Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, please confirm event/venue details in advance.
COUNTRY CODE:
Dial +371 for Latvia
FROM THE AIRPORT
Car Hire :
Take advantage of the special easyJet inflight rates. Visit the Europcar desk on arrival or call +371 720 7825. Open from 9.30am-8pm Monday-Friday, 10am-8pm Saturday and 10m-6pm Sunday.
Airport Transfer :
Pre-book your door-to-door transfer with easyJet’s transfer partner, Holiday Taxis—from home to the airport and the airport to city or resort. Just log on to easyjet.holidaytaxis.com.
Taxi :
The fare to the city centre is LVL6-LVL9.
Bus :
Express bus 22A runs to the Cathedral at Brivibas Boulevard, near Hotel Reval Latvija, in 20 minutes. For the Old Town, alight at the 13 Janvara Iela stop on the edge of Old Riga. Tickets: LVL0.40.
(76 Krasta Iela. Tel. 6750 4420) This enormous log cabin offers a rustically decorated cellar pub that brews beer on the premises and a huge buffet of cheap Latvian food on the ground floor.
(27-29 Baznicas Iela. Tel. 6729 4899) Enter a labyrinth of medieval-style rooms and order Latvian, Russian or Armenian cuisine, with affordable local brews. You can also pick your dinner from the cellar fishpond.
(4 Tirgonu Iela. Tel. 6722 7792) Take the stairs to the first floor and admire the romantic scene of Venetian glass chandeliers and large windows with views of Dome Square below. Dine on anything from steaks to lobsters.
(2 Dzirnavu Iela. Tel. 6782 1906) Don’t be discouraged if at first you can’t find it. Hotel Elizabete’s top-floor restaurant is well worth the effort. You can expect unusual glass lighting fixtures, unique views and an elevated summer terrace, not to mention superb gourmet cuisine.
(56 Terbatas Iela. Tel. 6727 5662) This tiny bar is designed to make you feel like you’re drinking cheap Latvian beer and vodka in a Soviet apartment circa 1970.
(19 Peldu Iela. Tel. 6722 3334) When this cavernous brick cellar isn’t hosting concerts by popular local rock and pop bands, it’s a raging Top 40 disco frequented by twentysomethings.
(11A Grecinieku Iela. Tel. 2935 9779) Enjoy good pub food, a great selection of beer and flat-screen TVs showing live sporting events at this large, two-storey Old Riga bar.
On the ground
Shop
Named after its illustrious founder, Jana Rozes bookshops have several locations around the city, but the shop on Blaumana offers the best selection of contemporary English-language novels and non-fiction in Riga (31 Blaumana Iela. www.jr.lv).
Insider Tip
Most plants around Latvia are in bloom, including the crutch of local gastronomy: dill. Chefs in Riga tend to go overboard, adding it to everything, so don’t hesitate to ask for the chef to omit it.
Key Area
Dome Square is the heart of Old Riga and beer gardens cover its cobblestones to provide refreshment and spectacular views of the cathedral.
This month
If you’ve never been to Prague, then you might not know that the city boasts the only four black light theatres in Europe. The Czech Image Theatre performs its unique show at Arena Riga on 24 May (www.arenariga.com).
Day Tripping
Kemeri National Park
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Only a short train trip from Riga, just beyond the spa town of Jūrmala, lies Kemeri National Park. Explore the 19th-century town or hike along one of the nature trails that traverse untouched forests and wetlands (www.kemeri.gov.lv).
No way!
In the 17th century, St Peter’s spire made it the tallest wooden structure in Europe. Destroyed during WWII, it was rebuilt to a height of 123 metres.
