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Ķemeri National Park (also know as Ķemeru Nacionālais Parks in Latvian) is
a 381 km² national park in Latvia, located in the west of Jūrmala, with several lakes and lagoons. It used to be quite popular among the higher class due to its natural-mineral springs and muds for therapeutic use. The most interesting town in the park is Ķemeri neighbourhood from Jūrmala.How do I arrive to Ķemeri National Park?
The best way to reach this National Park is going to Ķemeri. Generally it's a good idea to make it as a day trip while visiting Jūrmala.
- Train: there are 2-3 trains each hour from Riga, stopping in Ķemeri, in the train line that it with Jūrmala.
- Bus: there are buses from Riga (aprox. 30 minutes) and from the district of Majori, in Jūrmala.
- Car: if you rented a car, it's can be arrived from the center of Jūrmala (aprox. 10 minutes), Tukums (aprox. 25 minutes), Dobele or Jelgava and Riga (aprox. 40 minutes), Mērsrags (aprox. 50 minutes), Talsi (aprox. 1 hour) or further destinations like Kuldīga (aprox. 1.5 hours) or Ventspils (aprox. 2 hours).
History
What can I visit in Ķemeri National Park?
These are some things to do in this National Park, explained now according to the town, village or district where they are or the nearest one:
- Ķemeri (Kemmern in German): 1,982 inhabitants district of Jūrmala
which was an independent town from 1928 to 1959. It is known due to its healing mud baths and luxurious hotels.
- Ķemeri Hotel: Neo-eclectic hotel built during 1930s (period in which Latvia was independent) and designed by Eižens Laube. It was one of the most prestigious buildings in Latvia at that time, having 100 comfortable rooms and a luxurious hall
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Ķemeri Resort Park: park built for the convenience and healing of the resort guests along river Vērsupīte. The park is rich in small architecture: sculptures, pavilions, bridges and places like artificial Islet of Love or Ķirzaciņa Sulphur Spring.
- Ķemeri National Park Information Center (11-18 Wed-Sun from Jun to Aug; 11-17 Sat-Sun from Sep to May;): tourist office where receiving information about the National Park and its recommendations. It owns small exhibitions about fauna and flora of the Park too.
- St. Petera un Pavila Russian Orthodox Church: church that was first built in 1893 (without using a single nail) and rebuilt in the 1910s. It has a monument to 97 Russian soldiers died here in 1925.
- Ķemeri Lutheran Church: church that dates back to 1897, initially just open in the summer season of the resort (having services on Sun in German in the morning and in Latvian in the afternoon, held by pastors who stayed at the resort for healing purposes).
- On the outskirts of the town nature can be enjoyed in Black Alder Swamp Boardwalk (a km), a round path which gets into a wet broadleaf forest by the river Vēršupīte. Another trails that are interesting to walk may be Sloka Lake Trail (3.4 km), a hike that discovers to the visitor the swamp forests of Vēršupīte, birdwatching towers, a sulphur spring and swamp lakes next to one of the largest lakes in the national park, Sloka Lake. It's possible to pratice rafting along Vecslocene river (10-12 km).
- Going northwest there's another interesting trail, Sulphur Ponds Trail (1.7 km), that allows the visitor to observe the sulphur pond and understand by the area was an important spa resort. Close to Lake Kaņieris it's located Zaļā Dune, green dune, a hill of sand covered by pines.
- In case of having to take only one route in the National Park it should be Great Ķemeri Bog Boardwalk (5 km), consisting of a log path that goes all over multicolour bogs and ponds, being the most important one the Great Ķemeri Bog.
The route has an observing tower where enjoying the views and
birdwatchers are settled waiting the uncommon observation of black
storks, Ķemeri Bog Tower. For people who don't want to take all the distance it can be done Great Kemeri Bog Shorter Boardwalk (2.6 km) and if interested in discovering more about this landscape, Ķemeri Bog Extended Loop (18.4 km).
- Another neighbourhood in the western of Jūrmala is Jaunķemeri, where there's the small Museum of Sanatorium (booking on advance), which tells you the history of Jūrmala as a sanatorium, in the sanatorium Jantarnij Bereg.
- Lapmežciems (Lappemezch in German): 1,277 inhabitants town in the northern part of the National Park, by the Gulf of Riga.
- Lapmežciems Museum (10-16 Mon-Fri): a museum about the history of the town and an exposition about the Finnish soldiers which were here in WW1.
- There are also interesting hikes close to Lapmežciems like Kupskalni Walking Trail (1 km), a small trail where water birds can be observed and that finishes in Lapmežciema Beach.
- One of the villages of Lapmežciems parish is Ragaciems, that has Ragaciems Sedums, a place of gathering for local fishermen, and the traditional Ragaciems Fish Market, where species like eel, sprat, salmon and tuna are sold (some of them even smoked).
- Next to the town there's the largest lake in the national park Lake Kaņieris, one of the richest in Latvia in bird and plant diversity with 14 islands. Around it there are two nice trails: Kaņieris Castle Mound Trail (1.4 km), from where having great views at Kaņieris Castle Mound Observation Tower, and Lake Kaņieris Reeds Trail (2.8 km).
- On the outskirts of the national park it can be reached a 470 inhabitants village, Džūkste, with a Fairytail Museum (10-17 Tue-Fri and 11-14 Sat-Sun from Apr to Oct; 10-17 Tue-Sat and 11-14 Sun from Nov to Mar; 1.50€/ 1€ adults/ reduced), collecting Latvian fairytails and legends. Another interesting place in the Park are the Meadows of Dundari and river Slampe, whose river was recovered not long ago, and has assorted wildlife such as Polish primitive horse or heck cattle.
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| Great Ķemeri Bog Boardwalk |
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| Ķemeri Hotel |
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| Jaunmoku Manor |
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