Questions, and answers.

Briežu Stacija is an architect-designed forest cabin in Gauja National Park — a black-spruce house in the middle of the woods, 65 km from Riga.

Twenty-three square metres made for two adults and one child — a place to step away from the noise of the city and the rush of everyday life.

We built Briežu Stacija over two years on a patch of forest that has belonged to Evija's family for decades.

The house was designed to live off-grid — solar panels, a deep well, and its own septic system — without giving up comfort in the middle of the forest.

Inside there's a wood stove, a heated bathroom floor, and a projector for film nights on the wall; outside, a hot tub kept warm year-round under open sky.

A glass-walled sauna with an electric Huum stove is available separately.

We're not the most objective judges, of course — but the numbers say yes: 9.6/10 on Booking.com (170+ reviews and "Guest Favorite" status) and 4.94/5 on Airbnb (151+ reviews).

The most common thing guests say on their way out: one night here isn't enough.

Briežu Stacija isn't just another forest cabin. It's a rare combination — an architect-designed house in the middle of Gauja National Park, where you can experience real forest silence without giving up comfort. All of it just an hour's drive from Riga.

Three things.

First, the design — a black-spruce facade, five-metre ceilings, and full-height windows that make the forest part of the interior.

Second, the contrast between forest and comfort. Beyond the glass: complete silence and spruce forest. Inside: a wood stove, a heated bathroom floor, a projector for film nights, and a house you want to stay in longer than you planned. Outside: a hot tub kept warm under open sky all year.

Third, the location — in the middle of Gauja National Park, on a road where no car passes by on an ordinary day. Around you, only forest, birdsong, and now and then a tractor in the distance.

Yes — most of our guests are couples.

A double bed facing the forest, a hot tub kept warm under open sky all year, a string of lights over the clearing in the evening, and not a neighbour in sight. It's a place for slow conversations, film nights, and mornings with nowhere to be.

The nearest restaurant is Pavāru Māja — a Michelin Green Star restaurant about a seven-minute drive from Briežu Stacija. Many guests start the evening there and end it in the hot tub under the forest sky.

People celebrate anniversaries here, birthdays, and the occasional proposal.

Briežu Stacija sits in the middle of Gauja National Park, near Augšlīgatne — about an hour's drive (65 km) from Riga.

Other distances: roughly 25 minutes from Cēsis, about 30 minutes from Sigulda, and seven minutes from Pavāru Māja.

Coordinates: 57.231520°N, 25.075487°E.

The cabin sits where the forest road effectively ends — beyond it, only forest and trails. On an ordinary day, almost no car passes by.

Yes — many would say winter is when Briežu Stacija is at its best.

The black cabin in the snow, a warm hot tub under falling flakes, the sauna after a walk in the forest, and a wood stove that fills the house with warmth. In winter everything around grows especially quiet — sometimes it feels like you're entirely alone in the forest.

The house is built to stay warm in the coldest months — a heated bathroom floor, hot water any time, and a hot tub that holds its temperature all year.

It feels more like a small winter fairytale in the middle of the forest than an ordinary place to stay.

Briežu Stacija is about 65 kilometres north-east of Riga — roughly an hour's drive by car.

Most of the way runs along the A2 motorway toward Cēsis. The last two kilometres or so are forest gravel, and the final few hundred metres are an unpaved forest track. In summer a normal car gets here without trouble; in winter, something with higher ground clearance helps.

We send the exact GPS pin and self-check-in instructions the morning of your arrival.

If you don't have a car, write to us — we may be able to help arrange a pickup in Līgatne.

It's possible but inconvenient. Train from Riga to Līgatne (about 80 minutes), then a bus to Lejaslīgatne — buses are infrequent. The last two kilometres of forest gravel don't have public transport. If you don't have a car, we can arrange a pickup from Līgatne for €25 each way — write to us when you book.

Right next to the cabin, on the cleared gravel patch. Two cars fit comfortably. The forest road is private — you won't be in anyone's way.

Self check-in from 15:00. We send a code for the door lock the morning of your arrival, plus a short note about anything seasonal — whether the road is muddy, that sort of thing. No reception, no front desk.

Check-out by 12:00. Late check-out is sometimes possible if no one is booked the next night — ask the day before.

About 65 km north-east of Riga — roughly an hour by car along the A2 motorway. The last two kilometres run along a forest gravel road that, just past Briežu Stacija, turns into a forest trail.

Briežu Stacija is a small studio-style cabin, best suited to a couple. The maximum is three guests — two adults and one child.

The sleeping area shares one open space with a double bed facing the forest. For an older child we can set up a pull-out sofa; for smaller children (up to 15 kg) we offer a portable baby crib.

Yes — Briežu Stacija was built around the idea of living independently in the forest, without giving up comfort.

The cabin has its own deep well and septic system, and most of its electricity comes from solar panels. From spring to autumn they usually produce more energy than the cabin uses; in the darker months it connects to the grid.

At the heart of the house is a wood stove — it heats the room, the bathroom floor, and the water for the shower. There's electric heating as well, so the cabin stays warm in any season.

Yes — 4G works on all three Latvian networks and roaming. Voice calls are reliable. The cabin has its own 5G wifi if you need to be on a screen for work.

No television. There is a projector — the wall above the sofa becomes the screen, five metres of it. Bring a film or stream one. Most people forget the projector is there until the first evening.

Yes. The well is 128 metres deep with insulated piping; the supply line runs below frost depth. Hot water is on tap year-round.

Yes — the water is tested annually and continuously filtered through a professional in-house filtration system. It's safe to drink, and we drink it ourselves.

