Ragaciems Fish Market

Ragaciems is a fishing village on the Gulf of Riga coast west of Jurmala, and the reason people stop is the row of stalls along the coast road selling smoked fish: flounder, plaice, bream, eel, salmon, sprats and whatever the boats have brought in, hot-smoked in the village smokehouses and sold whole, still warm, wrapped in paper. There are also dried and salted fish, smoked chicken and local honey. The stalls run through the day in the season and the smell carries a long way down the road. The beach behind is sand and shingle with dune and pine, and the village itself is small with fishing boats drawn up on the shore.

What you actually see

• The smoked fish stalls - the roadside row selling straight from the smokehouses.
• Hot-smoked flounder - the local speciality, sold warm.
• The fishing village - the boats and the shore behind the road.
• The beach - the sand and dune along the gulf.

When to go

May to September, when most stalls are open and the range is widest; some operate year round but at reduced numbers. Late morning onwards is when the day's smoking is ready. Weekends are busiest.

Honest expectations

Stall numbers drop sharply outside summer. Fish is sold whole and eaten with the hands; there are no facilities for sitting down. Prices are negotiated by weight. The village has little else.

Nearby

Jurmala lies east; Lake Engure is west along the coast.