Find places in Latvia

Must-Haves

• Old Riga (Vecrīga)
  The cobbled medieval heart of the capital, a UNESCO listed maze of churches, guild halls and merchant houses.
• House of the Blackheads (Town Hall Square)
  A rebuilt Gothic and Renaissance guild house with a dazzling gabled façade, the postcard image of the city.
• Riga Cathedral (Doma laukums)
  The largest medieval church in the Baltics, with a famous historic organ and regular concerts.
• Alberta iela (Art Nouveau District)
  A short street of extravagant Art Nouveau façades with faces, dragons and peacocks on every building.
• Riga Art Nouveau Museum (Art Nouveau District)
  A restored period apartment with a breathtaking spiral staircase, a vivid look at life in Riga around 1900.

Must-Haves

• St Peter's Church Tower (Vecrīga)
  A lift up the spire gives the best panoramic view over the Old Town roofs and the Daugava.
• Freedom Monument (Brīvības bulvāris)
  The symbol of Latvian independence, guarded by an honour guard that changes on the hour in the daytime.

Fun for Everyone

• Riga Canal Boat Trip (Pilsētas kanāls)
  A gentle boat loop along the city canal and the Daugava, a lovely way to see the city from the water.

Off the Beaten Path

• Spīķeri Quarter (Maskavas forštate)
  Red brick warehouses turned into galleries, cafés and a riverside promenade beside the Central Market.
• Latvian Academy of Sciences Viewing Platform (Maskavas forštate)
  A Stalin era tower nicknamed Stalin's birthday cake, with a balcony view over the city.

Must-Haves

• Riga Central Market (Centrāltirgus)
  Five former Zeppelin hangars full of smoked fish, rye bread, pickles, honey and seasonal berries.
• Riga Christmas Market (Doma laukums)
  Stalls of mulled wine, gingerbread and crafts on Dome Square from late November into the new year.

Off the Beaten Path

• Kalnciema Quarter (Pārdaugava)
  Restored wooden houses that host a weekend market of local food, crafts and live music.
• Berga Bazārs (Centrs)
  A nineteenth century shopping passage with boutiques, galleries and a farmers market on weekends.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Āgenskalns Market (Pārdaugava)
  A beautifully restored neighbourhood market hall with local produce, street food and a calmer feel than the Central Market.

Fun for Everyone

• Bastejkalns Park (Pilsētas kanāls)
  A green hill and canal park in the centre with bridges, swans and boat rides along the city canal.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mežaparks (Mežaparks)
  A pine forest garden suburb with wooden villas, a lake beach and the vast song festival bandstand.

Fun for Everyone

• Lido Atpūtas Centrs (Krasta iela)
  A huge log cabin style buffet of Latvian home cooking, with a playground and seasonal ice rink.
• Rozengrāls (Vecrīga)
  A candlelit medieval cellar restaurant with costumed staff and hearty dishes, theatrical but fun.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Pelmeņi XL (Vecrīga)
  A self service canteen for dumplings, soups and pancakes, cheap and filling in the middle of the Old Town.

Must-Haves

• Milda (Vecrīga)
  Traditional Latvian dishes such as grey peas with bacon and rye bread pudding in a cosy Old Town room.

Great for Date Night

• 3 Pavāru Restorāns (Vecrīga)
  Three chefs cook playful modern Latvian dishes in an open kitchen with lively plating.

Must-Haves

• Rocket Bean Roastery (Miera iela)
  Riga's best known speciality coffee roaster, with brunch in a bright industrial space.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Cadets de Gascogne (Centrs)
  A French style bakery chain with croissants and pastries that locals love for breakfast.

Off the Beaten Path

• Big Bad Bagels (Centrs)
  Hand rolled bagels and good coffee, a favourite for a quick lunch between museums.

Great for Date Night

• Riga Black Magic (Vecrīga)
  An old style café and bar built around Riga Black Balsam, with chocolates and herbal cocktails.
• Skyline Bar (Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija)
  A twenty sixth floor bar with sweeping views of the Old Town spires at sunset.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs (Vecrīga)
  A big cellar folk club with Latvian beers, hearty food and live folk music most nights.

Off the Beaten Path

• Labietis (Centrs)
  A craft brewery bar that brews with ancient Latvian herbs and recipes.
• Miera iela (Miera iela)
  A bohemian street of cafés, bars and vintage shops, Riga's answer to a hipster quarter.

