Find a pharmacy in Talsi
Talsi is a district town in the Kurzeme region of north-western Latvia with roughly 10,000 residents, and PillsCard lists seven verified pharmacies serving the town itself and the surrounding Talsi Municipality villages. The catchment is broader than the population suggests: Talsi acts as the administrative and retail hub for a rural district of about 30,000 people, so pharmacies here also dispense to patients travelling in from Sabile, Valdemārpils, Stende and the Roja coast. Most outlets cluster along Lielā iela and around the central market square, with secondary locations attached to the Talsi Regional Hospital and inside the larger supermarkets. Demand is dominated by Latvian-speaking residents and a steady summer flow of domestic and Baltic tourists visiting the Kurzeme lakes.
The market is heavily consolidated rather than fragmented. Six of the seven listed outlets trade under the Mēness aptieka banner — the country's largest chain by footprint — giving residents predictable opening hours, an electronic prescription (e-recepte) terminal at every counter, and chain-wide loyalty pricing on over-the-counter lines. The seventh is a Latvijas aptieka branch, part of the second national network, which tends to be the go-to for compounding and for patients comparing prices on chronic-disease medicines. There are no independent owner-operated pharmacies left in the central district, a pattern common to smaller Latvian towns since the 2010 deregulation. A hospital-adjacent Mēness aptieka outlet near Kareivju iela handles most post-discharge dispensing for Talsi Regional Hospital.
Pricing & coverage
Out-of-pocket prices in Talsi mirror the national tariff set under the ZVA reference pricing system. A standard pack of paracetamol 500 mg (20 tabs) runs €1.50–€2.50, generic amoxicillin 500 mg (16 caps) €3–€5, and a one-month supply of atorvastatin 20 mg €4–€8 at the reimbursed tier. NVD compensates 50%, 75% or 100% of the reference price for medicines on the reimbursable list when dispensed against a valid e-recepte; patients pay only the co-payment plus any brand premium. Non-reimbursed items and most OTC products are paid in full at the counter, with card payment accepted everywhere.
Emergencies & out-of-hours care
None of the seven Talsi pharmacies operates a 24-hour rota — the nearest round-the-clock counters are in Ventspils and Tukums, roughly 50–70 km away. Within Talsi, most outlets close by 19:00 on weekdays and run shorter Saturday hours, with the supermarket-attached branches typically open latest. For acute medical needs out-of-hours, residents attend the emergency department at Talsi Regional Hospital on Kareivju iela, where the on-call physician can issue an urgent e-recepte fulfilled the following morning. Dial 113 for an ambulance or 112 for the unified emergency line; both dispatch from the Kurzeme regional centre.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a foreign prescription in Talsi? EU/EEA prescriptions issued on the cross-border template are accepted at any Talsi pharmacy, but the medicine must be registered in Latvia and the prescriber's details legible in Latin script. Non-EU prescriptions are not dispensable; a Latvian-licensed doctor must reissue them, typically via the family medicine practice attached to Talsi Regional Hospital. Controlled substances always require a Latvian prescription regardless of origin.
Is the e-recepte system used in Talsi? Yes — every verified pharmacy in the directory is connected to the national e-veselība portal. Prescriptions issued by any Latvian doctor, including specialists in Riga, can be collected in Talsi by presenting an eID, passport or EHIC. There is no need for a paper copy.
Do Talsi pharmacies stock veterinary medicines? Limited stock only. Given the rural catchment, both the Mēness and Latvijas branches keep basic antiparasitics and wound-care lines, but prescription veterinary products are usually ordered through the agricultural co-operatives in Stende or via a veterinary clinic.
Which pharmacy is open on Sundays? At least one Mēness aptieka outlet — usually the supermarket-attached branch — maintains Sunday hours, typically 10:00–17:00. Other branches close on Sundays entirely. Hours rotate seasonally, so confirm the current schedule on the individual listing before travelling in from the district.
Can tourists claim NVD reimbursement? Only Latvian residents and EHIC holders from other EU/EEA states qualify for reimbursed pricing. Visitors from outside the EU pay the full retail price and should request a fiscal receipt (čeks) for travel-insurance claims back home.
Safety note
This directory is informational only and is not medical advice. For individual clinical decisions, dosing questions or interaction checks, consult the licensed pharmacist at your chosen Talsi pharmacy or your treating physician.