Yes — Briežu Stacija sits right in the middle of Gauja National Park, near Augšlīgatne, in a fold of forest with no neighbours around.

Around the cabin there's only forest, the nature of the Gauja valley, and trails that continue deeper into the park. It's a place where you hear birds in the morning, not traffic, and where the evenings are completely silent.

Everything you need for a slow stay in the forest.

A hot tub under open sky, a projector for film nights, a wood stove for cooler romantic evenings, a string of lights outside, and a house you'll want to stay in longer than you planned. A glass-walled sauna is available separately.

In the kitchen you'll find coffee for slow mornings — a V60, an AeroPress, a French press, an electric kettle, and Kalve coffee — along with the basics for cooking: oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.

In the bathroom — MÁDARA products and towels.

There's also 5G wifi, a Bluetooth speaker, and everything you need for a few unhurried days in the forest.

A book, and the wish to spend a couple of days with yourself, your companion, and nature.

If you plan to cook at the cabin, bring food — the kitchen has everything you need for meals and slow mornings with coffee. Or book dinner at the Pavāru Māja restaurant near Briežu Stacija.

In the wetter seasons, boots help too — on rare occasions the last few metres to the cabin can be muddy, and it's easier to walk the short stretch on foot.

At the cabin you'll find coffee, tea, and a few basics for cooking — salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar — plus everything you need for meals: cookware, pans, plates, cutlery, and glasses.

The rest of the food guests usually bring themselves, pick up on the way, or book dinner at the Pavāru Māja restaurant, about a seven-minute drive from Briežu Stacija.

Bolt and Wolt don't deliver this far out. The closest shop is Elvi in Augšlīgatne — six minutes by car on your way in.

Yes — a glass-walled private sauna with an electric Huum stove. If you book direct, three hours of sauna are included. A full cycle: heat-up, sit, rinse, second sit. €45 value, no code, no checkout coupon. Just included.

If you book through Airbnb or Booking.com, the sauna is €45 per cycle on top of the room rate.

We send sauna instructions before your stay. You'll be able to switch the sauna on yourselves about an hour before you want to use it.

Yes — outdoor hot tub, heat-pump heated, held at temperature year-round. Walk out at three in the afternoon or eleven at night — the water is ready. No firewood, no warm-up wait. A commercial-grade pool system underneath keeps water clean continuously.

Included with every stay. Towels and a robe for each guest are in the bath.

Robes for two adults are in the bath. Bring your own slippers and sauna sheet if you'd like them.

You can cancel free of charge up to 5 days before arrival. After that, the booking fee is non-refundable.

Yes — single nights are fine, any day of the week, year-round. No minimum stays.

Direct bookings: card via Lodgify's secure checkout, or bank transfer for stays over a week. Airbnb and Booking.com handle their own payment flows.

Yes — and we strongly recommend it.

Book through our website and a three-hour sauna session is already included in the price, there are no platform commissions, and free cancellation is possible up to 5 days before arrival.

Briežu Stacija is also available on Booking.com and Airbnb for those who prefer the platforms they know — but there the sauna is added as a separate extra.

Yes — capacity is 2 adults + 1 child. We have a sofa-bed for the child, stocked with linens. The bath has a low-threshold shower and the floor is heated, which kids notice. The hot tub is set to 38°C — fine for older children, ask us about temperature for toddlers.

For children up to 15 kg we can provide a baby crib on request — please let us know in advance.

Honestly, no. There are three steps up to the terrace and another at the door, the bath has a curb to the shower, and the forest gravel path is not paved. We can help carry luggage but the cabin wasn't designed for full mobility access. If you have specific needs, write to us before booking and we'll be straight with you about what works and what doesn't.

Yes — €10, charged at checkout. Add the dog when you book so we can prepare a bowl and a blanket.

The terrace doesn't have a fence, so a long lead is wise after dark. Roe deer, foxes, and hares wander past — your dog will smell them all.

Not inside the cabin, the sauna, or the hot tub. The terrace is fine — you'll find an ashtray in the kitchen, left cabinet.

Yes — Briežu Stacija often becomes a place for quiet, important moments for two.

Guests celebrate birthdays here, anniversaries, engagements, or simply escape the everyday for one calm evening in the forest. The cabin isn't meant for parties or larger celebrations, but for small, personal occasions it's especially well suited.

To keep the quiet and privacy, only the guests named in the booking are allowed on the Briežu Stacija grounds.

Briežu Stacija is in Gauja National Park, so there's no shortage of nature routes, walking trails, and places to simply get lost in the forest nearby.

The Gauja is one of Latvia's most popular rivers for kayaking — especially the stretch from Līgatne to Sigulda. Nearby are the Līgatne nature trails, Sigulda with Turaida Castle and Gūtmanis Cave, and Cēsis with its old town, castle, and Saturday market.

Or you can do nothing at all. There's room for that here too.

Pavāru Māja in Līgatne, seven minutes by car. Michelin Green Star, garden-to-table, the only restaurant for which we'd skip a quiet evening at the cabin. Book ahead.

For something more casual: Zeit café in Līgatne, or Pie Jančuka. Augšlīgatne has a small grocery.

Most likely, yes.

In the mornings you'll often see roe deer around, and now and then one of the cabin's namesakes wanders into the clearing. Foxes, hares, and other forest dwellers pass by, and in spring the whole forest fills with birdsong.

Deeper in the forest you can often spot animal trails and tracks — in winter they show up instantly in fresh snow; in summer they're easy to miss.

There's very little light pollution here. The nearest village is about a six-minute drive away, but around Briežu Stacija there's only forest and Gauja National Park.

On clear nights the stars are remarkably bright, and you can often make out the Milky Way with the naked eye.