A city of the medieval Hanseatic league of trading nations with a mix of Latvian, Germanic and Russian cultures, Riga has a rich 800-year history and a vibrant modern buzz.
A trip to the Latvian capital is an opportunity to see world-class art nouveau buildings, join trendy locals in top eateries and take a trip down the memory lane of Soviet history.
FRIDAY
After arriving, you have a choice of several good hotels. They include: the top-end Neiburgs Hotel (neiburgs.com), a favourite of German tourists, the Grand Hotel in the medieval Old Town (grandpalaceriga.com), the boutique Hotel Bergs in the newer centre (hotelbergs.lv), which has hosted celebrities such as Lady Gaga, or bigger chain hotels like the Radisson Blue Hotel Latvija (radissonblu.com/latvijahotel-riga).
Riga has two areas favoured by tourists - the historic Old Town near the river, and the newer centre, which includes the Art Nouveau district, as well as the main shopping streets.
5 p.m. The first excursion is to the Old Town, starting from the square at the top end of the area nearest to the river Daugava. Here you will see a statue of French medieval epic hero Roland, a symbol of justice in northern German towns and which the German-dominated Riga burghers decided to erect in 1897.
The statue, along with several other buildings, was destroyed during the Second World War. Riga's city council has gone to great lengths and expense to try to re-create the pre-war feel.
The statue, city hall and the House of the Blackheads, a guild house for unmarried German merchants when the Baltic region was dominated by a German-speaking elite and ruled by the czars in St. Petersburg, have all been restored. Today, the House of the Blackheads is the temporary office of the Latvian president as Riga Castle undergoes reconstruction.
Take a leisurely walk around the Old Town, savouring more than 800 years of history that has been influenced by Riga's former German, Swedish and Russian overlords. Riga has been back in the hands of the Latvians since independence was regained from the former Soviet Union in 1991.
Of particular note are Cathedral Square (Doma Laukums), with the Dom cathedral on one side, the building housing Latvian Public Radio on the other. Another corner features a newly restored bourse building that now houses a contemporary art museum.
From here, take any of the streets and let your feet guide you. You will see tiny, cobbled streets, little squares, many with small bars or restaurants, several old churches and Riga Castle. In the days when Latvia was ruled by the czars, Riga Castle was the residence of the Russian governor.
Other notable monuments are The Three Brothers, the oldest buildings in the Old Town, as well St. Peter's church, St. Jacob's cathedral and the Cats' House.
8 p.m. Stop by The Three Chefs' Restaurant (Tam Labam Bus Augt, tamlabambusaugt.lv) restaurant inside Jacob's Barracks in the Old Town. Because almost all the food is made from local, fresh organic produce, the menu changes daily and depends on the season.
In the new part of the town, next to the plush embassy district, there is also the very well known Vincents restaurant (vincents.lv), run by Martins Ritins. Most visiting foreign dignitaries drop in.
10 p.m. Savour the night life of the Old Town, which boasts many bars and restaurants.
SATURDAY
9 a.m. Begin the day with a walk around the beautiful Art Nouveau district in what is known as the The Quiet Centre. Riga boasts one of the largest collections of art nouveau buildings in the world, which are also recognized by UNESCO as having outstanding universal value.
10 a.m. Visit the Art Nouveau Museum (jugendstils.riga.lv/eng/ muzejs), take a walk on Alberta iela (street) and Elizabetes iela, gaze at the art nouveau building of the Stockholm School of Economics. Lunch can be had at any of the cafés in the area, such as Harry Morgan's, the bar of the Albert Hotel, the Bite Blues Club or Burga Bars.
1 p.m. After lunch, head back to the Old Town through two parks built during the days of czarist rule - Kronvald park followed by the park leading up to Bastion Hill (Bastejkalns).
The Latvian National Museum of Art, next to Kronvald park, has works by Latvian impressionists in its collection. (lnmm.lv/en/lnmm),
Near the foot of Bastion Hill, you'll see some red marble stones, which mark the place where five people were killed during the 1991 storming of the Interior Ministry by loyalist Soviet paramilitaries.
Just along the road is Latvia's most important monument, the Freedom Monument, a 42-metre column and statue of a woman, Liberty, holding up three stars. It was built to commemorate the soldiers who fought for Latvia's first period of independence, but has come to represent the country's sovereignty in general.
In the Old Town, the must-sees include the Museum of the Occupation (occupationmuseum.lv/ index.php?lang=english), which chronicles the painful history of Latvia after it was occupied by Soviet forces in 1940. After criticism that Latvia was ignoring the Holocaust, it now features exhibitions on the murders of the Jews under Nazi rule from 1941, which ended when Soviet forces returned in 1944 to begin 50 years of rule by Moscow.
There is also the War Museum (karamuzejs.lv/en/index.php), a recently renovated Art Museum at the Bourse (rigasbirza.lv/ en/home); the Swedish Gate and an elevator which travels up the tower of St. Peter's Church for a panorama of the city.
4 p.m. If you still have time and the inclination, a trip over the river to the area called Pardaugava is worth a visit to see the needle-like Victory Monument, a Soviet-era addition which commemorates the arrival of Red Army forces during the Second World War. Some Latvians dislike the monument as honouring an occupying force, while local Russian-speakers flock there every year to honour men they consider heroes. Another well known Soviet-era building is the Stalin-era Latvian Academy of Sciences, which towerd behind the main central railway station.
6 p.m. Check out the national opera (opera.lv/en/home) for an evening show.
9 p.m. Have supper at Istaba, which houses an art gallery on the ground floor and a restaurant above, which is popular with the Latvian crowd. The menu changes regularly and you can decide what to order by consulting with the chef himself.
SUNDAY
10. a.m. One sight worth seeing is the Riga central market, a colourful and sometimes grimy maze of stalls, where the central feature is five pavilions made from old zeppelin hangars. Each pavilion specializes in a different commodity, such as meat or dairy products.
Otherwise, if the capricious Baltic weather permits, you could rent a bike from BalticBike (balticbike.com), whose stands can be found in several spots in the city. An ambitious ride would be to Jurmala, a seaside resort popular with Russian billionaires and locals alike and whose name literally means "seaside."
If the 20-kilometre bike trip is too much, you can join the locals on the rattling trains that trundle out of the city to the coast. If the weather is right and you have the time, you can laze on the fine white sandy beaches and a splash about in the shallow waters, which are also perfect for children. A brisk walk in the autumn or winter rounded off with a coffee at one of the several cafés is also a good way to round off the weekend.
