Riga: Bauska Castle, Rundale Palace and Hill of Crosses Trip

Three major sights, two countries, one long day. This Riga day trip packs Rundale Palace and its gardens with the unusual Hill of Crosses and a stop at Bauska Castle. I like the sensible pacing and the chance to see places that are awkward to reach by public transport. The main drawback is the amount of time spent in the van, especially on the return to Riga.

The day also benefits from friendly English-speaking drivers such as Janis, Edgars, and Viesturs, who have earned repeated praise for clear explanations and thoughtful touches. You should still expect a self-guided visit at most stops, and the tour only runs when at least three people have booked.

Key points to know before booking

• Three very different sights: See a ruined medieval fortress, an 18th-century palace, and Lithuania’s deeply personal Hill of Crosses in one day.
• Two countries without changing transport: The route crosses from Latvia into Lithuania, with a short photo stop at the border.
• Rundale gets the most time: Two hours allows room for the palace, gardens, audio guide, and lunch.
• Small-group atmosphere: The comfortable car or van makes the long route easier, while the group setting can lead to pleasant conversations.
• Bring your passport or EU ID: Border inspection is possible, so this is not a trip for leaving your documents at the hotel.
• Pack lunch or budget for the palace restaurant: Lunch is not included, and eating during the two-hour Rundale stop helps you avoid losing sightseeing time.

Why this day trip works from Riga

Riga is an easy city to explore on foot, but several of Latvia’s best-known sights sit far beyond the Old Town. Renting a car can solve that problem, but it also brings navigation, parking, and border-crossing concerns. This trip handles the driving while giving you a quick look at southern Latvia and northern Lithuania.

The meeting point is in front of St. Peter’s Church in Riga Old Town. From there, you travel in a comfortable car or van with an English-speaking driver who remains with the group throughout the day. The transport score is especially strong, with 86 percent of ratings giving it a perfect mark.

I would choose this tour if you have only a few days in Riga and want more than city streets. You get castles, palace rooms, formal gardens, countryside views, and a site unlike almost anything else in Europe. The tradeoff is simple: you exchange a relaxed visit to one or two places for a broad, efficient day covering three.

The group size is not specified, but the comments describe intimate groups, including one day with six people. That makes a difference. A small group allows the driver to answer questions, adjust small details, and keep the day moving without the feel of a large coach tour.

Jelgava and the first look at southern Latvia

The first major stop is Jelgava, reached after about 45 minutes on the road. The scheduled visit is a 20-minute photo stop, so you should treat it as an introduction rather than a full city tour.

Jelgava is associated with the largest Baroque-style palace in the Baltics, and the stop gives you a chance to see the city and hear about its place in Latvian history. Since the time is short, you will not be exploring every corner or settling into a café. Have your camera ready and listen closely when the driver points out the main features.

This opening stop breaks up the drive nicely. It also gives you an early sense that the day is about more than famous buildings. You are moving through the cultural region south of Riga, where grand aristocratic architecture and medieval fortifications appear within a relatively compact route.

Crossing into Lithuania by road

After Jelgava, the van continues for around 25 minutes to the Latvia-Lithuania border. The border stop lasts about 10 minutes and is mainly for photographs.

Latvia and Lithuania are both part of the European Union, so the crossing may feel quiet and ordinary. Still, the tour specifically includes a border stop, and you must carry your passport or EU identity card in case officials inspect documents. That requirement is practical, not decorative. Check that you have the correct document before leaving Riga.

For many people, this is a fun travel milestone: you can visit two countries in one day without arranging separate transport. The stop is brief, so do not expect a long border story or a formal checkpoint visit. It is a quick pause that marks the change from Latvia to Lithuania before the road continues toward the Hill of Crosses.

The Hill of Crosses: a powerful and unusual stop

The Hill of Crosses is the most unusual part of the route. It is a site filled with crosses, many placed by people as expressions of faith, remembrance, hope, or personal devotion. You have about one hour to walk through the area and use an audio guide on your phone.

