3D2N in Latvia

LATVIA AT A GLANCE

Month Visited: Aug

Recommended Duration: 3D2N

Getting There: Took an Inter-Country bus (Lux Express) from Vilnius to Riga, but Riga International Airport is the largest airport in the whole of the Baltic States, and BalticAir uses Riga as their home base, if you decide to fly in.

Cost (Out of/$$$$$): One of the cheapest countries in Europe, especially those still using Euros ($)

Currency used: Euros

Weather: Weather ranges from 17-24 Degrees, T Shirts and shorts are great in the day, but will get cold at night so pack accordingly!

Accommodation: Mine wasn’t that amazing with the broken water heater so no recommendations here! Would recommend you to find somewhere near Old Riga, since most of the things to do is within there.

Places to visit: Old Riga (Riga Cathedral, Freedom Monument, Latvian War Museum, House of the Black Heads, Riga Castle, St Peter’s Church), National Library of Latvia, Latvian Academy of Sciences Observation Deck, Riga Motor Museum, The Ethnographic Open Air Museum

Recommended Restaurants: Carlston Restaurant, Il Patio (Italian), Province

Getting Around: Old Riga is walkable, can use private hire apps like Yandex Taxi to get to the Motor Museum/Open Air Museum

Recommend or Not: Would rate this the last out of all the Baltic States, just because I felt that the Baltic States were almost similar, but Riga did not have something that specifically stand out! Still, a short 2 day stopover would be enough to see the main attractions!

Day 1: 20 Aug 19 (Old Riga)

After a pretty comfortable 4 hour bus ride, we made it to Riga, Latvia! It was almost nightfall as we reached Riga Bus Terminal, and it took us another 20 minutes to walk to our Airbnb which was slightly on the outside of the Old Town itself! After checking in, we decided to walk to the old town which was around 20 minutes walk, and walked past some very nice buildings!

Finally, we made it to the fringe of the Old Town! The main entrance was marked very clearly by the famous “Freedom Monument”, which honours the soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence in 1920. It is known as Latvian’s central landmark as well.

What was also interesting about this area was that there was a whole area showcasing the pictures and information about the entire war of independence, and how they were able to band together as three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) to show their desire to gain independence. It was all done with minimal violence.

They showed solidarity by holding hands throughout the entire Baltic States route!

After taking it all in, we finally made it into the streets of Old Riga, and it was really nice, with its cobbled streets and brick walls.

(Side note: Although the three cities look pretty similar, one can find the difference in the actual colours that they use for their buildings, and whether they are one solid colour, or a mix of different eclectic colours, in which Latvia's are much more eclectic than what we saw in Lithuania.)

From left to right: Us in The Central of Old Riga, The famous House of the Black Heads, Streets of Old Riga

As we were quite hungry and it was getting really dark (FYI sunset is 9pm during August), we chanced upon an amazing Italian dinner place (Il Patio), and the food was aaaaaaaamazingggg! Best part of it all, it wasn’t very expensive!!

Day 2: 21 Aug 19 (Riga Motor Museum, Ethnographic Open Air Museum, Old Riga)

We woke up pretty early the next day as we had a lot to cover! We went to the famous Riga Motor Museum by taking their local private transportation option (Yandex Taxi), but we were almost scammed by the driver, who told us to pay cash even though i had chosen the card option! Thankfully, Yandex was pretty responsive and refunded me once they had verified it.

The entrance of the Motor Museum! Was really excited for it!!

To be honest, I have had an interest in transports like cars, so the different types of cars on show, like the old BMWs, Mercedes etc on show was really eye-opening! Gonna just show some of my favourites here for you to see!!

Other than the cars, I loved how the building was designed, given its status as Eastern Europe’s largest and most modern antique vehicle museum! Honestly, I would recommend this because its Super interactive, even if you are not a super big fan of cars!!

After spending around 3 hours there, we took another ride to the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, which was about a 20 minute ride from from the Car Museum. The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum is an outdoor museum in a natural forest with carefully reconstructed houses and interiors from the 17-20th centuries. It was pretty interesting and a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the old town!!

Some pictures of the buildings in the open-air museum

Give yourself some time, around 2-3 hours, to really enjoy the greenery and nature in its glory. Heading back to Old Riga, we made it to the Latvian War Museum an hour before it closed. I recommend spending more time there if you can afford it, as it is a super detailed recount of what happened in the previous wars that involved Latvia. (PS: Entry is free for ISIC Card Holders!)

Following that, we continued our journey around Old Riga, and also crossed the Daugava River to catch the amazing sunset and to see their National Library to end off our perfect day in Riga.

Clockwise from top left: A ferry across the beautiful Daugava River, Sunsets across the Riga horizon, Riga National Library, Riga Cathedral

Day 3: 21 Aug 19 (Riga Central Market, Latvian Academy of Sciences Observation Deck)

We planned to head off to Talinn, Estonia on this day, and with our bus ride being in the afternoon (Lux Express), it allowed for us to explore the west side of Riga. We hit The Central Market in the morning, and we were treated with the visual sights of a market with colours and great architecture. However, you can give it a skip if you are short on time.

We wanted to get a nice vantage point of Old Riga, and prior to this, my online research made me chance on the Latvian Academy of Sciences Observation Deck located just out of Old Riga town. Because of it's location, it was able to give us a better view of Old Riga as compared to more common but central ones like St Peter’s Church located within Old Riga itself. After walking quite a bit, we made it to the building! It is definitely more underrated with the lack of crowds and cheaper entrance fee (5-8 euros).

From Left to Right: Old Riga, Framing of the Riga Central Market, Opposite end of Old Riga, with the Latvian TV Tower, the tallest structure in the EU

Alternative viewpoints include the churches located within Old Riga itself, but those are much more popular and expensive, and you won't be able to get a full view of the entire Old Riga from far!

Our last meal in Riga was near our Airbnb, called Carlston Restaurant, which served amazing Western food.

Our journey to the bus station was fuss free, and managed to catch our Lux Express ride to our final Baltic State, Estonia. Watch this space for my review on Estonia!