Pavilosta: a fishing village with a great future and a beautiful present

Pavilosta is a port city in the historic region of Kurzeme in western Latvia. Truly, Pavilosta is more like a small village where Scandinavian tourists occasionally dock. It is quiet, cozy, very calm and shows incredible sunsets. And it is also believed that there is a good wind — this is confirmed by numerous windsurfers and kitesurfers.

Pavilosta is located at the mouth of the river Saka on the Baltic Sea coast. The first stone was solemnly laid here in 1879. Then they built a naval base for some time. When the construction was over, shipbuilding continued to develop actively in Pavilosta — before the First World War there were three shipyards here. After the war, fishing became the main occupation of the residents of the town. Now everything here is focused on tourism — the city is rapidly gaining popularity among both Latvians and other residents of Eastern and Northern Europe.

How to get there

The distance between Riga and Pavilosta is about 210 km. The most comfortable and easiest way to get here is by car. It will take about 3 hours to get there but on the way you can visit Liepaja, Ventspils or, for example, one of the castles which there are a lot in this region. Another bonus is if you’re going to Pavilosta in June — that’s when there are blooming fields of scarlet poppies along the road.

You can also choose the daily bus “Riga — Pavilosta”: now it runs once a day and departs from Riga at about three o’clock in the afternoon. In this case the road will take a little longer — about 4 hour.

Sea, art residence, old brick houses: what to do and see in Pavilosta

Come to Pavilosta for a walk, breathe the sea air and think about pleasant things. If this is not enough, then use our recommendations — and then try again: walk, look into all the eyes and listen to the sea.

Appraising the new promenade

More recently, a new promenade has appeared in Pavilosta. They say that first of all it was built as a protection against flooding of the local museum building (about that — a little later).

The object that will definitely attract your attention on the promenade is the sculpture of Martins Linis. Two boats standing vertically. Their upper part seems to crumble, creating the illusion of an hourglass. Such a humble reminder of time — and probably the beauty of the moment.

Visit the local regional museum

The building of the local history museum in Pavilosta itself deserves attention — it is a long building made of rough stone and brick, built in 1879. Once it was a pilot’s house, and now it is a museum where you can get acquainted with the history of the town and the life of the inhabitants of the fishing village.

Address: Dzintaru iela 1, Pāvilosta

Walk along the North and South Moles

The North and South Moles in Pavilosta were built as soon as they began to build the naval base — at the end of the 19th century. And if in Soviet times it was forbidden to walk on them, now all 290 meters of each mole are yours.

Visit Art Residence PAiR 

A true treasure in Pavilosta is the international art residence PAiR. Artists, curators and researchers come here to work, experiment and create. At the same time, PAiR is a cultural center where exhibitions, performances, discussions, workshops and art festivals are often held, which can be visited by everyone.

The residence itself is located in a historic wooden building from 1901, surrounded by a flowering garden. And quite close there’s the rustling sea

Fish, mussels, classic fries and the best breakfasts: what to eat in Pavilosta

Laiva

The Laiva coffee shop is perhaps the gastronomic embodiment of Pavilosta. It is incredibly tasty, very friendly and a lot of people — locals and tourists chatting at the bar or talking by the tables.

Laiva is located in the building of a former pharmacy — a classic symbol still flaunts on one of the old windows: a snake wrapping around the bowl. The fact that several centuries ago healing mixtures were prepared here and sold to citizens is reminded by glass jars of colored glass placed on wide wooden shelves. They say that the Laiva coffee shop was actually opened by a descendant of the owners of this pharmacy.

The menu is lovely — it seems to have everything you could want when you get hungry after a long walk. Good homemade breakfast, pasta with a huge amount of cheese, several types of pizza, toast with avocado, salmon or brie cheese, fresh burrata salad, Latvians’ favorite cold beet soup and, of course, mussels. And also — a wide selection of wine.

But if you come to Pavilosta in the cold season, remember that Laiva works only during the tourist season — during the summer months, as well as in early autumn and late spring.

Enkurs 

We can describe cafes and restaurants endlessly but no one will tell about these places better than their owners. For example, Enkurs describes itself as “A normal place in Pavilosta: good food, good Latvian beer, good music.”

That’s true, we won’t argue.

Āķagals

This restaurant is located next to the hotel by the same name. It’s very simple but tasty. The guys specialize in seafood dishes that playfully complement cocktails from their extensive menu.

MA:LA Pāvilosta

If it seemed like you accidentally wandered into someone’s summer cottage then that’s cause it’s true. Most likely, this is MA:LA Pāvilosta. This place is like an open-air bar made of darkened boards, a semi-abandoned hippie dwelling and someone’s colorful wedding tent at the same time.

The menu is synchronized with the interior: burgers, bowls, Greek salad, just crazy desserts (those three-story chocolate cakes covered with caramel), cheese and lavender cookies, onion rings, chicken legs — and a lot more. Beer and aperol are also available.

Sun Day

Finally, Sun Day is located on the very shore — a restaurant with incredible views of the sea, the beach, wild shrubs and pines. Here you need to try fish, seafood, mussels and desserts. And also — stop by for breakfast for the perfect thin pancakes and good coffee.

Where to stay for the night: spa, camping, and water cabins

Otto hotel & Sun 

Otto hotel & Sun appeared in Pavilosta recently but gained popularity instantly. It is very beautiful, there is a spa with a swimming pool, a rooftop terrace, as well as their own kitchen. The best option for a real holiday: you, spa, good service, stylish design and sea air.

Camping ZvejniekSĒTA

On the opposite shore from Otto hotel & Sun you can see small wooden houses. This is the ZvejniekSĒTA camping. Here you can rent one of the houses or put your tent on a free site. There is no special service, but there is a hiking romance and a small jacuzzi.

Peldmāja water houses

Peldmāja are six wooden houses on the Saka River, located on the pontoon. Each has its own kitchen, a double bed, additional places to sleep and, of course, a private terrace with a view that makes you want to cry from happines

Apartments Pāvilostas Šīfermāja

Pāvilostas Šīfermāja is a small and very sincere family project of young people who moved from Riga to Pavilosta almost ten years ago. Because the sea and the waves here are the ideal conditions for windsurfing. Pāvilostas Šīfermāja are five beautiful apartments (one of them has an incredible rather like an art object – a stove in the middle of the room).

But what else?

A few more spots that go somewhat beyond the boundaries of Pavilosta, but are definitely worth attention.

Tsirava Castle

25 km away from Pavilosta, there is another place of incredible beauty — Tsirava Castle. It was built in 1752. The castle regularly changed owners, repeatedly transformed until at the beginning of the 20th century it turned into the Forest School. It is said that the strict headmaster here forced students to plant one tree for each offense. In the middle of the last century, a vocational school and a dormitory was set on the site of the school. And then the once luxurious palace was completely empty.

There are 30 rooms in the Tsirava Palace: some of them are said to have preserved ancient frescoes on the ceiling and walls, and in the large hall you can see a huge marble fireplace. It is impossible to check this yet — it’s planned to restore the castle, and all its windows and doors are boarded up.

But you can look at it from the side, walk through a huge park around and stop at a small pond with two islands.