Must-Haves

• Riga City Festival (Citywide)
  A late summer weekend of concerts, markets and fireworks celebrating the city's birthday.
• Līgo and Jāņi Midsummer (Citywide)
  The biggest celebration of the year, with oak wreaths, bonfires, caraway cheese and singing until dawn.

Fun for Everyone

• Staro Rīga (Citywide)
  A free festival of light installations across the city around Independence Day in November.

Great for Date Night

• Riga Opera Festival (Aspazijas bulvāris)
  The National Opera's summer festival of the season's best productions.

Must-Haves

• Grand Palace Hotel (Vecrīga)
  An elegant classic hotel in a historic building in the quiet north of the Old Town.
• Pullman Riga Old Town (Vecrīga)
  A modern hotel in the restored royal stables, at the edge of the Old Town.

Great for Date Night

• Hotel Neiburgs (Vecrīga)
  An Art Nouveau building turned boutique hotel with apartments looking over the Old Town.
• Hotel Bergs (Berga Bazārs)
  A stylish design hotel in a historic shopping passage, quiet but central.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Cinnamon Sally (Centrs)
  A friendly backpacker hostel by the train and bus stations, good for meeting other travellers.

Must-Haves

• Jomas iela (Majori)
  The pedestrian main street of the resort, lined with cafés, wooden villas and seaside shops.

Fun for Everyone

• Līvu Akvaparks (Lielupe)
  A big indoor water park with slides and pools, a rescue for rainy days with children.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Cycling the Jūrmala Coast (Majori to Bulduri)
  Flat forest and seaside paths make Jūrmala ideal for an easy bike ride.

Must-Haves

• Majori Beach (Majori)
  A wide white sand beach with shallow water, fine for a swim on a warm summer day.
• Great Ķemeri Bog Boardwalk (Ķemeri National Park)
  A boardwalk across a raised bog to a viewing tower, beautiful at sunrise and sunset.

Fun for Everyone

• Dzintari Forest Park (Dzintari)
  A pine park with skate paths, playgrounds and a tall observation tower above the treetops.

Off the Beaten Path

• Ragakāpa Nature Park (Lielupe)
  A high, pine covered coastal dune with walking trails between the river and the sea.

Great for Date Night

• Dzintari Concert Hall (Dzintari)
  A historic open air summer concert hall in the pines, with classical and pop concerts in the season.

Off the Beaten Path

• Jūrmala Open Air Museum (Lielupe)
  Old fishermen's houses, boats and nets showing the coast's life before the resort.
• Rainis and Aspazija Summer Cottage (Dubulti)
  The seaside summer home of Latvia's best known poet couple, now a small museum.

Fun for Everyone

• Wooden Villas of Jūrmala (Dzintari and Majori)
  Hundreds of carved wooden summer houses, best seen on a slow walk or bicycle ride.

Great for Date Night

• 36.Line (Jaundubulti)
  A beach restaurant with modern Latvian cooking and sea views at sunset.

Must-Haves

• Baltic Beach Hotel (Majori)
  A large spa hotel right on the beach, close to Jomas iela.

Great for Date Night

• Hotel Jūrmala Spa (Majori)
  A tall spa hotel with a rooftop bar overlooking the sea and the forest.

Must-Haves

• Turaida Museum Reserve (Turaida)
  A red brick castle tower above the Gauja valley, with a folk song garden and an old wooden church.

Fun for Everyone

• Sigulda Medieval Castle (Sigulda)
  Ruins of a Livonian Order castle with a stage and walkways in the old walls.

Off the Beaten Path

• Krimulda Manor (Krimulda)
  A classical manor house on the far side of the valley, with paths down to the river.

Must-Haves

• Gūtmaņa Cave (Gauja National Park)
  The largest cave in the Baltics, carved with centuries of graffiti and tied to the legend of the Rose of Turaida.
• Gauja River Canoe Trip (Gauja National Park)
  Paddle the slow, sandstone lined river between Valmiera, Cēsis and Sigulda.

Off the Beaten Path

• Paradīzes Kalns (Sigulda)
  Paradise Hill, a quiet viewpoint over the forested Gauja valley.

Fun for Everyone

• Sigulda Aerial Cable Car (Sigulda)
  A cable car swinging high over the Gauja valley between Sigulda and Krimulda.
• Sigulda Bobsleigh and Luge Track (Sigulda)
  Ride a bob down an Olympic training track, on wheels in summer and ice in winter.
• Tarzāns Adventure Park (Sigulda)
  Rope courses, toboggan runs and zip lines on the valley slopes, great for families.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mr. Biskvīts (Sigulda)
  A cheerful café and bakery for coffee, cakes and simple lunches.

