The hike from Krimulda cable car station takes around 50 min and will have the Gutmanas cave in the middle of the way as a stop for a break. It is also possible to take a bus to Turaida or take a bus from Turaida to go back to Sigulda train station however the bus that came for us on a Sunday was more like a minivan and the driver did not let anyone else in when all seats were taken. This is crazy for such a touristy destination. I called a Bolt taxi which thankfully worked but this guy was the only Bolt driver in the city. Anyway the castle itself is very beautiful and the views from the tower are worthy it on a sunny day. The climb to the tower is not so hard. I think this is a must when in Sigulda however I can understand that it can be underwhelming for some people, there is not much else to see around. It is really just the tower and maybe some exhbits in the castle.

I stopped here on my way from Riga to Tallinn, and it was the perfect leg stretch. It is a great little castle! I climbed the tower for a nice view. I had no idea how large the grounds actually are-- I just went to the main castle area for an hour before continuing our drive.

Impressive site set on a hill overlooking the Gauja river, 3.5€ entrance fee. The castle has mainly been rebuilt in shiny red brick, but the tower is worth the climb and view. There is a small museum and prison cellar to view, but other towers etc were closed, not sure if it’s because of the low season? Back into the complex, there was a folklore/history museum, with an English information card for the displays. There is a shop, sculpture park, church and blacksmiths that were selling souvenirs and a set of toilets. All the other historical buildings on the site were closed. There didn’t appear to be a cafe, just a set of vending machines by the entrance. We caught the minibus from the station, stop 4, takes 10 minutes, €0.70, the train from Riga €4.10 return. Times are available from excellent tourist information centre by Sigulda station

This castle stood out for us with its large tower which you can go into. The castle was where the Rose of Turaida was found and the Gauja Valley with Gutman's Cave and Sigulda Old Castle are all nearby if you're interested in the story. The castle has an exhibit for this story as well. The museum here was considered one of the top museums in Europe back in 1996 and could do with an upgrade to some of its displays but was still interesting with lots of English signage. There were very few visitors when we arrived and when we left we were the only people there outside of the staff. When we visited only the castle had buildings that were open and the rest were closed due to low season. The bathrooms on the property that were open are down a set of stairs and it was not clear if there was a more accessible bathroom somewhere else. We did lots of stairs here too to get to all the exhibits and climb the tower. There was a nice sculpture park and a tomb for the Rose of Turaida. The entrance fee is 3.5 Euros and you can book a guide for a more significant fee but you may need to call in advance to make sure this service is available in your language. All the parking lots nearby required payment of 1.5 euros and you can pay at the ticket counter. We spent about an hour here and could see ourselves spending more if more was open and the weather wasn't so chilly. We spent around 4 hours in the area checking out other nearby castles and views of the Gauja Valley. This area is about an hour outside of Riga and we did an overnight trip here with a car rental which was a highlight of our time in Latvia.

We felt we got a lot for the money spent on admission here (€8.60 adult, €6.00 senior, €1.50 parking). In addition to the castle complex, the grounds included a statue garden, and a significant number of buildings/museums. Pathways and signage were excellent. All was first class.

This is such a great site, the castle itself is very impressive and there are so many other things to see, I was especially impressed by the sculputures dotted about on the well maintained parkland. One major drawback though, no catering. We'd spent an hour and a half exploring about half of the site and were ready for a lunchtime rest and replenishment but sadly nothing (other than a vending machine just outside the site). So my advice is bring a picnic.

The castle itself is nice. However, their family policy is outrageous. We were with one child only and could not get the cheaper family ticket (minimum 2 children), thus we had to pay more than a family with 2 kids. That is pure discrimination.

The Turaida castle is the most beautiful castle around Sigulda. A large part of the castle is renovated including the tower that offers sweeping views over the Gauja river valley. The castle was also built by the Livonian Order in 1214. Making it slightly newer than the Sigulda castle on the other side of the river. Unlike the other castles it was not damaged during war, but left abandoned after a fire in 1776. The Turaida Museum Reserve includes not only the castle, but also an open air museum with an old wooden church and other historic buildings!

Turaida Castle is definitely worth visiting for several reasons. First, if you are an enthusiast of history and old castles. Second, if you want to torture your family, who isn't. The castle is located on a relatively large area, most of which is a park and individual smaller buildings. The park has a nice apple tree garden and various fascinating stone sculptures. The smaller buildings are an exhibition on the history of Latvians and an old nice church. Not very much has been preserved from the castle itself, but the museum in the castle about the history of the castle is very fascinating and the preserved buildings and the tower are well displayed. The tower also offers beautiful views of the surrounding area. You could consider 2-3 hours for the visit. There is a large paid parking lot near the museum, where you can park with an app or say your car number at the ticket office. It is possible that I could have parked for free at the apartment buildings nearby, but I wanted to walk less and spend more money to boost Latvia's economy.

There wasn't must of a feel of a castle. The rooms had displays in them, but nothing gave a sense of how the rooms themselves were used, unless I missed this information. The tower was interesting finding the stairwells that were in between the walls. I found that fascinating. The views were nice from the tower. Overall, I would have preferred to spend my time hiking in the area.