If Kuldīga were a tad closer to Rīga it would be crowded with day-tripping camera-clickers. Fortunately, the town is located deep in the heart of rural Kurzeme, making its quaint historic core the perfect reward for more intrepid travellers.
Kuldīga reached its peak in the 16th and early 17th centuries as one of the most important cities in the Duchy of Courland, but it was badly damaged during the Great Northern War and was never able to regain its former lustre. Today it's a favourite spot to shoot Latvian period-piece films.
There's not a lot to do here except to stroll the streets and the park in the grounds of the old castle (of which nothing much remains), admiring the sculpture garden and gazing down on pretty Ventas Rumba, the widest waterfall in Europe. Don't be fooled by the grandness of that title: although it stretches for 249m, it's only a couple of metres high. During spawning season salmon would have little difficulty launching themselves up and over it, giving Kuldīga the curious epithet 'city where salmon fly'.
Buses run to/from Rīga (€6.40, three hours, 11 daily) and Ventspils (€6, 1¼ hours, six daily).
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