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Rundale Palace Tour: Guided History Experience
4.9
27 Ratings
Rīga
Explore Latvia’s cultural gems: Hill of Crosses, Rundale Palace, and Bauska Castle. Enjoy guided tours, stunning views, and local cuisine. Book your adventure today!
Explore Latvia’s cultural gems: Hill of Crosses, Rundale Palace, and Bauska Castle. Enjoy guided tours, stunning views, and local cuisine. Book your adventure today!
Duration:
8 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- International Border Lithuania - Latvia - Pause at the Latvia–Lithuania border on your way to the Hill of Crosses. Delight in a brief guided introduction to the region as you transition between these two nations, with ample time for photos at this meaningful spot.
- Hill of Crosses - Explore the Hill of Crosses, a truly unique pilgrimage…
- International Border Lithuania - Latvia - Pause at the Latvia–Lithuania border on your way to the Hill of Crosses. Delight in a brief guided introduction to the region as you transition between these two nations, with ample time for photos at this meaningful spot.
- Hill of Crosses - Explore the Hill of Crosses, a truly unique pilgrimage destination in Europe. Start with a guided overview of its history, symbolism, and traditions, then enjoy free time to wander at your leisure, capture photos, and soak in the ambiance of this extraordinary site.
Additionally, there is an opportunity to visit the nearby Franciscan Monastery, where the open chapel provides a serene space for contemplation.
- Rundale Palace Museum (Rundales Pils) - Experience a fully guided tour inside Rundale Palace, conducted by a certified palace guide (not an audio guide). This offers a much richer insight into the palace, its history, and its interiors compared to self-guided tours.
Discover the main exhibition halls, including the ceremonial rooms and the private apartments of the Duke and Duchess, while learning about the palace’s baroque and rococo architecture and life at the ducal court.
Following the tour, a planned lunch stop is arranged at a local restaurant, where you can unwind and select your meal before continuing the tour.
- Rundāles pils franču dārzs - After visiting the palace, enjoy free time to explore the French Garden of Rundale Palace at your own pace. Stroll through the elegant, symmetrical landscape, take photos, and experience the gardens as an extension of the palace’s baroque design.
- Bauska Castle - Explore the medieval section of Bauska Castle with a guided introduction to its history, strategic significance, and daily life in the Middle Ages.
Ascend the castle tower with your guide and enjoy panoramic views over the surrounding rivers and landscape — a highlight of the visit.
What's Included
- Professional English-speaking tour guide
- Transportation by air-conditioned bus / minibus / minivan
- Wi-Fi on board
- Fully guided visit of the medieval part of Bauska Castle, including tower access
- Bottled water provided
- Fully guided visit inside Rundale Palace Museum with an official certified palace guide
- Entrance tickets to Rundale Palace Museum and Bauska Castle
- Professional English-speaking tour guide
- Transportation by air-conditioned bus / minibus / minivan
- Wi-Fi on board
- Fully guided visit of the medieval part of Bauska Castle, including tower access
- Bottled water provided
- Fully guided visit inside Rundale Palace Museum with an official certified palace guide
- Entrance tickets to Rundale Palace Museum and Bauska Castle
What's Not Included
- Lunch (the lunch stop is organized, but guests pay for their own meals)
- Personal expenses
- Lunch (the lunch stop is organized, but guests pay for their own meals)
- Personal expenses
Additional Information
This tour is exceptional, offering a fully guided exploration of Rundale Palace with a certified guide, rather than an audio or self-guided tour. This approach provides a richer understanding of the palace, its history, and its interiors.
The experience is meticulously planned from beginning to end, integrating transportation, guided tours, and multiple…
This tour is exceptional, offering a fully guided exploration of Rundale Palace with a certified guide, rather than an audio or self-guided tour. This approach provides a richer understanding of the palace, its history, and its interiors.
The experience is meticulously planned from beginning to end, integrating transportation, guided tours, and multiple destinations into a seamless and well-organized day trip from Riga.
Unlike basic transfer-style excursions, this tour offers guided insights at significant sites, such as the Hill of Crosses and Bauska Castle, ensuring a more engaging and informative experience.
A scheduled lunch break and thoughtfully paced itinerary ensure a relaxed experience, allowing ample time to enjoy each stop without feeling hurried.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Please bring your walking shoes
Location
Riga Cathedral
Herdera laukums
Please meet the driver in front of the main entrance of Riga Cathedral (Rīgas Doms).
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(27 Ratings)
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Monica_m
Apr 7, 2026
Relaxed fun day - Our guide was on time, the van was comfortable, and it all went smoothly. We were never rushed, and we were able to see so much in one day. We learned a lot about the history of the places we were going, but we got into life in general. The weather wasn't awesome, but our guide made it a great day anyways! I would highly suggest this tour to anyone wanting to get a glimpse at Lithuania and to see some beautiful places in Latvia, outside of Riga.
