A year ago, my oldest daughter Alexandra and I travelled to Moldova and Transdniestr, stopping on the way in Latvia’s capital, Riga.
Riga is the largest of the Baltic capitals. As opposed to Tallinn and Vilnius, Riga has a real city-feel. I first visited on a curiosity-trip of the Baltic states immediately following the break-up of the Soviet Union. Later trips have been stop-overs mostly, so on this one, I decided to spend a few days and have a closer look.
Riga does have much to commend it, including its UNESCO-listed Old Town, the thought-provoking Occupation Museum and the Art Nouveau – or Jugend – district (Elizabetes Street).
Art Nouveau in Riga
During my first visit in Riga – back in 1992 – I stayed at Hotel Latvija, at the time one of the few hotels in town, very reminiscent of Riga’s then recent past. Passing by on our stroll through town this time, I wanted to see if this old Soviet hotel had changed much, so we had drinks in the hotel’s panorama bar. Well, it has of course been modernized, but the views from the top floor are just as spectacular – and I still got a little old-Soviet feel.
This time, we stayed at Homestay Riga, a great rambling B&B by the pretty Mezaparks. I highly recommend it! In fact, this B&B was the highlight of our short stay in Riga. (We paid about 45 lats/night (ca. EUR 63) at the B&B).
