Latvia

Overview

In the ancient and medieval world, the territory of today's Latvia was known for its particular significance to commerce. The famous route from the Vikings to the Greeks mentioned in ancient chronicles stretched from Scandinavia through Latvian territory, along the river Daugava, to the Kievan Rus and Byzantine Empire. In the 12th century, German traders arrived, bringing with them missionaries who attempted to convert the pagan Finno-Ugric and Baltic tribes to the Christian faith. The Germans founded Riga in 1201, making it the largest and most powerful city on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea during the Late Middle Ages.

Places to explore

There are various official and unofficial ways in which the country's divided into regions. Most commonly, Vidzeme, Kurzeme, Zemgale and Latgale are separated as the major regions. Riga, which is otherwise considered part of Vidzeme, is often split off in a separate region either by city boundaries or by the boundaries of the Riga Planning Region, which includes a larger surrounding area.

Although the social and cultural differences between the regions of Latvia are not large, they still exist. An example of that is the Latgale region, which was separated from the rest of Latvian regions for several centuries by border, culturally, religiously and language-wise.

Most locals will assume the city of Riga, along with the suburbs, is being talked about instead of the greater official planning region when the Riga Region is mentioned.

Sights and landscapes

When thinking of Europe, Latvia is usually not one of the first countries to come to people's mind. Being buried under the big iron no-go blanket of the Soviet Union until regaining its independence in 1991, Latvia is just now being discovered by larger tourist crowds to be surprised by the charms of this Baltic country.

30 minutes from Riga is one of the best and multicultural sea resort towns of Latvia, Jūrmala . It can be found with beautiful beaches, houses, promenade and the nice Dzintari Forest Park .

Although Riga is by far the country's main tourist destination, there are a bunch of other places worth visiting. 40 km to the east from the capital lies Sigulda , with several castles such as the nicely reconstructed Turaida Castle , and the deep Gūtmanis Cave . The town is in the Gauja valley and has been called the "Switzerland of Latvia" for its steep cliffs and banks. It's known for its winter sports opportunities and provides a great chance to explore the fine nature around the town.

Further northeast towards the Estonian border, Cēsis , one of the country's oldest towns, can be found. It has a charming city centre with cobblestoned streets, historic wooden buildings and an impressive castle complex.

The coastal city of Liepāja is known to Latvians as "the city where the wind was born", due to the sea breeze it constantly gets. It has a nice beach and a charming town centre with a colourful mixture of architectural styles ranging from wooden houses and spacious parks to Art Nouveau and concrete Soviet-era apartment buildings. Liepāja's Karosta neighbourhood was built in the late 19th century as a naval base for Tsar Alexander III and was later used by the Soviet Baltic Fleet. Its splendid seaside panoramas, former military prison and fortress are preserved now making it a popular tourist sight.

Experiences

There are many different winter sports opportunities such as snowboarding, cross country skiing, downhill skiing etc. Major skiing facilities include Rāmkalni , Baiļi and Zviedru Cepure . Some of the slopes are open late at night, but accessing them by public transport can sometimes be a challenge or turn out to be flat out impossible.

After Easter, as it gets warmer and rivers start to get more water from melting snow, kayaking down the rivers is one of the favourite activities for younger people.

Football is a summer game in Latvia. The men's national team play at Skonto Stadium in Riga. 10 clubs play in Higher League and 14 in Future League.

Due to the low population density, large parts of Latvia are covered by forests and wetlands. There are four national parks and many nature preserves/parks in place around the country that can be explored, hiked, and camped in by nature-loving travellers. The largest national park, and major tourist attraction with its popular towns and cities, is the densely forested Gauja National Park in the Gauja river valley in the Vidzeme region. Remote, lonely and mysterious lies the Great Ķemeri Moorland inside the Ķemeri National Park of the Riga region , with a planked walkway and observation platform. Another, but less touristy national park is the Rāzna National Park in the Latgale region. Last but not least, the Slitere National Park protects the stunning Cape Kolka in the Kurzeme region, where the Gulf of Riga meets the Baltic Sea.

Culture and food

Latvian cuisine is typical of the Baltic region and, in general, of northern countries, and especially similar to Finnish cuisine (see Nordic cuisine ). It's high in butter and fat while staying low on spices except for black pepper, dill or grains/seeds, such as caraway seeds. If you are from the Mediterranean, you might find the food rather bland, but if you come from England or the Midwestern U.S., you will probably not have any trouble getting used to most of the dishes.

Travel guide text compiled and adapted from Wikivoyage article (contributors). Sections were selected and reordered for this guide. Text is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Check current arrangements with your travel consultant.