JURMALA BEACH: Top 3 family friendly activities on this day trip from Riga
- Jun 9, 2025
- 8 min read
Jurmala is an ideal getaway for families with autistic children who are staying in Riga.
In May 2025 we spent five nights in Riga with our autistic children and we really loved our visit.
Related Articles:
Dzintari Forest (Jurmala) - A perfect family day trip from Riga
Quick links
Links marked with an asterix* are affiliate links. If you click then book I may receive a small commission at no cost to you.
Overview of Jurmala
The resort town of Jurmala is easily reached by train (like we did), or on an inexpensive boat tour such as this one*.
It offers families a fun-filled sensory day of picnicking, paddling, and playing on the soft sand. We loved our first visit so much we went back again three days later! It was definitely a highlight of our trip.
The main attraction for our kids in Jurmala was obviously the beach! However it is also a great place for other excursions into nature, particularly the stunning boardwalk through the National Kemeri Bog (book your sunset tour here*).
From the main train station Majori, the route to the seafront is well signposted. Leaving the station you cross over a car park, walk through a lovely little garden with a fountain that the boys enjoyed and can then turn right onto Jomas Street. From there you can explore the town or head off to the beach. Read on to discover our 3 favourite activities in Jurmala for our autistic kids.
Top 3 Autism-Friendly Activities in Jurmala
JOMAS STREET
 Â
Pedestrianised Jomas street is about 1km along and is peppered with cafes and little shops. We were able to buy some nice food to take to the beach with us, but there were plenty of options for eat-in / alfresco dining and the food looked good. It was a lovely street to walk along, with lots of parasols up and people enjoying themselves. On our first visit during May half term is was very peaceful and not crowded at all.
ANNUAL JOMAS STREET FESTIVAL
Once a year (towards the end of May) Jurmala hosts the Jomas Street Festival - and lucky for us it was taking place on our second return day trip! It was such a brilliant family day out.
SENSORY NOTE:
The festival atmosphere meant Jurmala was much busier than normal. However, while there were plenty of people enjoying the fun, the festivities were spread all over the town so it didn't feel too overwhelming. Consider whether you child would cope with the crowds on this particular day and consider taking a calming break away in the nearby Dzintari Forest (read blog here) like we did.
FOOD
For Festival day there were lots of stalls selling the most delicious array of traditional Latvian cakes, pastries, sandwiches, and cakes. As well as the local food for sale there were quite a few stalls offering free food for festival goers, unsurprisingly the queues for these were quite long so we gave them a miss.
We were happy to choose from the treats on sale which were delicious and reasonably priced.
OTHER STALLS
There were a range of interesting information stalls about Latvia, some with competitions like Spin to Win which my eldest enjoyed (and won a prize!). The festivities also extended into the Dzintari Forest Park. In the Dzintari Forest park there were varying sports competitions to watch and the boys enjoyed a bouncy castle and some fun games. The forest park is absolutely worth a visit - read more about it in my blog post here.
ENTERTAINMENT
There were little pockets of entertainment spread around the town, but the main event was a huge stage that had been erected on the beach and was showcasing a programme of traditional, DJ and pop acts throughout the day.
There was a great vibe down on the beach, and we wandered along the sea front, the boys happily splashing in and out of the waves. We were there in time to see the huge parade leave from the main stage to wend itself on a mile route around Jurmala. It was obviously a big community event, with lots of local groups, children and people in traditional costumes as well as some fun dressed up characters like the grinch (which my boys adored!). We had such a brilliant time cheering with the locals as we all watched the parade go past.
The town also offers a pretty busy cultural programme of events throughout the year - make sure to check the main tourist information site for more information on specific months.
MAJORI BEACH
The sand at the Majori Beach in Jurmala is soft and clean. There is a boardwalk that runs along the top of the sandy beach with occasional boarded offshoots down towards the sea. This makes navigating with a buggy much easier, and boarded walkways meant we could get the buggy down onto the hard sand pretty easily.
We were impressed to see lots of park benches scattered around down on the actual beachfront, rather than just up at the top like in the UK. This is much more friendly for people who might find it difficult to get down to sit on the sand. The benches make it possible for older people and those with reduced mobility to be much more involved and spend time with their friends and family.
There was also some great play equipment actually on the sand at the beach, the boys really enjoyed playing pirates and being able to actually see the sea.
Was the beach in Jurmala safe for autistic kids?
Absolutely, in fact we were surprised by just how safe we thought it was. There wasn't much traffic on the roads surrounding it and there were safe pathways and crossings for walking.
The beach itself is quite shallow, so the boys could run out a reasonable distance and still be below only just above the knee. This was reassuring for us, and we felt confident that neither of them was at risk of strong tides or unseen underwater shelf drops.
