Things to Do in Rundale Palace

Private apartments tour

You'll step straight into a silk-lined world of Meissen stoves and trompe-l'œil ceilings while the guide unlocks doors the standard walk skips. Expect the faint crackle of an old wood stove in the duke's bathroom. Feel the cool slide of marble under fingertips in the Yellow Bedroom.

French formal gardens

Stroll the box-hedge embroidery and you'll smell clipped rose petals crushed underfoot while fountains hiss in the background. In July the air is thick with jasmine drifting from the ornamental orangery walls. Dragonflies zip inches above mirror-smooth canals.

Museum of Baroque Costume

Mannequins wear whale-boned bodices heavy with metallic thread that glints under spotlights. You can almost hear the rustle of taffeta as you move between displays. Staff sometimes demo period lace-making. The linen smells faintly of spun flax.

Rose garden café slice of klingeris

Order the palace's saffron-dough tower cake and you'll taste hints of cardamom and lemon glaze while bees buzz in the pergola above. The outdoor terrace looks straight onto parterres. Each forkful comes with a view of candy-coloured roses nodding in the breeze.

Evening classical concert in the White Hall

Cello notes bounce off gilded stucco while candle-shaped bulbs dim to a honey glow. The acoustics make the floorboards tremble under low notes. Between movements you might catch the faint scent of linden blossoms drifting through open shutters.

Pilsrundāle village homestays. Timber houses with garden plum trees and rooster wake-up calls, five minutes' walk to the gate.

Bauska riverside guesthouses. 15 min north, set along the Lielupe where you can borrow kayaks for an evening paddle.

Zemgale wine-route farmsteads. Stone barns converted into apartments, owners pour homemade black-currant wine at dusk.

Riga Old Town boutique hotels. If you're day-tripping, base yourself here and ride the morning shuttle.

Country spa manors south of Jelgava. Mid-range estates with apple orchards and outdoor hot tubs under star-strewn skies.

Camping at Mežotne pine forest. Basic tent spots a 10-minute cycle from the palace, wake up to woodpeckers and mossy air.