That hour is enough to take in the setting at your own pace, but it is not excessive. The site invites quiet attention rather than a rushed checklist. You can walk among the crosses, listen to the audio material, and consider the meaning of a place shaped by thousands of individual acts.

You may bring a cross of your own if you wish. Local sellers also offer crosses at the site, giving you an easy way to participate without carrying one from Riga. The information provided for the tour helps explain what you are seeing, while the phone-based audio guide adds structure to the self-guided visit.

Bring mobile data if you want to use the Hill of Crosses audio guide. The included material is designed for independent use, so you should not expect the driver to walk every path with the group. That is a benefit if you prefer freedom, but people who want a continuous lecture may find the stop less guided than the driving portions.

The road from the border to the Hill of Crosses takes about 40 minutes. After the visit, you have a longer one-hour transfer to Rundale Palace. This is one of the day’s clear compromises. The Hill of Crosses is far enough from Riga that reaching it takes time, but combining it with Rundale and Bauska makes the distance worthwhile for anyone keen to see more of the region.

Rundale Palace and gardens: the day’s main attraction

Rundale Palace receives two hours, the longest stop of the day. That is the right emphasis. The palace is often called little Versailles, and its 18th-century interiors and gardens offer the most polished setting on the route.

Your admission to the palace and garden is included. You also receive access to an audio guide that works on your phone, with free Wi-Fi available at the palace. Earbuds or headphones will make the visit more comfortable, especially if you want to hear the commentary while moving through the rooms.

I like the way this stop gives you real freedom. You are not being hurried from room to room behind a guide with a flag. You can decide how much time to give the palace interiors, how long to spend outside, and when to stop for food.

The gardens are a major part of the experience, not an afterthought. In warm weather, bring mosquito repellent, since one person specifically found it useful during a summer visit. Comfortable shoes also make sense because you will be walking both inside the palace and through its grounds.

Lunch is not included. You can bring snacks and drinks, or eat at the palace restaurant. If you want the full two hours for sightseeing, a picnic is the efficient choice. If you prefer a proper meal, allow for it within the same time block. The tour does not add a separate lunch stop, so a long restaurant meal will reduce your time in the palace or gardens.

The drive from the Hill of Crosses to Rundale takes about an hour. That makes the palace a welcome chance to stretch your legs and slow the pace. Reports from the tour describe Rundale as especially well-preserved, and it is likely to be the stop that appeals most to people who enjoy rooms, design, gardens, and courtly architecture.

Bauska Castle and the medieval finish

The final attraction is Bauska Castle, only about 15 minutes from Rundale. You have roughly 45 minutes here, including entry to the recently renovated medieval castle tower and time among the castle ruins.

Bauska is not presented as a full museum visit on this tour. The museum is not included, so you should focus on the tower, the ruins, and the views from the site. Climbing the tower gives you a physical connection to the fortress and a better sense of its position than a quick roadside photograph would provide.

This stop works well at the end because it is shorter and more active than Rundale. After two hours of palace rooms and gardens, you can climb, look around, and take photographs before the final one-hour drive back to Riga.

The 45-minute visit is enough for a focused stop, but not for an exhaustive study of the castle. If Bauska is your main interest, you may want a separate visit with more time for the museum. For this particular route, the limited stop is a fair exchange for seeing the Hill of Crosses and Rundale on the same day.

The guides make the long day easier

The driver is more than a person behind the wheel. Janis is repeatedly praised for his humor, patience, and clear explanations, while Edgars is described as kind and attentive. Viesturs also receives high marks for extra facts and personal touches, including offering water, candy, a taste of Riga Black Balsam, and a small amber souvenir on one outing.

Those extras are not guaranteed, so I would not book the tour expecting gifts or detours. The useful point is that the drivers appear to take an active interest in making the day comfortable. One person traveling during pregnancy appreciated the regular help with bathroom needs, and another described the guide as attentive to the group’s requests.

