Liepāja is connected by bus service with Riga (many times every day, €8.55, 3-3.75 hr), Ventspils, Kuldīga and other towns and villages in Liepāja region, as well as Klaipėda (2 hours) and Palanga in Lithuania. To get from the bus station to the centre, take the tram at a tram stop which is on your right side when you exit the bus station building. Do not cross the railway tracks – this is the wrong direction.

• 56.50241221.0080192 Sienatirgus (corner of Kuršu iela / Siena iela). The Liepāja regional bus terminal is in the southern part of the centre. All buses also go to the main bus station. This is also where minibuses and buses go to Lithuania. 

The Liepāja railway station is located in the same building as the bus terminal. The now-daily train to Liepāja leaves Riga at 18:34, arriving in Liepāja at 21:47. However, the return trip leaves Liepāja at an unpalatable 05:02 (too early to catch the first tram to the station), arriving in Riga at 08:13. On Sundays only there is a supplementary service in each direction, allowing for a more civilised eastbound departure time of 18:38. Tickets cost €7.20, or €6.66 if bought online. The train also stops in Skrunda, Saldus, Biksti, Dobele, Jelgava and Olaine.

There are two main roads to Liepāja. From Riga, the A9 runs westward for 220 km. From Klaipėda in Lithuania, the A11 runs north for 100 km. From Ventspils, on the coast further north, take the P111.

A ferry service connects Liepāja with Travemünde (near Lübeck) in Germany once a day. The 56.5291820.998473 ferry terminal is in Ziemelu priekspilseta, northwest of the main bus station, and 15 minutes from the centre by bus 10, 11, or 15, or minibus 3. If you have a yacht, you are welcome to Liepāja yacht harbour, located in the centre, in Tirdzniecibas channel.

Hitch-hiking is fairly common in Liepāja, and for Latvia as a whole. To get out of the city to go somewhere else, go to the north tram terminus, cross the railway crossing, and you are in the best spot to hitch-hike to Riga or Ventspils, or go to the south terminus, walk 400 m until the city ends completely, and you are in a good spot to hitch-hike to Klaipėda.

AirBaltic is the only airline serving 56.517521.0969444 Liepāja Airport (LPX  ^IATA) with once daily flight to and from Riga International Airport (from Riga at 23:40 and from Liepāja at 05:40). From Riga International Airport, which is the largest airport in the Baltic states 220 km east of Liepāja, many direct flights to Europe and Asia, including cheap Ryanair, airBaltic and Wizz Air routes, are available. Palanga airport in Lithuania is another option 65 km to the south with scheduled services year round.

City bus 2 connects Liepāja Airport with the city centre and is well connected with arriving/departing flights (see timetables here).

There is only one tram line running from Ezerkrasts (lakeside) residential district in the southeast to the west, then north through the center to Jaunliepāja, and ends near the metallurgic factory. It operates from 05:00 till 00:00. Tram is the best transport to get to/from the railway/bus station to/from the city center. A ride from the center to the station takes approximately 8 minutes. An electronic tram ticket is also available by sending SMS, but this might be complicated for those who don't have local mobile phones.

There are many bus routes, the most important for tourists being 1, 3, 4, 7 and 8 – with these you can get from the city center to Karosta and back. You can get to the southeastern part (Ezerkrasts) to see Meynard's church and Liepāja Lake by 3, 4, 10, 15, 912. Costs €1.50 from the driver or €0.90 in shops and newsagents' boutiques. There are bus stops throughout the city. Tickets can be bought in kiosks or from the driver. Ticket must be validated in the bus by inserting it in an electronic validator as in the trams. Some buses have an audio announcement system for the next stop and a LED screen in front of the bus displaying next stop name. When going to Karosta you will most likely want to go right to the last stop, so don't worry. An exception might be bus number 8, which terminates far north in summer house and garden district Skede near the sea, which is kind of too far for Karosta, however is the best bus to get as far as the Jewish Holocaust memorial or the Northern fortress. Liepāja city is rather spread-out compared to other Latvian cities. For example, the journey from the center to Karosta with bus 3 is about 10 km which takes around 35 minutes.

Number 22 and 23 minibuses serve Karosta, however 23 only goes to Karosta swing bridge and you might have to wait over an hour if the bridge is closed. It is therefore recommended to take route 22, which will take you further into Karosta and, if the bridge is closed, will take an alternative route. They cost €1.50 from a shop or €0.90 from the driver. Tickets must be validated just like in trams or buses. To flag down a minibus, you have to wave your hand. They will only stop at designated bus stops. To exit the bus, ask the driver.

