Karosta Canal, Parks, & Piers

Karosta is a neighborhood of Liepāja and location of a former Russian Imperial and Soviet naval base on the Baltic Sea. One can put together a quite nice run here, combining paths along the Karsta Canal, some small parks, and jaunts out a couple of piers. We’ve mapped out some longer routes combining all these options, but it’s easy to remove some elements to shorten.

Start near the museum of the former Karosta Prison and run on the path along the Karosta Canal for 1 km. The next 1 km is on paths through Lačplėš Park (nice gardens!) & then the path around the impressive Naval Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Nicholas. Here, you can turn around or continue for north for 1 km along Atmodas bulvāris to the path that leads to the Liepāja Northern Breakwater,  an uneven concrete surface that juts out to the Baltic Sea for up to 1.6 km. Retrace your steps to the start. The full out and back is 10.5 km.

Additional Options – South side of the Karosta Canal: From the end of the canal path, cross the Oskara Kalpaka Bridge (good sidewalk, excellent views!) over the canal and run out the Karosta South Pier. There are great sea views. The surface is concrete and a bit uneven. Doing this would be 2.2 km out & back. You can also run south on the cycle path alongside Oskara Kalpaka St. for 1 km. Combining the bridge, pier, & cycle path is up to 4.4 km out & back.