LAtvia

Apart from its vibrant capital Riga with amazing Art Nouveau facades Latvia charms with its gastronomy, unspoilt nature and and countryside architecture.

For travellers, the best thing about Latvia is that it is so compact. Its 500 km of sandy beaches are easily reached from historical towns, where medieval hanseatic foundations support baroque and art nouveau buildings, that become venues for cultural festivals during the summer. Families of storks happily give their seal of approval to the unspoilt nature, fresh air and clean water around them. In addition to Riga, its spectacular gateway, there are 6 other UNESCO world heritage listed sites. A trading hub for over 800 years, it is well versed in welcome. With such a variety, Latvia is best enjoyed slowly.

Capital - Riga

Riga is the gem of the Baltics. It is situated at the mouth of the Daugava, on the shores of the Gulf of Riga on the Baltic. Riga has an ancient history and rich cultural heritage. As Riga has always been located at a juncture of trading routes, it is a multicultural city which means there are things to see here: a weekend in Riga is a great way to gather new impressions and to relax.

Travellers can admire the diverse architecture of Riga, especially the art nouveau buildings. Riga has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to the collection of art nouveau buildings that is one of the largest in the world, as well as a city in whose architecture the entire history from 1201 to the present day is reflected. It is also valued as a city with a unique collection of wooden developments in its central section.

West Latvia (Kurzeme)

Kurzeme’s (Courland) cultural and historic heritage is as colourful as the long woolen skirts of the Suiti womenfolk, and as diverse as the natural surroundings of the Livi-inhabited Baltic Sea coast. Kurzeme is a natural fisherman’s paradise with fresh local catches of all kinds, many sold in the quaint coastline villages, or in between - roadside. Some places even invite visitors to take part in the process of preparing mouth-watering smoked fish.

photo by: Reinis Hofmanis

Vidzeme (Gauja National Park)

The picturesque ancient Gauja National Park is the most popular tourist destination in Latvia. Its first visitors were hiking in the Sigulda area with walking-sticks as far back as in the 19th century and the evidence of this is the engravings left by them on the sandstone walls of the caves.

South Latvia (Zemgale)

Zemgale’s castles and manor houses offer an opportunity to see the remaining evidence of luxury and prosperity of older times.