Taxis are relatively expensive compared to other types of transport, but still cheaper than in Western Europe. This is the only public transport available at night (approximately 00:30-05:00). There are some places in the city center and near the Bus/Railway station where taxis assemble, or you can call +371 63422222, +371 63466666 or +371 63488888. Bolt works in the city.

Especially getting to or from the Northern Forts can be achieved by hitch-hiking, which is about 5 km. It is probably best to walk from south (Karosta) to north (Northern Forts), to also cover the fortress north of the breakwater, and to try hitch-hike back into the centre of Liepāja with one of the many cars that go south. There are many cars and during the day one local might just be curious enough to take you in for the ride.

The churches are a pleasant surprise with their variety of architectural styles. This reflects religion in Latvia, which is very mixed. It is mostly Christian of various branches, and this can be seen in Liepāja, where there are Lutheran, Protestant, Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Russian Old Believers and other religious groups' churches. These vary from tiny wooden churches to huge towers and cathedrals. There are about 20 churches in Liepāja.

• 56.5098421.0133716 Holy Trinity Cathedral (Liepājas Svētā Trīsvienības Evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca), Lielā 9, ☏ +371 63422208, +371 20360055, trinitatis@inbox.lv. Has a 55 m (180 ft) high tower, which is a perfect sightseeing place. It also has a huge church organ, made of more than 7000 pipes, which was the biggest organ in the world till 1912. It is still the biggest in Latvia and one of the biggest and most beautiful in Europe.  
• 56.504521.01197 Saint Anne's Church (Liepājas Svētās Annas Evaņģēliski luteriskā baznīca), Veidenbauma iela 1, ☏ +371 63423384, +371 63424231, sv.annas.draudze@apollo.lv. Built of red brick and the oldest of Liepāja's churches. The organ is the third biggest in Latvia. First mentioned in 1508 with a 9.70 m high wooden baroque altar from 1697. The tower can be climbed.  
• 56.50494621.0075428 St. Joseph's Cathedral (Liepājas Svētā Jāzepa Romas katoļu katedrāle), Rakstvežu iela 13, ☏ +371 63429775. The biggest Catholic church in Liepāja. Built of yellow bricks, with many small towers. There is a ship model in the church, which was believed to bring good luck for fishermen.  
• 56.49544321.0159899 St. Meynard's Church (Meinarda baznīca), Ganību iela 120 (southeast of the city centre). Very different from all the others, because it is much newer. It was a gift from Vatican. It was the Vatican's pavilion at Expo 2000 in Hannover, Germany, and brought here in 2002. The church is not in the city centre.  

Many other churches are scattered throughout the city, the most important being St. Nicholas maritime cathedral in Karosta (see Karosta).

Liepāja is surrounded by water. There are the Baltic Sea, two big lakes and some smaller ones, and four channels in the city. The city, is almost an island, especially the southern part (Vecliepāja). Liepāja Lake is the fifth largest lake in Latvia. It is lagoon type, which was part of the sea in ancient days. It is not deep, relatively narrow - up to 3.5 km (2.2 mi) - and long - about 15 km (9.3 mi). Liepāja city is on the north-western coast of the lake. If you go to Ezerkrasts (Lakeside), you can see the best lake views from Tise iela (Tise street). On one side are apartment buildings, and on the other, a meadow; behind the meadow is the lake. The lake, together with surrounding meadows (Vītiņu meadows), is a nature protection area, mostly because of some rare plants growing there and many species of birds that live or come across this place regularly. This visit must be guided and pre-booked in the Tourism Information Centre, because it is a nature protection area. Swimming in the lake is not as nice as in the sea (but warmer), because the bottom is sometimes swampy. There is, however, a special place for swimming at the end of Vaiņodes street.

There is an interesting, yet very dirty and untouristic, place called 56.5174321.03072210 Zirgu sala. It is the biggest island in the lake and is very close to city center, where it is connected by bridge. From the island, an approximately 1 km (0.6 mi) long jetty, accessible even by car (a very bad road though), built of metallurgical factory oven-burned metallic stones, goes into the lake, providing nice views. It is sometimes called Golodova dambis or Zirgu salas dambis, and does not appear in any travel guides except this one.

56°33′0″N 21°0′51″E

Map of Liepāja

A former secret Soviet military town. If you are in Liepāja, you must go to Karosta. It is the northern part of the city, about 10 km (6 mi) from the center. Karosta translates as War Port (or Navy Harbor) from Latvian. It used to be a secret military town for the Russian Empire, and later also for the Soviets. Latvia became independent, and some years after that, in 1994, the Russian troops had to leave Karosta. The population dropped dramatically from 25,000 to 6,000, leaving many houses empty. Then Karosta experienced something like a war without guns. Many houses were turned into ruins. Everything was taken away. Brick by brick, many historic, beautiful buildings disappeared forever. Now, Karosta has a population of 7,000 and a dream of rebirth, which has already started. It is now a popular tourist destination and also home for an international artists' center called K2. Many places in Karosta still look like war rubble. Some places are reminiscent of the abandoned towns of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster area.

