Riga snapshot

More city snapshots

Travel planning

Riga is the capital of Latvia and sits on a large gulf of the Baltic Sea near the mouth of the River Duagava. It began life as a city in the 12th century when a fort was built by invading crusaders.

German merchants established it as a trading outpost for the Baltic region. It was part of the Soviet Union after World War II until Latvia gained independence in 1991. Latvia joined NATO and the EU in 2004.

The medieval city centre of Riga is compact, largely traffic free, and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is also notable for a significant number of art nouveaux buildings. The city is also graced with many parks and gardens as well as imposing 19th century boulevards.

Vibrant nightlife

Today it has a population of about 815,000, making it the largest city in the Baltic states although recent migration has seen the population on the decline since 1990. The population is mainly split between Latvians and Russians at about 40% each.

Tourism has grown substantially with the rise of cheap flight airlines. Once a favourite holiday destination for Russians, Riga now has a reputation for its vibrant nightlife and the city attracts many young visitors each year to its many bars and clubs.

It is a major destination for stag party outings from Britain and this has brought problems of drunken behaviour by gangs of young men in city centre streets as well as a major growth in lap dancing and sex clubs.

Beach resorts

But Riga also has many other visitor attractions, the principal ones being the medieval city centre itself with its cobbled courtyards and narrow streets; the 13th century Dome Cathedral, the largest church in the Baltic; St Peter's Church with a 123m high tower; and the Latvian Museum of Occupation which documents the recent history of both Riga and Latvia.

For Riga short breaks directline-citybreaks combines Eurostar and cheap flights with hand-picked hotels in more than 50 cities to offer cheap city breaks, short breaks and unforgettable weekend breaks.

There are several major tourist attractions in the area around Riga, including a string of seaside beach resorts known collectively as Jurmala.

There is a the extensive Guaja National Park with a well maintained network of nature trails and adventure sports, and Rundale Palace and museum which houses outstanding examples of rococo and baroque art and artifacts and has notable formal gardens.

Riga has a relatively new airport about 8km from the city centre and also has good road and rail connections, though rail lines connect mainly with countries to the east. There is also a ferry port with regular services to Germany, Sweden and Finland. The city has an extensive tram and bus network.

Make sure you include Booked.net if searching for Riga hotels. They list a good number of quality hotels, available at competitive prices. Also, you don't have to pay any extra fees for booking, administration or cancellation.

Every month our travel writers comb the web for city break deals to Riga. Visit our Riga holiday shop to browse through the latest offers. For an in-depth tourist guide visit TravelSavvy Riga.