Daugavpils

The city was first mentioned in 1275, when the Order of Life built a castle, the Dünaburg, on the Daugava River. The present location of the city originated in the 16th century 20 km away from the original settlement, which was destroyed. In 1582, Dünaburg received the city rights. Latgale belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian empire back then.

During the Polish-Russian War (1654-1667), the city fell under Russian rule, and was renamed Borisoglebsk (Борисоглебск) (1656-1667). After the end of Russian rule, it came under Polish rule again. In 1772, Latgale joined the tsarist Russia in the aftermaths of the Polish divisions. In 1811, Dünaburg was strengthened with a fortress. Together with the rest of Latgale, the city was under the Polotsk Government, which was reassigned in 1802 to the Vitebsk Government. In 1893, Dünaburg was renamed Dvinsk.

The city was at the front in both world wars, and suffered serious damage then. In December 1919, Polish and Latvian troops defeated the Red Army, which made an important step towards the Latvian independence, which came in 1920. The city was called Daugavpils and belonged to Latvia since then.

With the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1939 between Germany and the Soviet Union, the independent Latvia fell under the influence of the Soviet Union. In June 1940, the Red Army entered Latvia, and in August 1940 it became part of the Soviet Union. In 1941, the city was re-taken by German troops. Since 1945, when the town belonged to the Latvian Socialist Soviet republic, Daugavpils underwent a large-scale industrialization and became a garrison city.

Tourist information:

1 Daugavpils Tourist Information Center, 22a Rīgas St, ☏ +371 65422818, fax: +371 65422818, info@visitdaugavpils.lv.

1188.lv provides up-to-date bus and train schedules, route planner and prices.

By bus:

Buses from Riga to Daugavpils leave every two hours. The web page of Rīgas Starptautiskā autoosta (Riga Bus Station) has up to date schedules and fares.

By train:

1 Daugavpils railway station, 47 Stacijas St. Pasažieru Vilciens (Passenger Train) runs the passenger train services in Latvia. (updated Jun 2020)

Riga-Daugavpils trains operate four times a day; Riga-Gomel, Vilnius to Saint Petersburg and Russia trains have halted operations to and from Belarus and Russia. There is also a yearly service, Riga - Daugavpils - Aglona.

If you arrive from Vilnius by train, the train only goes as far as Turmantas, which is 30 km from Daugavpils. The restoration of a direct train connection between Vilnius and Daugavpils, has once again become a topical issue. According to information released in August 2026, the goal is to launch the service by the end of 2026.

By car:

The drive from Riga takes 3-3½ hours. The European highway E262 from Kaunas, Lithuania that crosses Daugavpils and goes to Russia.

By plane:

AirBaltic, the flag carrier airline for Latvia, offers a free coach from between Riga Airport and Daugavpils to its passengers. The bus AirBaltic bus line to Daugavpils is BT001 (there are other buses going in totally different directions, like Tartu in Estonia) and takes 3 hours 25 minutes between the airport and Daugavpils, stopping in Jekabpils on the way. The buses run at nighttime after/before all the flights - the bus from the airport to Daugavpils departs at 23:30 and arrives at 02:55, while the return journey to the airport begins at 03:45 in Daugavpils with arrival at the airport at 07:10.

Daugavpils Lidosta (Daugavpils Airport) ☏ +371 65475306. The former Soviet air base in Lociki (12 km northeast of Daugavpils) has been renovated, but as of 2017 there are no flights.