Review provided by Viator
Nyles_m
Apr 5, 2026
Stunning from start to finish - Our Tour guide was very polite, funny and extremely knowledgeable about Latvia. There were regular opportunities for a bathroom break throughout the journey so if you need to take regular trips to the bathroom this trip would be for you. We started by seeing the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania, a stunning location with hundreds of thousands of crosses situated on two hills. The guide gave us a quick overview of the history of the hills and took photos (for those who wanted it). We then went to Rundale Palace, which was faithfully restored after Latvia's independence from the soviet union (a nice touch is the room that shows you how the rooms looked when they started, the contrast is incredible). This was also where we got lunch and saw the stunning french-style garden afterwards. After this we went to Bauska Castle, where we climbed up the tower to see the picturesque surroundings of the Bauska town (along with the history of the tower). Overall the trip started at 8 and finished around 5 / half 5, and is must do for those travelling to Riga or Vilnius.
Review provided by Viator
Umberto_b
Apr 1, 2026
Great choice for a day out from Riga - Great day put, blessed by the nice weather. Ellen's is very nice, able to create a good balance between guided time and time alone. We managed to arrive at all sites with very very few other people around, which was the added value for me. Definitely reccomended.
Review provided by Viator
Cherry_l
Mar 27, 2026
Cross border. - We had a great time exploring the Hills of Crosses. Enjoyed the tour at the Rundale Palace, very informative, entertaining and fun tour guide. The food at the palace restaurant was also great. The fun experience we had we give credit to our tour guide Elrens who is very accomodating and kind enough to agree to our requests. We all had a beautiful experience and we really enjoyed our trip. We do recommend this trip. 👍
Review provided by Viator
Kerry_m
Mar 16, 2026
Fantastic day trip - Great day out from Riga. Hill of Crosses was great to see but our special guide Olaf at Rundale Palace was exceptional and his outfit amazing. Maris our main guide was very informative and a great driver. Highly recommend the tour
Review provided by Viator
Paulo
Mar 12, 2026
Great tour of 1 day - 1 day tour departing from Rīga and we went directly to Monte das Cruzes. Parade p coffee and on the border for photos. Well dosed the trip, with excellent guide, friendly and with good explanations without being massive. The mountain of the crosses is a place of pilgrimage that I kept for me as a place of representation of the mourning of dead people. Then we went to the obelissimum Rundales Palace where everything was perfect: a guide from the phenomenal palácii itself who kept the visit always with lightness and elegance. Lunch in the palace simple and tasty. On the return we also made a visit to Bauska Castle very beautiful and interesting. Congratulations to the entire team for the beautiful tourist service.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alice_m
Mar 9, 2026
Great tour!! - Great tour! The tour was well paced and the tour guide, Edite, was extremely knowledgeable. She was also just a pleasure to talk to about travel and she gave great restaurant recs. Highly recommend this tour if you are interested in getting out of Riga to see some of the countryside, a castle, and a beautiful palace.
Review provided by Viator
Alexandravf683tb
Feb 20, 2026
Great daytrip - We had a great time on our daytrip! Our guide Erlens was very knowledgeable not only about what we went to see that day, but also about the more general history of Latvia and the Baltics.
As it was a small group, we had plenty of opportunities to ask questions and learn more about anything from everyday life in Latvia to local culture and origins of the language.
The timing of each stop was somewhat flexible based on the group's consensus (it was a very cold day so we spent less time e.g. in the Rundale castle gardens) and Erlens dropped us off directly at our hotel in the evening which was highly appreciated.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vesna1212
Feb 18, 2026
Cold....but an amazing day! - This was an absolutely fantastic day. It was -21 when we left but the sun was out for us. We were greeted by our tour guide Erlens. What a great lovely guy. He started by greeting us and giving everyone refreshments. Maybe it was only a bottle of water, but it was a very thoughful gesture. Erlens was such a nice guy and So friendly. He was very informative and knowledgable, and quite clearly loves his job. He answered all questions fully and was very witty. The coach trip just flew by, and the visit to the hill of crosses, the palace and the castle was amazing. Erlans also gave us some local chocolate which was very nice of him. I cannot recommend this excursion enough, and if you are thinking of going with Erlens, dont think, just book. A special mention has to go to our driver, and the guide at Rundale Palace. He was absolutely fantastic and such a character. All in all, a brilliant day.
Review provided by Viator
Marius_m
Dec 31, 2025
Incredible views with lots of art, culture and history. - The tour was well planned and paced. All sites are worth visiting with incredible views and lots of art, culture and history. Erlens was our guide. He was excellent! He was very kind, respectful, and well informed. Although the Bauska Castle was closed on the day we visited (we knew about it beforehand as we checked the website, but that was the only date we had available), they made arrangements for us to be able to go inside and visit the medieval part of the castle. That was much appreciated!
Review provided by Viator
