A fun, active and cold city break to Riga brought lots of photo opportunities and completed our travels to all three Baltic States. We stayed for four nights at the cosy and fabulously located Old Riga Palace Hotel (Trip Advisor review) and so had three full days to explore this wonderful city.
We took up the offer of the Free Walking tour which was expertly hosted by ‘Arthur’ and gave us a great idea of what Riga was about and help us confirm our plans for visiting other places that we had planned to do/see/visit. As usual I’ll let the photos tell the story but I want to highlight a few things discovered.
Over the course of the trip:
We eat in:
- The wonderful Province, serving traditional Latvian fare, great to try these things out nice and filling! (Trip Advisor review)
- El Patio, a cellar located Italian, very nice! (Trip Advisor review)
- The fantastic Raja, Spookily enough an Indian restaurant, Delicious is the word here. (Trip Advisor review)
- Oh and at the central market (had to be to be the most authentic!) traditional grey peas, bacon and onion.. Sooo nice this on a cold day so tasty!
We had drinks in various bars/cafés including:
- The 26th floor Skyline bar at the Radisson Blu Latvija Conference & Spa Hotel
- Black Magic (Chocolates, beer and black balsam)
- Puce
- Double coffee
- Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs Very lively!
- Also, up by the parliament the Parunasim café is well worth a visit. Another hot black balsam too Hic!
We trekked all around the old town, visiting Riga Cathedral, worth the few euros to visit to see the cloisters, stained glass and huge organ!
And overall in Riga photographed:
St Peters, Latvian Academy of Sciences, Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady Church, the Nativity of Christ Cathedral (Orthodox cathedral dating to the 19th century with golden domes & ornate interior architecture, Wooden houses, The Freedom Monument (a 42m statue dedicated to Latvians who lost their lives fighting for independence between 1918 & 1920), Wooden houses (place is full of ‘em), Riga Streets – they got trams! Red brick Powder Tower, the Three Brothers, the Swedish Gate (Zviedru vārti, built in 1698 to celebrate the Scandinavians’ occupation of the city) and the Mikhail Chekhov Riga Russian Theatre, and the Latvian Riflemen Monument.
We also photographed the Art Nouveau district which was ace and has warranted it’s own Boxroom article so please check it out if you have a chance.
Also, just wanted to say that Riga airport is the best airport I have been in outside Asia. Well laid out and lots of natural light which is so missing from many others..
Anyway hope you like the photos..
