Vecaki Beach

Vecaki Beach is a public swimming beach on the Gulf of Riga, in the Vecaki district on the northern edge of the city, near the point where the Daugava reaches the sea at Mangalsala. The settlement grew from a fishing village into a bathing resort during the nineteenth century and remains one of the longest-established beaches serving the capital. It holds Blue Flag certification and its bathing water is rated excellent under the EU Bathing Water Directive. The official bathing season runs from 15 May to 15 September, with lifeguards on duty through the summer. Facilities include changing cabins, toilets, boardwalks across the dunes, a children's playground, volleyball and football areas, and small cafes and kiosks; entry is free. The beach is reached from Riga Central Station by electric train on the Skulte line, roughly twenty-five to thirty minutes to Vecaki station, followed by a ten-minute walk through pine forest to the shore. A walk along the sand leads to the Mangalsala pier, from which ships entering the Daugava can be watched.