Silene offers several distinct reasons to stay: nature and architectural heritage sit alongside wellness, drink-making traditions and boating. A simple priority can help you choose your hotel: Is your visit primarily about a natural landscape, a building, a tasting or a particular activity? The specific offerings answer this question in different ways.
Nature and architectural heritage
Silene Nature Park encompasses 24 lakes. It also includes the 142.3-hectare Glušonkas purvs nature reserve. These figures describe different scales: the lakes characterise the park as a natural landscape, while the area and name identify a protected area within the park. For orientation, this means you can understand Silene’s natural environment in terms of both the larger park and a specific part of it. If nature is the main reason for your trip, you can see the park and the reserve as connected but distinct points of reference.
The Roman Catholic Church of Silene is one of the largest wooden churches in the Riga Metropolis and is also a three-nave building. “Three-nave” describes its layout, with a central nave and two side aisles; alongside the regional comparison of size, the term provides a specific feature of the building’s design. A visitor path on the church grounds has been restored. The parish reported that the restoration was completed on 26 May 2026.
Wellness, drink-making traditions and boating
Dabas SPA offers a private spa area with a sauna, hammam, pool and hot tub. It is available year-round, but a reservation is required in advance. A wellness visit is therefore not limited to a particular season, but does require advance planning. If wellness is your main reason for visiting, make sure to include this reservation as a fixed step in your plans.
Visitors can learn about the Šmakovka production process, as well as the drink’s history and traditions, at the Šmakovka Laboratory. The laboratory also offers tastings of various Šmakovka varieties made on site. The visit thus combines learning with a specific tasting experience: you can find out about production and traditions and sample different varieties. For travellers who want to include drink-making traditions in their stay, this is a distinct point of interest.
Silene Resort & SPA offers adventure trips aboard the Santa Marina. As schedules may change, check the current sailing times before your visit.
What makes a difference when planning
The cultural offerings differ in what they focus on: the church highlights wooden construction and three-nave architecture, while the Šmakovka Laboratory combines the drink’s production history with tastings of varieties made on site. So, if you are choosing between the two, the distinction is between architectural design on the one hand and learning about a drink and sampling it on the other.
The activities also differ in their timing requirements: Dabas SPA is available year-round but requires an advance reservation, while the current sailing times determine when Santa Marina trips are available. Check specifically whether your chosen experience requires a reservation or depends on the sailing schedule.
Discover more destinations: Laucesa, Mīšteļi, Daugavpils, Saliena, Kumbuļi, Šengeida, Naujene, Medumi
For the wider travel overview: Daugavpils Municipality.
