Jūrmala is a beach resort town about 30 minutes by train from Riga. There is a 33 km (21 miles) stretch of white-sand beach and some beautiful old houses that reminded us of Key West, Florida.

Regular trains run from Riga’s central station and it was quite easy to purchase a return ticket, in English, from one of the ticket counters. The only thing you need to decide is what part of Jūrmala you want to visit. We chose the most popular ‘Majori’ – there isn’t a stop called Jūrmala. The end of the line stop is called ‘Tukums’.

There are no seat reservations and no first class. And like all train stations, it’s easy to figure out what time your train departs and from which platform.

The train we took had pretty steep steps up into the coach.

The carriage was comfortable.

The journey was picturesque and we arrived at Majori station in no time.

Just across the street from the train station is a long parade of shops, bars and restaurants. That is actually running parallel to the beach, so you need to pass that and walk straight on. It’s worth walking along later on your way back from the beach.

The beach is a few hundred metres away, but it’s a lovely walk past some beautiful old houses.

The beach wasn’t that busy.

We found a beach bar.

There was a queue to order food and drinks – the place could make a lot more money by employing more waiters. At least they bring the food to you when it’s ready.

This building, which looks like it contains apartments, is right on the beach.

Even if you only have two days in Riga, I’d recommend a trip to Jūrmala beach. It isn’t just about the beach, but also the houses in the surrounding area. Here are some more of them.

Time to take the train back to Riga.