Castles above the forested Gauja valley
Sigulda sits on the edge of the Gauja river valley, the heart of Latvia's largest national park and sometimes called the Switzerland of Latvia. A cable car crosses the valley to Krimulda, with views over the forest, and the red-brick Turaida Castle rises above the trees on the far side. Gūtmaņa Cave, the largest in the Baltics, is covered in centuries of carved inscriptions. Autumn colours are superb, and there are canoeing, hiking and cycling trails, plus a bobsleigh track.