We discovered that the Hotel Latvija’s Skyline Bar was reopening for business by happy accident. It wasn’t mentioned in our guidebook but a local English language publication had interviewed a Riga resident and he mentioned it as one of his favourite weekend haunts, and after one visit you can understand why. Not only does the Skyline Bar afford some of the best views over the city, it also has a very extensive and attractive list of cocktails for you to work your way through as you look down over the roofs and spires of old Riga.
We tried a piña colada along with a Latvia mojito, which includes a splash of the locally-produced Balsams. It’s an acquired taste! They also do a good rioja if you don’t fancy mixing your cocktails although we would definitely not recommend their tapas plate, which was a paltry assortment of sweaty meats and cheeses.
The Skyline Bar is a good place to relax in the early evening and a good spot for watching the sun set. It’s also a place to be seen, and the modern, trendy furniture and décor suggests that there’s a level of exclusivity to this place, especially on the weekend when, I imagine, this place really comes alive.
For one of the best views, check out the women’s toilets. It has a corner window and the panoramic view from this room is quite stunning. Another good viewpoint is from the glass lift as you go up, or come down from the bar.
For an alternative view across town, you can take a lift up the tower of St. Peters Church (by the main square) for a dollar. Since its inception in 1491, the tower has been rebuilt a few times due to a couple of impromptu collapses, and some German shelling in World War Two. It gets a bit chilly walking around the exterior gallery, but you get a nice view over the Central Market zeppelin hangars and the river Daugava.