Country Information
Make your reservation nowOfficial name:
Republic of Latvia
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania.
Territory: 64,589 sq km
Population: 2,31 million peple.
Capital: Riga
Airport:
Liepaja International Airport (LPX/EVLA)
Riga International Airport (RIX/EVRA)
Main languages: Latvian (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other
Religions: Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Climate: maritime; wet, moderate winters
Average temperatures: May to September (spring and summer) is the best time to visit, with daytime temperatures averaging 61°F (16°C), but July and August is the peak tourist season and accommodation can be fully booked during this time. The coldest months are January and February and winter can experience extreme temperatures, and averages 25°F (-4°C) during the day.
Monetary unit: Latvian lat (LVL)
Local time: Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +2 hours. Daylight saving time: +1 hour
National holidays: Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 is the date Latvia declared itself independent from Soviet Russia; 4 May 1990 is when it declared the renewal of independence; 21 August 1991 is the date of de facto independence from the Soviet Union
Major tourist sights:
Riga:
Riga is a modern city with an interesting old town area and Jungstill district (Art Nouveau architecture) equally as interesting as Tallinn or Vilnius, the other two Baltic capitals.
Riga straddles the Daugava River, about 15km (9mi) from its mouth in the south-eastern corner of the Gulf of Riga. Centuries-old German buildings are strewn throughout the historic quarter of Vecriga (Old Riga), and taking the lift up to the spire of St Peter's Church for an aerial view of the neighbourhood is one of the highlights of a visit. Riga Castle dates from 1330, when it was built as the headquarters of the Livonian Order. It's now the home of Latvia's president.
East of Old Riga the city blossoms with 19th-century parks and wide boulevards. The Freedom Monument, erected in 1935, is the area's main landmark. Encompassing Old Riga, New Town dates from the 19th century and comprises a mixture of business and residential zones. Housed in several WWI zeppelin hangars south of Old Riga, the lively central market is the focus of the city's modern life and a fair barometer of its standard of living.
The WWII Riga ghetto was in the Maskavas suburb, home to Riga's only remaining synagogue and the city's Jewish Museum. Don't miss the Riga Motor Museum, 8km (5mi) east of Old Riga, which features cars that once belonged to Soviet luminaries Gorky, Stalin, Khrushchev and Brezhnev - complete with irreverent life-size figures of the men themselves
In summer, tables and chairs spill out onto Doma laukums (Dome Square), transforming it into a fun-packed plaza of cheap cafes, beer tents and late-night bars. You're spoilt for choice dining out in Riga.
Bauska:
The principal attraction of the country town of Bauska is its castle, built between 1443 and 1456 as a stronghold for the Livonian knights. This imposing edifice was destroyed in battle several tim
