Jelgava

Jelgava (German: Mitau) is a city in Latvia about 41 km southwest of Riga.

Understand
It is useful to understand that although from 1940 to 1991 Latvia was a constituent republic of the USSR, the official language is Latvian. However, a significant minority (up to 40% nationwide and possibly just over 50% in the capital Riga) is Russian-speaking. The majority of ethnic Latvians living in the city, not only those old enough to have attended school during Soviet times, can also speak and understand Russian. However, many prefer to converse in Latvian. English and also German are widely understood at places regularly visited by tourists and foreigners but you may be out of luck when leaving the city centre or visiting places off the beaten track.



By bus
A bus line departs from Riga coach station, takes 45-50 min and the fare is €2.30 (as of February 2019). The buses are frequent and depart roughly every 10-15 mins. They arrive at.

By train
From 27 Dec 2023 a daily train plies from Lithuania. It leaves Vilnius at 06:30, calling at Siauliai and Joniškis, and reaches Jelgava at 10:05. It continues to Riga but you can't use it just for the Latvian sector. The southbound train picks up in Jelgava at 16:08 to reach Vilnius at 19:50.

Train service to Jelgava extends to all parts of the country as well as other big cities like Saint Petersburg. However, the tickets do not include information about the time and place to catch the train, that information must be looked up on the train departures info table. Regional trains from Riga takes 50 min, the fare is €1.90 and the train departs every 30-60 minutes as of February 2019.



By boat
Jelgava is on the bank of river Lielupe, which is connected to the Baltic Sea. It is possible to dock at Jelgava Yacht Club on Pils Island or next to Mītava Bridge on Pasta Island.

By car
You can travel by taxi from Riga or Riga airport.

Get around
You can get around by foot, taxi or bus. There is a very good bus line. Line 1 will take you from one part of the city to another.

Checkout this website for route planner and timetables.

Do

 * Football: FK Jelgava play soccer in Virslīga, the top tier. Their home ground Zemgales Olimpiskais Centrs (capacity 1500) is just north of town centre. The playing season is April-Nov.
 * Football: FK Jelgava play soccer in Virslīga, the top tier. Their home ground Zemgales Olimpiskais Centrs (capacity 1500) is just north of town centre. The playing season is April-Nov.

Learn
"Brainstorm", probably the most popular rock-band from Eastern Europe, has emerged from a cradle called Jelgavas 1. vidusskola (Secondary School No 1), where also such National talents as A. Skrastins, A. Vaznis, E. Radzina, A. Skele, E. Repse have made their first steps in the world of fame.

Latvijas Lauksaimniecibas Universitāte — University of Agriculture of Latvia is a well recognized university.

What
Jelgava's special dishes are Duke’s sail and Charlotte's kiss that remind of the town's history as the capital of Courland Duchy. Duke's sail is a main course, made of oven-baked pork that has been prepared in a special marinade. It is served with caramelized sauerkraut, a variety of roasted vegetables and roots, red bilberry sauce and horseradish. Dessert Charlotte's kiss is made of egg-curd cream and jelly mousse sorting made of two kinds of juice. Its mild taste is refreshed with fruit-berry mash sauce. The dishes are available at most popular restaurants in Jelgava.

Sleep
There are two main hotels in Jelgava and several smaller hotels and motels.



Connect
There is free Wi-Fi at the Jelgava train station.