• 56.5533520.99917411 Karosta beach. There is a "beach" in Karosta. There you will find some pebbles and the sand might not be that soft as in the previous beach. On the seashore of Karosta you can also see a "breakwater", the longest of Liepāja's breakwaters, stretching 1.8 km into the sea, and you can go on it by car for approximately half of its length. Just be careful of waves in windy weather. And wind is famous in Liepāja. A Latvian expression says "the city where wind was born". And as any Latvian would tell, it's Liepāja. On the shore you can also see two fortresses. This is a wild beach with steep coasts, unlike the central beach with dunes. (updated Sep 2024)

• Eight fortresses. They are all around the city, but the most scenic and interesting ones are these two on the shores of Karosta. The one closer to the breakwater (you can even see a small part of it from the breakwater), is the Nearby Forts. The other one, further to the north, is the Northern Forts. 

• 56.56515321.00265412 Nearby Fort (Tuvējie forti) (close to the breakwater). It was blasted up shortly after being built. (updated Sep 2024)
• 56.59277721.01545513 Northern Forts (Ziemeļu forti), Liepāja, ☏ +371 26369470, info@karostascietums.lv. The ruins of a 1908 fortress. Military heritage, tours with torches, underground labyrinths, fortifications, seashore, history of Karosta. It was not blasted up. So, it has much more underground labyrinths and tunnels to explore, but it is not as scenic and dramatic from the outside as the first one. Nearby the Northern Forts you can see nature-friendly energy being made by a huge wind power generator, which can be seen from far in the distance. (updated Sep 2024)

• 56.55288621.0123614 St. Nikolai Orthodox Cathedral (Liepājas Sv. Nikolaja pareizticīgo jūras katedrāle) (in the centre of Karosta), ☏ +371 63457634. An impressive church in a depressing place. Just nearby Soviet-style apartment buildings surround the church, making it very surreal and contrasting. It was used as a cinema and a gym for soldiers during the soviet occupation years. Nowadays, the St. Nicholas maritime cathedral is a church again and the sound of its bells can be heard from afar. (updated Sep 2024)
• 56.54747621.03034415 Twinned town of Chernobyl. Empty Soviet style apartment buildings, left in 1994. Some are already destroyed, some 10 are still there. Many older houses are empty as well. 
• 56.5455421.02026416 Karosta Prison (Karostas cietums), ☏ +371 26369470, info@karostascietums.lv. A real military prison until 1997 and now for tourists. You are treated like a prisoner in a reality show and, if you are brave enough, can even stay overnight. Military heritage, show, prison cells, prison buffet, tours, lodging, museum, adventures.  
• 56.55274821.02398717 Karosta Water Tower (Liepājas Karostas ūdenstornis), Ģenerāļa Baloža iela 29, karostawatertowerproject@protonmail.com. Th-Su 12:00-18:00. The water tower is part of the formerly Russian Tsar Alexander III Mořských city. The construction is assumed to have happened between 1903 and 1905. (updated Apr 2022)
• 56.55098921.00709618 Contemporary Art Gallery (gallery k.Māksla), Atmodas bulvāris 6. Modern, a bit weird, but always original and interesting exhibitions. You can also rent bicycles here. (updated Sep 2024)
• Submarine Accumulator Fence and Hangar. The remains of a submarine base that was once here. There are also former dormitories, beautiful red brick buildings. All are abandoned and partially demolished. 
• Horse Arena (Manēža). A roofless building, which was once used for soldiers' training to ride horses, as well as for official celebrations for up to 4000 people who could fit there. These days the building is not used, except for one nice event, when Liepāja symphony orchestra made an open-air concert here. (updated Sep 2024)
• Castle. Unfortunately in bad condition. 

Other things: Karosta cemetery with Soviet style monuments, Karosta park, many forests and Beberliņi Lake (a nice place to have a barbecue party in summer). There is camping, too.

For a western traveller, Liepāja's food prices might seem quite cheap, even for top-class restaurants. This is because the local average salary is about €400 per month.

