Travel Guides

Frankfurt airport has started offering daily flights to the Latvian capital starting immediately, and whilst that’s all very well and good, it does beg the question: “Just what can you do in Riga?”

Riga itself is a vibrant city in the heart of the Baltic States. As tourism to the heart of Europe becomes more and more popular, Latvia opened up its borders and joined the European Union in 2004.

Since that time, many western tourists have enjoyed this unique little city. Filled with quiet beer gardens, quaint squares and countless coffee shops and bistros, during the day Riga is a relaxing and enjoyable place to visit.

One of the most popular parts of the city for tourists is the famous area known as the Old Town, which is home to a great many traditional buildings such as St Peter’s Church in which you can ascend to the top of the building and see one of the city’s most stunning views.

Riga, as the capital and biggest city of Latvia, had a very interesting history. The city was grounded in the XIIth century by German immigrants and soon became a full member of Hansa, a German association of the most important Baltic ports ( other members were Hamburg, Rostock, Bremen etc). Riga continued its ascension and blossomed again by the end of XIXth century, due to a strong German and Jewish community.

Cathedral Square in Riga

The XXth century was not good at all for Riga, as  the city was almost uninterruptedly under foreign occupation. First came the Germans during the WWII and destroyed the Jewish minority to extinction. Then came the Soviets, which have brutally ruled for 50 years. Through mass  deportations, planned economy etc they reached an unprecedented record: the Latvian majority of population became actually a minority! More amazing: they still preserved a national conscience and they claimed an independent Latvia, which they get today!