Cēsis Castle visitor guide: towers, museum and park

Cēsis Castle is easiest to enjoy when you treat it as three connected stops: the medieval ruins and towers, the museum in the New Castle, and the park below. Start with the part you most want to see, then leave time for the others. The buildings tell different chapters of the town’s history, and their access arrangements are not identical.

Sources reviewed: 30 September 2026. This guide uses official tourism information and Latvia’s National Encyclopaedia. Photographs are dated archive views. Check the visitor information before travelling, particularly around seasonal changes.

Which part of the castle should you visit?

For planning, allow about two to three hours for both castles and a short park walk. Allow longer if you read every exhibition panel or book a guided tour. With less time, choose one interior visit rather than rushing between ticketed areas.

The medieval castle: lanterns, vaults and towers

The Western Tower is the place to start for the castle’s surviving interiors. The Latvian national tourism guide describes collecting a map and lantern at the visitor centre, then exploring the tower and the Master’s Chamber. Look up at its star-shaped vaulting and the remaining wall paintings before continuing towards the upper viewpoint.

The Southern Tower has a different programme. Visit Cēsis currently lists the multimedia exhibition Living on a Powder Keg from May through September. It should not be assumed to operate throughout winter.

Summer visits may also include garden activities, medieval games and craft demonstrations. The national tourism listing describes these as seasonal; ask what is actually running on your date. A demonstration, an independently explored tower and a booked guided tour are different experiences.

The New Castle and Cēsis Museum

The New Castle stands beside the medieval remains and houses Cēsis History and Art Museum. Choose this stop for exhibitions about the town and its place in Latvian history, as well as another viewpoint from the Lademaher Tower.

Despite the name, this is an old building in its own right. The official castle-complex description dates the manor residence to around 1761 and records its later use by the Counts von Sievers. The museum has occupied it since 1949.

The museum makes a useful indoor part of the day, especially when you want a break from the open ruins. Ask at the ticket desk which exhibitions and tower areas are included in the option you are buying.

The history behind the ruins

The National Encyclopaedia’s castle history dates the start of construction to around 1214. Built by the Sword Brothers, the castle later became a major centre of the Teutonic Order in Livonia. Its surviving walls reflect repeated rebuilding rather than one uninterrupted construction project.

The siege of 1577 was a turning point. During Ivan IV’s attack, people sheltering in the castle died in a deliberate gunpowder explosion rather than surrender. Parts of the castle remained inhabited into the late 17th century; it was fully abandoned after the Great Northern War. Nineteenth-century interest in historic ruins helped begin the later story of preservation and research.

Tickets, opening times and finding the entrance

Head for Pils laukums. The official medieval-castle listing gives Pils laukums 11, while the museum is at Pils laukums 9. Use the castle directions linked by Visit Cēsis, then follow signs to the visitor centre.

• Winter hours: the local tourism listings currently show 1 October–30 April, Tuesday–Sunday 10:00–17:00, closed Mondays.
• Ticket cutoff: both listings say sales stop 60 minutes before closing. Arrive earlier if you want time for more than one part of the complex.
• Summer visits: hours and activity programmes vary by month. Check the date-specific information rather than applying winter hours to a summer trip.

The official admission-price page was unavailable during this review, so current ticket amounts could not be verified. For prices, ticket coverage or a guided tour, contact the castle on +371 26576111 or pils@cesis.lv. Tours require advance booking. The working Visit Cēsis listings above provide an alternative while the operator’s website is unavailable.

Access, stairs and visiting with children

Plan tower visits around everyone’s ability to manage stairs. Wear shoes with grip for the ruins and take your time between indoor spaces and outdoor surfaces. With small children, a shorter castle visit followed by a park stop may be more manageable than attempting every exhibition.

Visit Cēsis marks the museum as accessible for people with disabilities, but its listing does not explain access to every floor or tower. Before a wheelchair or pushchair visit, ask staff about the entrance route, lifts, toilets and the exact areas you can reach. That museum listing should not be treated as confirmation that the medieval towers or park stairs are step-free.

Finish with Castle Park and the Old Town

Castle Park lies below the complex. Established in 1812 by the Sievers family, it is a separate landscape from the medieval garden within the castle visit. Its pond and paths offer a change of pace after the interiors; the direct route from the square includes a substantial flight of stairs.

A simple sequence is to visit your chosen castle interior first, add the museum if time allows, then walk in the park before returning towards the Old Town. Keep an eye on the return journey if you are visiting from Riga: our visit planner links the transport options.

For another park stop, see the Maija Park and black-swans guide; it is a different park, and sightings depend on the season. If you would like to try a craft yourself, use the workshop guide to find bookable experiences around town. The souvenir guide gives named places for a final shopping stop.

For a nature outing after your time in town, compare Cīrulīši, Ērgļu Cliffs and the Amata valley in our Gauja National Park guide from Cēsis.