• Peter’s market (Pētertirgus, see above) – Has fresh, clean local food which is natural and healthy. Especially strawberries in July...
• Try Latvian food in a cafeteria, restaurant or just buy a Sklandrausis (carrot pie, typical for Kurzeme, Western Latvia) in Šaras (a local word used for inner pavilion of a market, in this case Petertirgus market, and the official word in Latvian would be skārņi).
• 56.50983421.00731 Serenāde, Pasta 28 (on the corner of Graudu and Pasta streets). Has great cakes and pastries costing €0.40. (updated Oct 2017)
• 56.50960321.0096192 Doka Pica, Brivzemnieka Street (just behind the main University building), ☏ +371 63420290, info@dokapica.lv. A restaurant with good and cheap pizzas, meat dishes, fish - everything. 
• 56.54636721.0209063 Karosta Prison Canteen. In Karosta Prison there is an authentic Soviet style canteen, but it does not operate regularly and is used by group requests only. 

• 56.5091821.0124524 Upe, Lielā iela 11 (in Hotel LIVA.), ☏ +371 28 334 430, info@restoransupe.lv. M-Th 7:00-21:00, F-Sa 7:00-23:00, Su 7:00-19:00. 
• 56.50442821.0137855 Palmas, Palmu iela 5 (in guest house Porins), ☏ +371 27888008, restorans@palmas.lv. 

• 56.5123621.01126 Restaurant Piano, Vecā ostmala 40 (in hotel Promenade). M-F 7:00-10:30, 12:00-22:00; Sa-Su 8:00-11:00, 12:00-23:00. 
• 56.51439121.014297 Oskars, Rīgas iela 7/9 (in hotel Amrita), ☏ +371 63 480 888, info@amrita.lv. M-Sa 7:00, 12:00-22:00; Su 8:11, 12:00-21:00. 
• 56.501521.0073848 Kolumbs, Kuršu iela 32 (in hotel Kolumbs), ☏ +371 29239111, horecacat@gmail.com. 
• 56.50750621.008379 Pastnieka māja (Postman's house), Friča Brīvzemnieka iela 53, ☏ +371 29113186, info@pastniekamaja.lv. 11:00-21:00. 

• 56.50795721.0005521 Travellers Beach Hostel, Republikas iela 25 (Located between the beach and the centre.), ☏ +371 28690106, liepaja@hostel.lv. The Liepāja Branch of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Latvia has a guesthouse for travellers in Liepāja. With terrace, WiFi, kitchen, and equipment for the beach. It is most suited for backpackers and small groups of friends and families. Unfortunately, cleaning and maintaining the hostel doesn't seem to be a priority of the owner. €10. (updated Apr 2022)
• 56.5089421.012342 Hotel Līva, Lielā iela 11, ☏ +371 63420102, info@liva.lv. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Refurbished rooms, WiFi throughout the hotel, modern conference facilities, and fitness center. Also features Restaurant Upe, which serves international cuisine. from €15. (updated May 2024)
• 56.5105821.0129713 Liela Guest Apartment, Liela iela 8, ☏ +371 26316169. Average ratings, but cheap. From €12. (updated Nov 2017)
• Karosta Military Detention Centre, Invalīdu Street 4, ☏ +371 26369470, info@karostascietums.lv. The Karosta prison is probably the most inhospitable hotel in the world. There is no hot water, mattresses consist of wooden planks, and prison guards bark at the guests also known as prisoners. The hostel is in a former prison noted for its exceptional brutality during the Soviet era. €15. 
• 56.51160121.0088354 Fontaine Hotel, Juras 24, ☏ +371 63420956. Charming hotel in 2 old wooden houses on the same street, dating 1760 and 1890, with a nice backyard. Each room has its own design and charm. The reception is also a shop selling antiques and souvenirs. from €25. 
• 56.51880721.0090455 Pie Jāņa Brāļa, Raiņa iela 43 (north of the old town towards Karosta, 700 m to the main bus station), ☏ +371 20364552. Kitchen, washing machine, WiFi, large common room. Average ratings. Dorm from €15. (updated Oct 2017)

• 56.5144221.01426 Europa City Amrita, ☏ +371 63403434, liepaja@europacity.lv. Four-star hotel on the Bank of Trade channel in the centre, only 15 minutes walk from unique white sand beach. Hotel is preferred for businessmen and those travelling on leisure, friendly for families. Prices: €50-180. 
• 56.5073821.01237 Art Hotel Roma Liepāja, Zivju iela 3, ☏ +371 20 287 733. An interesting hotel for how artwork surrounds you in the halls and even in your room. Prices: €63. 
• 56.5124521.011438 Promenade Hotel, Vecā ostmala 40, ☏ +371 63 488 288. This place, with its Industrial Age look right on the canal, is quite a large hotel and actually has quite a bit of eye appeal. You can watch boat traffic here or try out their sauna or casino or restaurant. €75. (updated Apr 2021)