Port Guide | Latvia | Worth a Wander

Liepaja

Michael States | Editor

Published on 2025-01-17

Welcome to Liepaja, Latvia-arguably the coolest Baltic city you've never bragged about visiting, mostly because you weren't entirely sure how to pronounce it (pro tip: lee-eh-PY-ah). As your seafaring condo glides gracefully into port, you might be wondering why this intriguing mash-up of elegant Art Nouveau facades, gritty naval history, and beaches straight out of an amber-tinted fever dream isn't already crawling with cruise hordes. Consider yourself lucky. Once a strategic Soviet naval stronghold off-limits to ordinary mortals, today's Liepaja greets you with a grin and a playful nudge toward its eclectic music scene, cozy craft-beer haunts, and a culinary repertoire ranging from hearty Baltic comforts (hello, rye bread and smoked fish) to contemporary, Instagram-worthy surprises. Jump ashore, mingle with locals at the bustling port markets brimming with amber jewelry, pickled mysteries, and pleasant linguistic confusion, and then saunter lazily into town humming a tune-after all, Liepaja is Latvia's official "City of Music," boasting more rock bands per capita than strictly necessary.