PLEASE NOTE: This coastline does not have the best reputation for clean swimming water. Make sure you check the water quality online before swimming to check it is safe to do so.
If swimming is not recommended red or black flags may also be flying by the lifeguard's hut.
DZINTARI FOREST PARK & BEACH (Jurmala)
Majori beach is an easy walk from the Dzintari Forest Park, which is where we started our day on our second visit. We got off at Dzintari station, the stop before Majori and followed a clearly signposted walkway over the road and into the park.
After spending some time exploring the grounds, its cool (very tall!) observation tower and enjoying a woodland picnic we walked over to Jomas St for the festival.
From there we went down onto the beach and walked along to the far end back near Majori station.
We LOVED this activity! Read this article to learn more about our Day trip to the Dzintari Forest Park and discover our top 4 favourite activities.
HOW TO TRAVEL FROM RIGA TO JURMALA BEACH WITH KIDS:
Jurmala is resort style town located on the coast, around 25 mins from Latvia's capital city of Riga. Whatever transport you choose make sure to take in the scenic views of the countryside on the way.
BY BOAT
If you are happy for a light touch visit to Jurmala, then this picturesque 2hr boat cruise from Riga's Old Town could be a good idea - book boat tickets here*.
BY CAR
You can drive from Riga to Jurmala in around 30 minutes. There is a public car park near Majori Station that is nicely located for a stroll down the pedestrianised Jomas St and a short walk from the beach front.
BY TRAIN:
Trains run regularly between Riga and Jurmala. The trains run from Riga's Central Station and take about 30 minutes. This is way we chose to travel.
Train Timetable
When we were travelling the trains going from Riga TO Jurmala were leaving on the hour and half hour e.g. 10am / 10:30am / 11am
The trains going from Jurmala TO Riga were leaving approximately 5 minutes before this e.g. 9:55am / 10:25am / 10:55am.
We boarded a train at Riga Central Station with a final destination of Sloka from Platform 3. There were 11 stops between Riga and Majori, the train station where we got off.
The train was very modern and comfortable. There were toilets that were clean and nice to use. There was also a screen showing a rolling scroll list of the stations so it was very easy to know where we were and when we should get off.
The beach at Jurmala is long and there are numerous stations along the way which also provide access to the beach front such as Dbulti, Melluzi and Dzintari.
On our first visit we opted for the stop called Majori because it was closest to the town centre and its nearest beach looked very safe for the children. However on our second visit we got off at Dzintari station as it literally opposite the Forest Park and was less than a 5 minute walk from the observation tower.
How to buy tickets to travel between Riga and Jurmala
We had already downloaded the Mobilly transport app so we were able to buy our tickets online using this. Our youngest was free (as aged under 7) and for the rest of us - 2 adults and 1 child we paid 1.96 euros per person each way or 11.76 euros return. You basically buy the tickets online in the app and then validate by scanning a QR code on the train using a ticket reader. Make sure you do this as a ticket inspector came by to see our tickets on each of our journeys.
CHILD TICKETS (UNDER 7)
If you are travelling with children under 7 you cant buy them a 'free' ticket on the app, you have to wait for the inspector to come around and then ask them to issue a free ticket directly. This is so they can actually see the child and ask for proof of ID should they think they look too old. On one of our four journeys the inspector did ask us what year our youngest was born, and was satisfied with our immediate answer.
BY BUS
Our boys just love travelling on trains, which was why we chose that method of transport. However we could have easily gone by bus. The direct bus - No. 7023 - leaves from near the Central Market and also takes 30 mins via 5 stops to get to the Jurmala Tourist Information Office, a few minutes walk from Majori Station.
Bus tickets can be bought from Narvessan shops, from bus station offices or on the Mobilly app. While this is a viable option, the bus is quite small and most people do choose to use the train.
WHAT TO PACK FOR YOUR AWESOME JURMALA BEACH TRIP
The main reason for a day trip to Jurmala is to visit the beach - it offers kilometres of lovely soft sand. The beach at Majori is very shallow and safe for children, during peak seasons it is watched over by beach lifeguards. Make sure you check the water quality before diving in though.
For our day on the beach we packed:
a couple of light picnic sarongs
a packed picnic lunch for me and the youngest - J and F bought their lunch from a cafe on Jomas St
snacks and lots of water
sunscreen and towels
we didnt pack beach toys / games as we were limited on our plane luggage. However if you do have the room you could easily spend a full day enjoying all the usual beach activities!
Final Thoughts on visiting Jurmala with autistic kids
We really enjoyed our day trips to Jurmala and would recommend it for families with autistic children. The train was super fun and made it easy to get there from Riga.
The facilities on the beach (like the changing pods and playground equipment) added to the enjoyment on the day, and meant we enjoyed our picnic lunch and beach games.
It was definitely a great way to make lasting memories and spend time together outside having fun!
Happy Travels x