly and knowledgeable. Felt at ease and enjoyed hearing the prospective of a local. Highly recommend touring with him. Able to take at our own pace and avoid the large group from the cruise ship

I have never actually written a bad review before because usually the company is understanding or the experience wasn’t as good as expected due to traveler error BUT not exactly the case with this company or tour. I should have known something was off right from the start when I got a message that I’d be met “in the lobby” of my hotel at a designated time. I went to the lobby 10 minutes early. When the I had waited 10 mins after the time I was to meet, I reached out to the company and was told that the driver was standing in reception next to the desk. I was confused because the only people in reception were myself and the hotel staff. Eventually, a man comes in and introduces himself as the driver. Okay, I get it, mixed communication, moving on. But then we get in the car and he turns and asks me “where are you going?” Where am I going?! Am I in the wrong car? Aren’t you the employee of the tour company? I pull up the Viator App and read him the itinerary. He asks where I want to go first. How would I know, sir? I don’t live here. I’m literally paying you for this experience. We set off in complete silence. And I start wondering when the tour is going to start. When am I going to start learning about all that happened in this area regarding the castles, etc. Nothing but silence. When we show up to a parking lot, the driver slows and looks a little confused. He says this is where the address is but it’s a parking lot. He then figures out it’s the parking lot for the castle. I think “okay, we’ll park and then walk to the entrance. Great, here we go!” But he drives me to the entrance, points out the ticket booth and says to call him when I’m done. Confused, I get out of the car and go purchase a ticket. I walk around the grounds and read signs/info which was in English but I paid for a guide. It was also raining and I didn’t have an umbrella. I know I can’t fault the company for the poor weather. However, previous tours I’ve taken in many other locals, the tour company is usually prepared to help out silly guests who forget things. I’ve had your companies give me sunscreen before because I stupidly forgot. But no, not this group, you’re on your own. By the time I finished the first castle, I returned to the parking lot and called the driver. I asked him to take me back to the hotel because I was soaked. What was the point of carrying on. It also wasn’t what I paid for. I mentioned this to the guide and tried to not be mean spirited about it, just honest in saying it wasn’t what the description of the tour was on the app. I was really disappointed. So we drove back to the hotel in complete silence. And I was going to leave it at that. My bad for not having an umbrella or rain coat. I’ll take the hit and disappointment on that one. BUT THEN, the tour company unprovoked emails to tell me that it’s my fault that the tour didn’t go as expected because I didn’t request a guide. They said I would have to had to pay extra for a guide and they would have sent one if I’d just asked. Excuse me? Your description on Viator literally says “Personal tour guide” and “Learn about the castles from your guide”. Nowhere does it say the guide must be additionally requested. Nor is the tour marketed as a driver only service. The driver was kind and drove safely. That’s about all the good I can say for this experience. So solo travelers beware, you’re just paying for a really expensive Uber/Bolt ride. Just do yourself a favor and a rent a car instead! Don’t waste your money here.

We asked for a 4 hour private tour because we like to sight see at our pace not as a "herd". Martins took us where the tour was scheduled to go and a lot more. We chose to not spend a lot of time at the 2 castles. We got some good pictures. We asked our guide where the locals eat and spent time experiencing Latvian food at a "local" restaurant - Lido. Then we drove around Riga to see the city buildings and statues. It was a perfect day for us. The food at Lido was delicious and reasonable. The flavors were amazing.

Excellent service and conversation. We appreciated all the ideas and recommendations in the area. Very safe riding.

The guide, Aldis made it very interesting and fun. He was knowledgeable about the castles as well as the history of Latvia.

Excellent half day tour as described. Really informative driver, Aldis, made this so memorable giving us a background to the history of the places we called at and information about Latvia and Riga. Thoroughly enjoyed getting out of the city to see the beautiful countryside that surrounds Riga and understanding more about Latvia and its history. The pickup from the hotel was on time and a comfortable and spotlessly clean minivan provided for the tour. Aldis was most professional and helpful throughout and it was an absolute joy to see a bit more of the country. Would highly recommend.

good to see the environment around Riga. castle visits were very interesting. Pick up and drop off were very good. A good trip

Forests were beautiful. Castles were very interesting. Really enjoyed our conversation with the guide. The

Selected the tour, for the castles. Excellent guide, most knowledgeable helpful and flexible for in-field options.

Our driver was super nice and we had a great time chatting on our way to and from the castles. Safe driving as well.

Terrific trip with our knowledgeable guide and driver Aldis who was a delight! Went to Turaida, Sigulda and took the cable car and a few other spots as well. The national park is pristine! Highly recommended!

My driver was very professional! The scenery and sightseeing was amazing! I would happily go again and recommend to others!

Nice trip, great guide. He was so helpful and accommodating. After the castles he found us a great place to eat lunch and helped explain everything they had to offer. Then he brought us to town instead of back to the ship. Fun day!

I had private transportation to castles in Sigulda and Turaida, Latvia. The driver, Raivis Apinis, was very courteous, provided safe transportation and offered additional insights into Latvian history and background on sites as we traveled.

A great historical place to visit and you can climb the steep and narrow staircase to the top of the tower for wonderful panoramic views or the whole area itself

We were very fortunate to have our own personal driver who couldn’t have been more helpful and courteous. The only down side was that there was a long way to travel and a lot to see and do in half a day. Would recommend this tour over a full day.

This was an excellent day out to Sigulda to see the two main fortress sites. Driver was on time, very informative and he timed the day to suit what I wanted to do. Simply a great day made all the better by a friendly attentive driver.

Basically a transportation option, not a guided tour, but getting out to the countryside with such ease was great. Aigars also helped us find a lovely restaurant on Sunday after our trip.

Nice area where can see old castle and perfect driver who is very flexible! It was really comfortable.

<p>Fine and as advertised. A vey nice and helpful driver in a clean modern car.</p>

This tour was a wonderful experience. Our driver was super friendly. The car was in very good condition. We saw a lot of interesting things. I can only recommend it.