Bathing water quality in Kurzeme, Latvia
Kurzeme has 18 official bathing waters in the EEA dataset for the 2025 season (13 coastal, 4 lake and 1 river). 77.8% were classified Excellent — 6.9 points below the 84.7% across Latvia — and 0 were Poor. 9 sites have been Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025.
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official bathing waters
Excellent in 2025
Poor in 2025
Map of official bathing waters in Kurzeme
Sea, lakes and rivers in Kurzeme
| Water type | Sites | Excellent | Good | Sufficient | Poor | Not classified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal | 13 | 10 (76.9%) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lake | 4 | 4 (100%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| River | 1 | 0 (0%) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Coastal waters are assessed against stricter bacterial limits than lakes and rivers but are diluted far more; see how the classes are calculated.
Most consistent Excellent sites
9 sites were Excellent in all eleven seasons. Ordered by the length of the unbroken Excellent run ending in 2025.
- BŪŠNIEKU EZERS 11 seasons
- CIECERES EZERS 11 seasons
- KARJERS "BEBERLIŅI" 11 seasons
- KLAPKALNCIEMS 11 seasons
- LIEPĀJAS DIENVIDRIETUMU PLUDMALE 11 seasons
- LIEPĀJAS PLUDMALE PIE STADIONA 11 seasons
- SALDUS EZERS 11 seasons
- STALDZENES PLUDMALE 11 seasons
- VENTSPILS PILSĒTAS PLUDMALE 11 seasons
- PĀVILOSTA 10 seasons
- RAGACIEMS 10 seasons
- PAPE 8 seasons
- ĶESTERCIEMS 3 seasons
- ABRAGCIEMS 2 seasons
Rated Poor in 2025
None of the 18 official bathing waters in Kurzeme was classified Poor in 2025.
Changes from 2024 to 2025
Improved (0)
None.
Declined (1)
- KOLKA Excellent → Good
How Kurzeme rated since 2015
Counts for the sites in today’s 2025 inventory; the Excellent share is calculated over classified sites only.
| Season | Classified | Excellent | Excellent share | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18 | 14 | 77.8% | 0 |
| 2024 | 18 | 15 | 83.3% | 0 |
| 2023 | 18 | 14 | 77.8% | 0 |
| 2022 | 18 | 14 | 77.8% | 0 |
| 2021 | 18 | 15 | 83.3% | 0 |
| 2020 | 18 | 14 | 77.8% | 0 |
| 2019 | 18 | 17 | 94.4% | 0 |
| 2018 | 18 | 17 | 94.4% | 0 |
| 2017 | 17 | 17 | 100% | 0 |
| 2016 | 17 | 16 | 94.1% | 0 |
| 2015 | 16 | 13 | 81.3% | 0 |
Places with the most bathing waters in Kurzeme
Each site is matched to its nearest named place (GeoNames, within 8 km in a straight line), so beaches of one resort or lake shore can be compared together. Select a place to show only its sites in the full list.
| Place | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ventspils | 3 | 3 (100%) | 0 |
| Engure | 2 | 2 (100%) | 0 |
| Liepāja | 2 | 2 (100%) | 0 |
All 18 official bathing waters in Kurzeme
Grouped by water type, alphabetical within each group. Open a site for its 2015–2025 history, nearby alternatives, weather forecast and the national profile link.
Download all 18 sites as CSV (classes 2015–2025, coordinates, nearest place; EEA data, CC BY 4.0)
Coastal 13 sites · 76.9% Excellent
- ABRAGCIEMS · Engure Excellent Excellent 2 seasons in a row
- ĶESTERCIEMS · Engure Excellent Excellent 3 seasons in a row
- KLAPKALNCIEMS Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- KOLKA Good Excellent → Good since 2024
- LIEPĀJAS DIENVIDRIETUMU PLUDMALE · Liepāja Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- LIEPĀJAS PLUDMALE PIE STADIONA · Liepāja Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- MĒRSRAGS Good
- PAPE Excellent Excellent 8 seasons in a row
- PĀVILOSTA Excellent Excellent 10 seasons in a row
- RAGACIEMS Excellent Excellent 10 seasons in a row
- ROJA Good
- STALDZENES PLUDMALE · Ventspils Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- VENTSPILS PILSĒTAS PLUDMALE Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
Lake 4 sites · 100% Excellent
- BŪŠNIEKU EZERS · Ventspils Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- CIECERES EZERS · Brocēni Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- KARJERS "BEBERLIŅI" · Karosta Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
- SALDUS EZERS Excellent Excellent 11 seasons in a row
River 1 site · 0% Excellent
- VENTAS UPE, KULDĪGAS PELDVIETA "MĀRTIŅSALA" · Kuldīga Good
Compared with other regions in Latvia
| # | Region | Sites | Excellent | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rīga | 23 | 78.3% | 0 |
| 2 | Kurzeme | 18 | 77.8% | 0 |
Regions with at least 15 official bathing waters. Size, water type and how densely sites are designated differ, so the table is context rather than a verdict.
Quick answers
- How many bathing waters in Kurzeme were rated Excellent in 2025?
- 14 of 18 (77.8%) in the official EEA 2025 classification; 4 were Good, 0 Sufficient and 0 Poor. That ranks Kurzeme 2 of 2 Latvia regions by Excellent share.
- Which beaches in Kurzeme have the best long-term record?
- 9 sites were Excellent in every season from 2015 to 2025, for example BŪŠNIEKU EZERS, CIECERES EZERS, KARJERS "BEBERLIŅI". See the ranking.
- Which places in Kurzeme have the most official bathing waters?
- Ventspils (3, 100% Excellent), Engure (2, 100% Excellent), Liepāja (2, 100% Excellent). See the place table; places are the nearest named settlement to each site.
- Were any bathing waters in Kurzeme rated Poor?
- No. None was classified Poor in 2025.
- Where do I check whether swimming is allowed today?
- On Peldūdens (Health Inspectorate) (Health Inspectorate (Veselības inspekcija)). Temporary bans, pollution alerts and closures are published there and on signs at the water, not in the annual EEA class.
Latvia overview · All regions of Latvia · Bathing waters near Riga · Bathing season dates
Sources and method
Bathing-water records: European Environment Agency (EEA), data and coordinates reported by Latvia, licensed CC BY 4.0. Region and area boundaries: Eurostat NUTS 2024 (© EuroGeographics for the administrative boundaries). Place names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). A site belongs to the area that contains its reported coordinates; a site up to 10 km off the generalised coastline is placed in the nearest area of Latvia. Counts, shares and rankings are calculated by BathingWaterFinder from the official records.