A WEEKEND IN RIGA, LATVIA

Hello everyone!

I hope you're doing well and enjoying the weather starting to get a bit nicer... I'm absolutely loving it and it's making me feel so happy, and getting me so excited for summer and holibobs coming up. Last month though, my boyfriend Tom and I needed a bit of a break from the stress of uni work, so we hopped on a plane and took a short break in Riga, Latvia. A lot of people seemed to not know much about the city when I told them where I was going and to be honest, neither did I... but one of my Facebook friends from university is originally from the city and it looked so beautiful from her pictures I thought I would check it out and I'm pleased to say we were so pleasantly surprised.So carry on reading for a travel diary of Riga, Latvia!

Things to see

The House of the Blackheads

The main thing to see in Riga and the first image that pops up when you google the city is the gorgeous building of the house of the Blackheads. In the centre of the old town, this historical building talks about the history of Riga, the merchants called the Blackheads and the journey to restoration after the building was damaged badly in WWII. We found it super interesting as we love history and beautiful architecture.

St. Peter's Church

Another main sight of Riga, and in my opinion a must do! If you get the lift to the top of the tower, you get a stunning view of the city - although we didn't realise quite how high it was and it was so windy so definitely felt like the tower was shaking! But we love a good view and this one was a beautiful one! 

The Art Museum

Based in central Riga so easy to get to, this art museum has beautiful art pieces from many time periods and areas of the world, so if you love art this is definitely worth it, and was very reasonably priced to get in! 

Admire the beautiful architecture

One of the main things that will stand out for you in Riga is how amazing the buildings are. The old town is full of  'Art Noveau' architecture from the early 1900s which is just so beautiful and intricate - I felt like I was walking around a show town it was so pretty! I would particularly recommend taking a look at the 3 brothers which placed next to each other but all from 3 different time periods. 

Places to eat and drink

Cuba cafe 

This was a Cuban themed bar in the centre of the old town that did happy hour cocktails and had the loveliest atmosphere. We didn't get a chance, but they often have live music and DJs playing there which I can only assume adds to the atmosphere!

Zviedru varti 

We also had drinks and nibbles at this lovely bar - they did really nice flavoured beers and sharing platters of food if you were just drinking and catching up. We had a sneaky peak at other tables...and their meals did also look absolutely delicious. We sat outside on a gorgeous little cobbled back street which they had lit the seating area with fairy lights, but the inside also looked like a lovely atmosphere if its a bit chilly.

Traditional Latvian restaurant 

Ok, clearly not being the most informed blogger here because I cannot for the life of me remember the name of this restaurant, but I'm sure it was something like this! If you want traditional Latvian food, there is a lovely restaurant by St. Peter's church which we had a really good meal at! We found that a lot of potato/ stew/ soupy dishes were served which was lovely as it was very hearty and filling! 

Transport

Around the old town, everything is so close you can just walk, but everywhere else there are really easy bus and tram routes... and from the airport, you either want the 22 or the 222 to the old town.

Cost

Overall on this holiday, we spent a ridiculously small amount - about £250 each! Yep, that's including flight, hotel and spending money! Flights to Riga are very inexpensive for under £100 and we saw so many Airbnb's that were available for under £20 a night - plus everything is fairly reasonably priced out there including the sites, bus routes and food/ drink.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my highlights of this beautiful city! I truly think its a hidden gem of eastern Europe and has made me want to explore other cities/ countries in that area of the world such as Lithuania or Estonia. Leave me a comment about where you're next headed to! 

Love, Yasmin xxx

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