The tour includes printed information about each location. That is handy if your phone battery is low or you prefer reading a short explanation before entering a site. The electronic guides at the Hill of Crosses and Rundale are useful additions, but you need a charged phone, mobile data for the Hill of Crosses, and earbuds if you want to listen privately.

The strongest praise goes to the human side of the experience: good conversation, a relaxed manner, and a sense of traveling with a helpful local rather than being processed through a large bus route. That can make a nine-hour day feel much less tiring.

Is $147 a fair price?

At $147 per person, this is not a bargain-basement excursion, but it offers solid value if you want to see all three major stops. The price includes transport from central Riga, the English-speaking driver, Rundale Palace and garden admission, the Bauska Castle tower ticket, and the written and phone-based sightseeing material.

The value comes from the route. A private taxi or rental car would require you to plan the roads, parking, border documents, and timing yourself. You would also need to account for entry fees and the mental cost of driving for much of the day. Here, the difficult logistics are handled for you.

Lunch is the main extra expense. You can keep the day cheaper with food from Riga, but bring enough snacks and water to avoid wasting time searching for supplies. The palace restaurant offers convenience, not an included meal.

The tour also has free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure and allows you to reserve without paying immediately. Those terms make it easier to fit into a changeable Riga schedule, though you should still check the available starting time when booking.

Who should book this Riga day trip?

I would recommend it to you if you:

• Have limited time in Riga but want to see southern Latvia.
• Want a simple way to add Lithuania to your trip.
• Enjoy a mix of architecture, gardens, ruins, and unusual cultural sites.
• Prefer a small car or van to a large coach.
• Are happy with self-guided sightseeing and flexible free time.
• Appreciate local conversation during long road transfers.

I would hesitate if you dislike long drives or want to study one palace or castle in great detail. The day runs for nine hours, with about three hours of road time listed between the main stops and the return to Riga. You also need to be comfortable walking outdoors at Bauska and around the gardens at Rundale.

The trip is not designed as a deep specialist tour of Lithuanian religious sites, Baroque architecture, or medieval military history. Instead, it gives you a smart sample of several subjects in one day, with enough time at each place to avoid feeling completely rushed.

Final verdict: a strong choice for a first visit

This is one of the better ways to see beyond Riga when your schedule is tight. The Hill of Crosses supplies the emotional and unusual moment, Rundale Palace provides the grand architecture and gardens, and Bauska adds a sturdy medieval finish.

I especially like the balance between organized transport and personal time. You get useful guidance on the road, then explore each attraction independently. The price is reasonable for the admissions and driving involved, though you should pack lunch, prepare for a long day, and bring your passport or EU ID.

Book this tour if you want variety, efficient planning, and a friendly local driver. Skip it only if you would rather spend a full day at one major site or avoid several hours on the road. For a first excursion beyond Riga, it gives you a memorable look at two countries without making you arrange the complicated parts yourself.

FAQ

How long does the tour last?

The tour lasts nine hours, beginning and ending at St. Peter’s Church in Riga Old Town.

Where is the meeting point?

You meet in front of St. Peter’s Church in Riga Old Town.

Do I need to bring my passport?

Yes. You must bring your passport or EU identity card because a border inspection is possible when crossing between Latvia and Lithuania.

Is lunch included?

No. You can bring snacks and drinks, or buy lunch at the restaurant at Rundale Palace. The two-hour palace stop includes time for eating.

Are entrance tickets included?

Yes. The price includes entry to Rundale Palace and its gardens, plus entry to the Bauska Medieval Castle tower. The Bauska museum is not included.

Are audio guides available?

Yes. An audio guide is available at the Hill of Crosses for use on your phone, and Rundale Palace and its gardens also provide a phone-based audio guide. Mobile data is needed at the Hill of Crosses, while free Wi-Fi is available at Rundale.

Does the tour run every day?

The tour runs when at least three people have booked for the day. Check availability for the departure time before booking.