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Geonivora
Region

Jelgava

Located in Latvia Coordinates: 56°39′04″ N 23°42′59″ E

Jelgava
Igors Jefimovs · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Population
54,701
54.7K
Elevation
6 m
above sea level
Local time
UTC+02:00
Europe/Riga · UTC+02:00
Places inside
2
listed under Jelgava
When to go
June–August
See the climate
Airports
RIX Riga International Airport34 km
PLQ Palanga International Airport179 km

About Jelgava

Jelgava is a region. Location: Latvia. Population: 54,701.

From Wikipedia

Jelgava (pronounced [ˈjælˠɡɐvˠɐ] ) is a state city in central Latvia. It is located about 41 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of Riga. With 54,408 people, it is the fourth most-populous city in Latvia. It is the largest town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the administrative center of the Courland Governorate (1795–1918).

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

Built
1226
Area
60.6 km²
Official website
jelgava.lv

Source: Wikidata

Travel notes for Jelgava

From Wikivoyage

Jelgava (German: Mitau) is a city in Latvia about 41 km southwest of Riga.

Understand+

It is useful to understand that although from 1940 to 1991 Latvia was a constituent republic of the USSR, the official language is Latvian. However, a significant minority (up to 40% nationwide and possibly just over 50% in the capital Riga) is Russian-speaking. The majority of ethnic Latvians living in the city, not only those old enough to have attended school during Soviet times, can also speak and understand Russian. However, many prefer to converse in Latvian. English and also German are widely understood at places regularly visited by tourists and foreigners but you may be out of luck when leaving the city centre or visiting places off the beaten track.

1 Jelgava Regional Tourism Centre, ☏ +371 63 005 447. The tourist information centre is located inside the Holy Trinity Church Tower. (updated Apr 2019)

Get in+

By bus:

A bus line departs from Riga coach station, takes 45-55 min and the fare is €2.50 (as of December 2024). The buses are frequent and depart roughly every 20-60 mins. They arrive at 1 Jelgavas autoosta.

By train:

From Jan 2025 a daily train plies from Lithuania and continues to Estonia. It leaves Vilnius at 07:00, calling at Siauliai and Joniškis, and reaches Jelgava at 10:30. It continues to Riga but you can't use it just for this sector; thence to Valga, Tartu and Tallinn around 17:30. The westbound train leaves Tallinn at 10:25 and Riga at 16:50, picking up in Jelgava (reservations compulsory) at 18:00 to reach Vilnius at 21:00.

2 Jelgava railway station, Stacijas iela 1. Trains depart Riga train station for Jelgava every 40-50 mins. Journey takes about 45 mins. (updated Oct 2022)

By boat:

Jelgava is on the bank of river Lielupe, which is connected to the Baltic Sea. It is possible to dock at Jelgava Yacht Club on Pils Island or next to Mītava Bridge on Pasta Island.

By car:

You can travel by taxi from Riga or Riga airport.

Source: Wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0 · abridged

Twin towns and sister cities of Jelgava

  • Pärnu linn· Estonia
  • Šiauliai· Lithuania
  • Vejle· Denmark

Source: Wikidata. Only places with a page on this site are shown.

Population of Jelgava over time

Population of Jelgava over time
2011 74,100
2014 59,511
2016 61,623
2017 56,700
2019 55,972
2020 56,062
2021 55,336
2022 54,694
2023 55,459
2024 55,216
2025 54,834
2026 54,408

Censuses and official estimates; source: Wikidata.

Climate of Jelgava

Best months for sightseeing

Best months for sightseeing: June–August.

This month · November

A cold month

Day 4° · Night 0° · Rain 56 mm

Hottest month
July (day 22°)
Coldest month
February (night -7°)
Wettest month
July (79 mm)
Driest month
February (26 mm)

Bars: average monthly low and high temperature. Below: precipitation. Monthly averages for 1970–2000 at about 18 km resolution, adjusted for elevation. Highlighted months are mild and relatively dry. Source: WorldClim 2.1 (CC BY 4.0).

Show values as a table
Climate of Jelgava
Month JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average high (°C)-1°-1°4°11°17°20°22°22°16°10°4°0°
Average low (°C)-6°-7°-3°2°6°11°13°12°8°4°0°-4°
Precipitation (mm)332632414757797364565645

Other places to visit in this season: June July August

How to get to Jelgava

The nearest airport is Riga International Airport (RIX), 34 km to the northeast as the crow flies. The nearest large city is Riga, 41 km to the northeast.

Airports

  • Riga International Airport (RIX) Riga 34 kmnortheast
  • Palanga International Airport (PLQ) Palanga 179 kmsouthwest
  • Kaunas International Airport (KUN) Kaunas 189 kmsouth

Nearby large cities

  • Riga Population: 742.6K 41 kmnortheast
  • Klaipėda Population: 172.3K 191 kmsouthwest
  • Kaunas Population: 289.4K 195 kmsouth
  • Vilnius Population: 542.4K 240 kmsoutheast
  • Tallinn Population: 394K 316 kmnorth

Straight-line distances; road distances are longer. Airport data: OurAirports.

Places in Jelgava

2 places

Sources & licences

Data last updated: · 2 independent sources