Pāvilosta

About this place

Pāvilosta is a small port town at the mouth of the River Saka on the Baltic coast of Kurzeme, with 881 people in 2020. It stands out for its calm marina, stone breakwaters, wide beaches and dunes, drawing lovers of quiet and sailing away from city crowds. People have lived here since the Stone Age. A port at the river mouth is first mentioned in 1253, in an agreement between the Bishop of Courland and the Livonian Order. In 1879 the local landlord Otto Friedrich von Lilienfeld began rebuilding the small port, and the new town was named Paulshafen after his brother, a general. Two long concrete piers run out to sea, edged with rocks and carrying small green and white beacons, and waves pound them on stormy days. The town has low houses, sails in the marina, a small white building with a clock and warehouses of brick and stone. Inland a calm river runs among trees, with sandy beach and pine-covered dunes on both sides. It is 178 km in a straight line from Riga and 39 km from Karosta, so a car is best. Watch for waves on the pier in bad weather, and do not walk on it then. The water is cold for most of the year, so ask before swimming. Bring a windproof jacket and respect the dunes by keeping to the paths. Summer is the best time to visit.