Why there's more to Latvia than its charming capital Riga

CAPITAL CAPERS 

However, my Latvian adventure starts some 130 miles away in Riga, an attractive, compact capital that’s crammed with points of interest easily reached by foot, rental bike or tram. 

This historically prosperous, strategically located port city has sure “lived through interesting times”, attracting the unwanted attentions of Swedes, Poles and Teutonic crusader Knights before the Russians bedded in. This heady mix of influences underpins a rich cultural and architectural legacy that’s nicely spied from atop the Panorama Riga Observation Deck or the Latvian Academy of Sciences, a stolidly Stalinist high-rise construction. 

I start my journey into Riga’s storied past by pounding the cobblestones of its impressive Old Town, clocking gems such as the House of the Blackheads and Town Hall Square – in December a Christmas market. Outside the Old Town lies an even more spectacular architectural wonder. For, as my guide Elina proclaims, Riga is “the pearl of European art nouveau”. 

With around 800 buildings spilling out across the city, our Riga Art Nouveau District tour focuses on Albert Street, its excellent Art Nouveau Centre offering a peak behind those finely adorned exteriors. Tracing the evolution of styles over the prime 1899-1914 period proves fascinating, although admiring the depth of detailing can become addictive. “When you start looking you can’t stop looking because there’s more and more and more!” Elina cautions. 

HIP NIBBLES 

Riga is much more than an open-air museum, though, as I discover on a tram ride over the river to Kalnciema Quarter, a lively cluster of renovated wooden buildings, a magnet for events such as concerts and markets. “In summer, it’s one of the best places to hang out,” says Elina who further tempts my taste buds at the nearby, recently renovated Agenskalns Market, its historic interior now a magnet for Riga’s hipster crowd with its enticing bars and food stalls. 

Riga’s sprawling Central Market, near the main bus terminal and railway station, is even more of a must-visit. Open daily 10am till 6pm from October- April, there’s excellent grazing and souvenir hunting and I heartily recommend Silkites Un Dillites for a light, tapas-style seafood lunch. 

From Restaurant Rosemarine to Kalku Varti, I enjoy great Riga restaurants, my favourite, The Three Chefs, offering “chef-y” food in a fun, informal atmosphere. And with many of Riga’s fine buildings now boutique lodging options, including the delightful, five-star Grand Poet Hotel, agents can mine city break gold here. 

SIDE TRIPS 

Nice options for fleshing out trips include the Jurmula coastal resort strip. A mere 40-minute drive from Riga, it’s been a vacationing hotspot since the 19th century, served by a scenic train service. Majori is a prominent stop, awash with grand dwellings, wellness-backed boltholes such as the Baltic Beach Hotel & Spa and a deep, sumptuous stretch of beach lined with dunes and pine forests. Come evening, the main street’s shops, restaurants and bars throng with visitors. 

Twee, tranquil and quietly cosmopolitan, Jurmala is the antithesis of lively, edgy Liepaja. Even the sea’s calmer and, as I explore the impeccable patchwork of grand wooden structures, the sweet smell of lime tree blossom and jasmine hang heavy on the summer air. 

The natural surroundings reach a man-made zenith at nearby Kemeri National Park. Here, rising early, I embark on a sunrise “bog walk”, hotfooting it along the boardwalk bisecting the wet, muddy terrain to reach a viewing platform to catch the sunrise tickle over the horizon, spotlighting the misty, spiderweb-strewn landscape. Magical.

A one-hour drive from Riga in the opposite direction from Jurmula, or an easy train or bus ride, sees me in Sigulda, taking in everything from Sigulda’s New Castle, with its impressive interiors, to family-friendly Tarzan’s adventure park, capping the day with a pootle around the cute old town of Cesis. 

Primarily, though, it serves as the gateway to the raw nature and adrenaline-pumping opportunities of Gauja National Park. Operators such as Sigulda Adventures cover experiences from the cable car over the river to bungee jumping and ziplining locations plus epic hiking and biking trails. 

Winter brings skiing and tubing; spring and summer are best for rafting and kayaking; and the spectacular, technicolour foliage is an autumn highlight. Truly, Gauja, like Latvia itself, is an all-season resource, and – much like everything else I encounter on my visit – well worth a night’s incarceration. 

Book it: Regent has a number of tours featuring Latvia including Essential Baltic Capital Cities, 10 days from £855 per person; Jurmala Baltic Riviera Beach Holiday, eight days from £645 per person; and a Best of the Baltics Fly-Drive, 15 days from £1,540 per person. regent-holidays.co.uk

Festive Riga

Where better for clients to get their festive fix than Riga, which claims to have begun the tradition of decorating Christmas trees in the 1500s? Regularly topping polls such as Post Office Travel Money’s “best-value city break for a Christmas shopping weekend”, Riga’s draws include the Town Hall Square’s beautifully adorned Christmas tree and festive market (until 1 January 2023), perfect for stocking fillers and seasonal treats. Smaller festive market locations include Esplanade Park, Vermane Garden and Livu Square. And with a good chance of local snow in December, simply wandering the capital’s charming Old Town proves wonderfully festive. 

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