Must-Haves

• Spa Hotel Ezeri (Sigulda)
  A lakeside spa hotel at the edge of town, quiet and green.

Must-Haves

• Cēsis Medieval Castle (Cēsis Old Town)
  Explore a Livonian Order castle by candle lantern, with towers to climb and a lovely park below.

Fun for Everyone

• Cēsis History and Art Museum (Cēsis New Castle)
  The museum in the new castle, with a tower view over the old town and castle park.

Off the Beaten Path

• Āraiši Lake Fortress (Āraiši)
  A reconstructed ninth century Latgalian lake fortress on an island, with a ruined castle nearby.
• Ungurmuiža Manor (Raiskums)
  A rare wooden baroque manor house with painted interiors and an old oak avenue.

Great for Date Night

• Vidzeme Concert Hall Cēsis (Cēsis)
  A modern concert hall that brings top classical and jazz performers to a small town.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Cēsis Old Town (Rīgas iela)
  Cobbled streets, wooden houses and St John's Church in one of Latvia's oldest towns.

Great for Date Night

• Cēsis Art Festival (Cēsis)
  A summer festival of art, music and theatre in historic buildings across town.

Off the Beaten Path

• Zvārtes Iezis (Amata)
  A tall sandstone cliff above the Amata river, with a short trail and a famous devil legend.
• Ērgļu Klintis (Gauja National Park)
  The Eagle Cliffs, high sandstone walls above the Gauja with a riverside walk.

Fun for Everyone

• Maija Park (Cēsis)
  A pretty park with a pond and swans below the castle, good for a picnic.

Must-Haves

• Venta Rapid (Kuldīga)
  The widest waterfall in Europe, low but broad, where fish leap upstream in spring.

Off the Beaten Path

• Alekšupīte Waterfall (Kuldīga)
  The tallest waterfall in Latvia, falling between old houses in the centre of town.
• Abava Rapid (Sabile)
  A small, quiet waterfall in a green valley near the wine hill.

Must-Haves

• Kuldīga Old Town (Kuldīga)
  A UNESCO listed old town of red tiled roofs and wooden houses along a little river.

Fun for Everyone

• Old Brick Bridge (Kuldīga)
  One of the longest brick road bridges in Europe, framing the Venta Rapid.
• Kuldīga District Museum (Kuldīga)
  A villa museum with local history and a collection of playing cards from around the world.

Off the Beaten Path

• Sabile Wine Hill (Sabile)
  One of the most northerly open air vineyards in the world, on a terraced hill above the Abava.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Riverbank Walk to the Venta Rapid (Kuldīga)
  In warm weather locals wade across the top of the falls on the shallow rock shelf.

Must-Haves

• Karosta Northern Forts (Karosta)
  Crumbling coastal forts half sunk into the sea, dramatic at sunset.
• St Nicholas Orthodox Naval Cathedral (Karosta)
  A golden domed cathedral built for the Russian navy, rising over the old military town.

Off the Beaten Path

• Karosta Prison (Karosta)
  A former military prison with tours that recreate its harsh past, and even an overnight option.
• Holy Trinity Cathedral (Centrs)
  A church with one of the largest mechanical organs in the world, with a tower to climb.

Great for Date Night

• Great Amber Concert Hall (Centrs)
  A glowing amber coloured concert hall, home to the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra.

Must-Haves

• Liepāja Beach and Seaside Park (Jūrmalas parks)
  A long sandy beach backed by a big park of old trees and walking paths.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lake Pape Nature Park (Pape)
  Wild horses and aurochs roam a coastal meadow reserve south of the city.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Pētertirgus Market (Centrs)
  The covered town market for fish, smoked meats, vegetables and berries.

Fun for Everyone

• Latvian Musicians' Walk of Fame (Rožu laukums)
  Bronze plaques honour Latvian rock and pop musicians in the city of music.

Great for Date Night

• Old Port Promenade (Vecā ostmala)
  A canal side boardwalk with yachts and evening light, good for an easy stroll.

Must-Haves

• Fontaine Palace (Centrs)
  A legendary rock club and bar in an old wooden building, with live music most nights.

Must-Haves

• Summer Sound (Liepāja Beach)
  A big summer music festival on the beach with Latvian and international acts.

Must-Haves

• Hotel Promenade (Vecā ostmala)
  A hotel in an old granary on the waterfront, close to the centre.