Northern Latvia has launched a network of ten gastronomic tourism routes under the name “Ziemeļzeme kods” (Code of the northern lands), connecting farms, home producers and local sightseeing attractions across the Northern Vidzeme region, LSM English reported on August 30.
The routes were designed to help small producers sell their goods directly to visitors while showcasing what the region has to offer beyond food, according to Latvian Radio journalist Gunta Matisone, writing for LSM English. Ineta Andersone, project manager of the “Ziemeļzeme kods” network, said organisers studied gastro-tourism models already running in Estonia, Austria and Finland before building the Latvian version. “We also had experience in Estonia, Austria, and Finland, where there are such taste trails, and I must say that they work very well,” she said, cited by LSM English.
The Trikāta chocolate factory is among the small businesses that joined the network. Founder Raisa Jablonska said the initiative gives smaller producers a route to customers they otherwise struggle to reach on their own. She reported a noticeable rise in visitors this year, with roughly half now arriving from abroad, particularly Estonia, drawn partly by the chocolate itself and partly by prices lower than at home.
Toms Treimanis, head of the Valmiera region tourism board, said the routes are built around more than tastings, pairing food stops with nature trails, historic sites and cultural attractions so visitors can break up the eating with local history. Most routes are designed to be completed by car in a single day, though the network also includes walking trails at Sietiņiezis and Zilaiskalns and a cycling route along the former “Green Railway” line toward Limbaži.
Treimanis said the region has also seen a rise in independent travellers this year, including growing numbers from Finland, Poland and Germany arriving by camper van, bicycle or on foot, adding pressure on local infrastructure such as camper waste-disposal points and electrical hook-ups. He said Northern Vidzeme’s cooler climate could also become a selling point amid Europe’s hotter summers, positioning Latvia as a “coolcation” alternative for travellers looking to avoid southern European heat.
The “Ziemeļzeme kods” routes are currently listed only on the network’s Latvian-language website, which may limit their reach among international visitors until an English version becomes available.