RIGA, Latvia — Want to enjoy remarkable architecture, conquer a forest trail and unwind on the beach? It takes just a short flight from Kyiv and three days of vacation in Riga.
The Latvian capital of 641,000 people is a smorgasbord of culture and adventure, wrapped in a small package. And visitors can experience this vibrant city over a long weekend or as part of a longer tour of the three Baltic states.
Beyond its historic sights and the surrounding natural beauty, Riga also offers fine dining and parties at bars and nightclubs — and all at an affordable price.
But what underlies the Riga experience is the distinct cultural identity of its people and their proud history of struggle against imperial rule. Latvians cherish their roots, acknowledge difficult history and move forward as an economically and technologically developed European state.
When to come
The best time to visit Riga is in the summer when the temperature hovers around a pleasant 24 degrees Celsius, perfect for the beach.
The ultimate occasion to visit would be the Latvian Song and Dance Festival, one of the world’s largest amateur choral and dancing events. It takes place every five years in July with the next one scheduled for 2021.
Riga hosts other events throughout the summer, including Rigas Ritmi jazz and world music festival in July. The city’s Lucavsala Park has also become a prime venue for popular musical acts, with Ed Sheeran and Rammstein performing there this summer. Riga has plenty of live music bars, too.
Autumn is also a great season to enjoy the colors in the parks and countryside, but temperatures fall rapidly after mid-September. In the winter, snow-bound Riga and the surrounding country can have plenty of charm. And there are many downhill skiing options, Zagarkalns ski resort among most popular.
Many of the buildings on Riga’s Town Hall Square benefited from a restoration project in 2001 after being destroyed by German bombs during World War II. (www.latvia.travel)
Old Town, Art Nouveau
Naturally, it’s best to start exploring Riga from its Old Town, a Medieval central district featuring most of the city’s sights that was masterfully restored after the destruction of World War II. Gems like the Dome Cathedral and the House of the Blackheads are surrounded by cobbled streets of subtle beauty, like Troksnu Street with its quirky medieval Swedish Gate.
The Old Town also houses the Museum of the Barricades of 1991, which focuses on a series of clashes in which Latvians defended their independence from the Soviet Union, sacrificing lives while facing the Soviet special police. It has a small entrance that’s easy to miss on 3 Kramu St.
One can’t help but think about how the story echoes the 2013–14 clashes of the EuroMaidan Revolution in Kyiv, when Ukrainians put up barricades to defend their country’s self-determination from Kremlin-backed President Viktor Yanukovych and ultimately drove him out of power on Feb. 22, 2014.
Riga’s Old Town attracts many tourists, but not nearly as many as Western Europe’s capitals. For a less crowded tour, the city has the so-called Quiet Center, a neighborhood featuring turn of the 20th century Art Nouveau architecture. Alberta Street has the most of these unparalleled buildings, which include nature symbols and ornamental carvings on their facades.
The Old Town is best explored on foot, since it is compact and cars are allowed on only a few streets. The Art Nouveau district is within walking distance as well. Generally, Riga is welcoming for those who like to walk — both the bus and train stations are less than 500 meters away from the edges of the Old Town. The only drive one may have to take is from the airport, which is located 10 kilometers away.
Entertainment
Riga has a vibrant restaurant scene that offers a variety of international cuisines, including traditional Latvian cooking. Such is the specialty of the Province restaurant with its rustic interior in the heart of the Old Town. Also nearby, the Le Dome fine-dining restaurant specializes in freshly caught Baltic fish. The LIDO chain of self-service restaurants offers Latvian food on a budget.
The hidden gem in Riga’s nightlife is a group of venues on Aristida Briana Street, away from the city center. The Piens coffee shop, which also has food and wine, is a favorite place for the city’s hipsters to chat and dance away the night. The Labietis brewery and pub next door has a laidback atmosphere and 12 in-house beers on tap, plus more in bottles. And the One One nightclub nearby has the trendiest electronic music parties in town.
After a night of partying, the perfect place to restore one’s energy is Innocent, a coffee shop that offers all-you-can-eat brunches for a fixed price. Innocent offers pizza, salads and some international food. It’s located at 34 Blaumana St. close to Riga’s train station, a departure point to the beaches and natural parks around Riga.
The Jurmala stretch of beaches and pine forests on the Baltic Sea starts just 15 kilometers away from Riga and extends up to 20 kilometers. It’s dotted with outdoor bars and volleyball nets in the summer. (www.latvia.travel)
Park & Jurmala beach
It takes an hour and a half by train travelling west from Riga to reach Gauja, Latvia’s most popular naturapark, which stretches for about 100 km along the Gauja River Valley. The ticket both ways costs €3.62 or $4. Trains depart every two hours from the Riga’s central train station to Sigulda, the most convenient access point to the park.
Sigulda has a park information office and a bobsleigh track — a chance to experience the speedy sport at a reasonable price. A wheeled vehicle is used in the summer for €10 or $11 per person. Visitors can ride a real sleigh in the winter for €50 or $55.42 per person.
Almost half of the Gauja National Park is forested. It is home to about 900 different plants, 149 birds and 48 mammal species. Visitors can hike or run through the vast wooded areas or ride a boat or a canoe on the Gauja river to see the caves, cliffs and ravines of the park.
To the east of Riga is Jurmala (“seaside” in Latvian), a picturesque stretch of beaches and pine forests along the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. The small coastal towns that make up Jurmala have strict building regulations to preserve the 19th-century wooden summer homes.
A train from Riga’s central train station to Majori, the heart of Jurmala, travels about half an hour and costs €3.32 or $3.68 both ways. Jomas Street in Majori is a strip of outdoor cafes, restaurants and hotels. It has a variety of shops that sell some of Latvia’s popular souvenirs: amber jewelry, the Laima brand of chocolate and Riga Black Balsam, a medicinal drink in a neat ceramic bottle.
How to get there
Round trips flights from Kyiv to Riga average at Hr 3,126 ($124).
Where to stay
Hotel rooms with Booking.com in central Riga start at Hr 1,260 ($50), Airbnb apartment rentals start at Hr 756 ($30).
