Riga - 'Gateway to Latvia'

It's best to find yourself a hotel in the Old Town (see my review of Centra Hotel) and use this as a base from which to explore the historic charms of Riga. St Peter's Church is rather lack lustre inside but take the opportunity to climb the spire to get your bearings and an unparalled view of the city. There are so many places of interest in the city that you should try to plan a route around the Old Town visiting the Dome Square and the Cathedral, Akmens Bridge, The Freedom Monument, Riga Castle, The Three Brothers, The House of the Blackheads and The Museum of Occupation.... You won't want to miss anything.

Quick Tips:

Riga's Old Town is small and ideal for getting around on foot. If you are pushed for time and have even only half a day in Riga, you should still manage to get round the main sites and have time for a quick beer al fresco.

You may be conscious of Latvians staring at you - it appears to be a national pastime but don't be inhibited......just stare back.

Compared to other Baltic countries, Latvians do appear to drink a lot and you will see many people walking the streets drinking as they go. There are also higher numbers of beggars here than in the other Baltic Capitals so be careful of your valuables. Despite this, we felt safe, even when exploring dark streets in the evenings.

A word of caution - we found it very difficult to change US Travellers Cheques - most Bureau de Change don't accept travellers cheques and the banks had serious problems changing them - you may need to rely on your credit card or cash here.

Best Way To Get Around:

Explore on foot - it's the only way to see the town.

As far as I am concerned, this is the only place to stay in Riga. Centra is a modern, recently opened hotel directly in the heart of the Old Town and only about 10 minutes walk from the train/bus stations. The staff in the hotel are amongst the most professional I have ever come across and nothing was too much bother. The rooms are stunning and spacious offering all mod cons. We had a room facing the street which was a fabulous vantage point from which to view the late night sunset over the rooftops and spires of the city. Breakfast, taken in the converted cellar, was a fantastic offering with quality clearly high on the agenda. All in all, Hotel Centra is a wonderful experience for a weary traveller offering everything you can imagine necessary to make you comfortable at a very decent price - about £60 per double room per night. We stayed here twice during July 2002. Vist the website at www.centra.lv

Dining is very cheap wherever you go in the Baltics and Riga is no exception. However, if you want to try and spend more, then Singapore has got to be the ultimate oriental dining experience. It offers a variety of East Asian cuisine, specialising in Malaysian food. With unobtrusive yet attentive service it was difficult to fault staff and nothing was too much bother. Enjoy.

Not having sampled Korean cuisine before, we decided it was time to try something new. On the whole, we were surprised how much we enjoyed the experience.

The restaurant itself is very small and not much to look at (in my experience, though, this is often a good sign when seeking out Oriental cuisine). Despite the plastic tablecloths, the food was fantastically flavorful and spiced with extremely fresh-tasting ingredients . . . sigh of relief . . . Korean food has a somewhat dubious reputation in the Western world, but this was a good introduction to the cuisine.

Our wonderful meal was followed by some rather intriguing herbal 'his and her's' tea--my wife's tea purportedly relieved 'women's problems' while mine was apparently meant to have a stimulating effect! Yee-ha!

Kirbis is a fairly new vegetarian restaurant right in the heart of Riga's Old Town, in the shadow of the Dome Cathedral. Its location provides a nice viewpoint for people-watching and loafing.

The Baltic states are a carnivore's haven, but Kirbis allowed us some respite from the daily meat lashings that seem to be the staple of the local cuisine.

The restaurant/cafe is self service and, curiously, you pay for the food by weight--a common practice in Latvia-- and the fare is excellent value for money; it won't break the bank if you're holidaying on a tight budget. There's a choice of many salds, vegetables, and rice dishes, and both hot and cold meals with tasty-looking fruit desserts and yogurt-style puddings.

Across the world, the Irish are famed for their pubs which, to be honest, aren't typically Irish. Likewise, the Latvian Restaurant chain Lido is not particularly Latvian. However, if the tacky country-style decor doesn't put you off and you're looking for heaving portions of good wholesome grub, then stop in. Lido restaurants are self-service--a 'chef' serves the hot meals which consist of meat and potato for the most part, although there was some very tasty fish on offer too. There is also an extensive salad bar from which you help yourself to as much as you want before proceeding to the checkout . . . to have your meal weighed! Curiously, this is a common phenomena in Latvia. Despite the dodgy decor and conveyor-belt approach to customers, we had no complaints with the food which, to be honest, was among the cheapest we have ever had. A great option if you are starving and on a very tight budget.

St Peter's is an impressive landmark on the Riga skyline and its imposing spire makes it one of the most dominant features in the Old Town. Apparently, the church has been rebuilt many times over the centuries due to lightening strikes and occupying forces. Disappointingly, the interior is a bit of a let down but don't let this dissuade you from going in because the real treat is to scale its vertiginous spire for an unparalleled view of Riga's Old Town and beyond.

Sigulda is a real gem and compared to other Nationals Parks in Europe, unspoiled and very quiet. Certainly, by UK standards, the scale of the Gauja River Valley (described by locals as the Latvian Alps) is......well.... slightly underwhelming. Latvia is a country devoid of any particularly outstanding features......However, there is a serene peacefulness here that is difficult to find in the more cowded parts of Europe and the forest is lush and unpolluted making it a welcoming day trip from the city.

This really is an outdoors kind of place and we found the best way to get there was via a direct train from Riga (about a 1 hour journey costing next to nothing). Once there, the distances are small, as are the hills, so cycling is a good option allowing you to see all of the sights comfortably in 4 or 5 hours and still squeezing in plenty of stops to eat and relax.

The river valley is dotted with curiously named caves and there are a couple of castles worth nosing around if you're interested in medieval history. Otherwise, the main aim of the day is to enjoy the great outdoors. We were surprised at how warm it was in July - afternoon temperatures hovered around the 30+ Celcius mark!!

Jurmala is the collective name for a cluster of small towns along the Riga coastline. Originally, Jurmala was established as a resort in the 19th Century and was a favourite with the apparatchik of the Soviet Government.

Most of the wooden beach houses have seen better days but this adds to the old world charm of the location which is surrounded by shady pine forest and beautiful white sand.

The official advice recommends that you don''t swim in the sea here although the water appears to be very clean and the beach is absolutely spotless.

The journey to/from Jurmala is best done by train from Riga. However, be warned - on warm days, locals flock in their hundreds and very few seem to have an understanding of the purpose of a queue and stampede past women, children and the elderly!

If you are looking for relaxation and clean sand, get off the train at Dubulti - if you want to gaze at bronze bodies, pose in your swim wear or flout your physique whilst playing volleyball then Majori is the stop for you.