This museum is quite a way out of the city but is on a bus route. You need to be fit in order to see all the exhibits as there is quite a lot of walking to do. The weather needs to be fine and eating al fresco at the little cafeteria near the lake was great value for money [yummy home made cakes etc]
I visited with my wife on a Sunday afternoon in December. It was just over €2 each to get in so very cheap. Easy to get to too. 30 mins on the no.1 bus from Merkela Iela. Unfortunately apart from a couple of houses at the start all the many many buildings were padlocked so it was very much a case off going for a walk in the woods which in itself was quite atmospheric and a pleasant getaway from the city. But after a while you get bored of the outsides of buildings. There was only one person showing off crafts, again near the start. I gather from other reviews that in peak time this place is thriving with exhibits and all buildings are open. I feel there should've been some sort of notice advising of the reduced experience whether on the website or upon entry.I can't really say I've come away from this with an enhanced knowledge of Latvian living back then and factoring in the return journey it's a decent chunk of our weekend away wasted.
Over the holiday period the entrance was free as lots of the buildings were closed. It was still great to walk around and showed lots of interesting examples of traditional buildings and gave an insight to traditional manufacturing and building methods in years gone by.
This Open Air Museum was such a treat to visit. The more you walk around, the more you discover. So many beautiful structures and interesting people. You really feel like you've stepped back in time. Make sure you get a map so you know where to find each different settlement, and make sure you have good walking shoes and water. The restaurant near the entrance was very tasty and not bad value for money, but the selection of drinks on the go was lacking. Lovely place for a tranquil get-away.
Loads of old wooden houses from all regions of Latvia in one place. Admission fee really low (4 EUR/adult) if you realise what you get for it. Easily accesible by public transport (Bus No. 1 from Abrenes iela near the railway station). Toilets near the entrance perfect, toilets in the cetral part terrible. No buffet or fast food, only one rather expensive restaurant. Definitely worth visiting
It was FREE to get in with the understanding that the buildings where closed as it was a Latvian public holiday but this never ruined it for me a I purely enjoyed the exterior construction of the buildings and serenity I would imagine kids would love it tooIts perfect for hang overs as you don't have to interact with anyone you can just potter about at your own pace
We went on a cold and dark November afternoon. No other visitors were in the park. It was so eerily quiet as even the birds in the trees made no sounds. Everything in the park seemed like it was from some horror movie. Creepy cabins with creaky gates, old abandoned churches, spooky windmills. It was a pretty unique experience! Do not miss out!
It is a library for hauses- old buildings are gathered together and you can see hov it was hundred years ago. All exponents are real hauses!
It's the most unique museum I have ever seen in my life. If you visit Latvia, then you just must check it out. With an exception of the mill that seemed to be not a really safe place to walk in (and it was still quite fun to walk there) everything was just perfect.
The ride out was only 1 euro for a journey which takes about 30 minutes from the town centre. We went in October and found most of the buildings shut, but you can walk around the forest and see little timber villages.it is quite pleasant just to walk and look at all the old buildings. There is apparently a cafe , but this was also shut. After travelling out of town,and exploring the open air museum, we really wanted a warm drink. There isn't anything in the neighbourhood either, in the way of cafes. Tip- take refreshments ! I imagine that a visit in summer would be better, when there is more open.