Riga is the capital of Latvia which is a small country bordered by Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus. It is not the first place you think of when deciding on a holiday destination, however you will enjoy your visit. I will not discuss everything that you can and cannot do in Riga...I will simply discuss what I did, where I stayed, the climate when I was there and so on. If you require further details then simply search the Internet: there is plently of information on Riga.
***CLIMATE***
I went to Riga in February 2006 for a four day break. If you decide to visit Riga in the winter then you really do have to be prepared for the cold. Before the plane landed in Riga, the pilot informed us that it was minus 17 outside. For the whole of my stay in Riga I was freezing cold even though I went prepared. I would leave the hostel with two tops and a jumper on, a scarf, a hat, tights, trousers, a thick pair of ski socks on over the tights, boots, gloves, and a fleece lined ski coat with the hood up over my hat. I was still absolutely freezing. I couldn't take my gloves off for longer than a minute before my hands went numb. If I bought a bottle of water to carry around during the day it would have bits of ice in it! So be prepared for the cold!
The good part about going in the winter however is that you will more than likely have some snow. The snow looks pretty and it makes Riga the ideal place to go for a winter break before or after Christmas.
***MY ACCOMODATION***
I stayed at the Argonaut Hostel in the 'Old Town' area of Riga. I recommend that you stay in the 'Old Town' as it has cobbled streets and is the most attractive area to stay.
Take a look at the Argonaut Hostel webpage:
http://www.argonauthostel.com/location.php
This was the first time I had stayed in a hostel and I was quite pleasantly surprised. It was a cheap place to stay and me and my boyfriend shared a room with bunk beds. So it is possible to book a room for a couple to share on their own. The room was very basic: just bunk beds, a chair and a mirror. The room was also very tiny, but the beds looked new and we were given clean bed sheets during our stay. The shared bathrooms, toilets and showers were right outside our room. The facilities were clean and I saw the staff cleaning them frequently. The showers weren't exactly
power showers but they did their job.
There was also a shared kitchen which was modern looking (please see photo's). This was also cleaned regularly and you could help yourself to free water from the tank and one free cup of tea or coffee per day. There was a toaster, microwave, fridge and freezer but not a hob or oven. Additionally there is a 'common room' where you can watch DVD's on a big screen, playgames, use the internet for free or just chat with the other guests. I was worried that the hostel might be cold because it was cheap accomodation, however the heating was on constantly due to the freezing weather (it was actually a little too warm in the hostel!).
The hostel was in a good location and the staff were very helpful. The hostel was a five minute walk from the train station and bus stops to the airport....It was also within walking distance of bars, clubs, and restaurants.
The main thing that I didn't like about the hostel was the fact that the curtains on the windows were totally see-through so it didn't feel very private. I remember another guest complaining that his room looked onto the street ,and he was worried people could see into his room when he undressed. Additionally there is a club underneath the hostel. Don't go in unless you want to see women dancing on a pole (although fully clothed). I could hear the music from this club in my bedroom but it was very faint and I never heard any of the guests complaining.
I would recommend this hostel, however I cannot say what the shared rooms are like....Personally I'd rather have a little privacy. This is why me and my boyfriend had a room to ourselves.
***SAFETY***
I felt as safe in Riga as I would in any other town in Europe. We never had a single problem even when venturing out of Riga and getting lost in a forest! As with anywhere be careful when visiting markets: keep an eye out for pickpockets.
***EATING OUT***
Eating out in Riga is fairly cheap, you can get a meal just for a few pounds. There is a lot of choice: Japanesse, Chinese, Indian, Russian, Irish pubs serving food, American food, traditional Latvian food and so on. There is something for everyone and there is even a Macdonalds (unfortunately!).
Mostly we ate in the traditional Latvian restaurants. There is a chain of restaurants called 'Lido'. The idea behind Lido is that you do not order from a menu. You grab a tray and you walk around and pick what you want. All the Lido's are different, but you will see some of the food being cooked and some of it on hotplates. You simply point to what you want and pick up a drink and pudding and put it all on your tray....You then go to the till and pay (discovering you have found a cheap meal).
The biggest and the best Lido in Riga is the 'Lido Recreation Centre'. You will have to catch a bus or get a taxi to 'Lido Recreation Centre'. It is about 15 minutes taxi drive from 'Old Town' Riga. It has a lot of choice and you can find pizza, pasta, chicken and other types of meat, fish, potatoes, salads, soups, freshly squeezed fruit juices, and delicious little puddings.
We also went to a Lido in new town Riga at around 10am one day and found porridge, toast, cooked breakfast, pork belly, and pancakes etc. Out of all the Lido's however I would definately recommend the 'Lido Recreation Centre'. There is an outdoor ice rink there so you can go skating before or after you eat, and the choice is much larger than the other Lido's you will find in Riga. In all the Lido's you will find the waitresses to be in traditional Latvian dress.
***DRINKING***
We went drinking every night and found the vodka to be particularly good. I purchased some vodka to bring back home (the best brand: LB Vodka was approx £3 a bottle)! The drinks in Riga seemed to be stronger than in the UK. I think they are more generous with their measures, and the prices are also much cheaper than at home. In February the bars and pubs didn't really seem particularly busy...I think this could be due to the fact that we went during the week and didn't spend a weekend there...Also it may have been due to the freezing weather and people wanting to stay indoors (the streets always seemed to be quite quiet).
The Irish bars were quite nice to drink in such as De Lacy's. The best bar/club we went in was Pulkvedim which is open till 3am in the week and 5am on a weekend. The place was always busy and it also has a good menu for food. The crowd is fairly young and there is a basement there.
***WHAT WE DID IN RIGA***
Museum of Occupation ---------------------------------
We visited the Museum of Occupation which is free to enter. The museum is a place that you go to read about Latvia's past, and there is quite a lot of information here. You need a good couple of hours or more to read everything that is there. It is worth a visit if you are interested
Pictures of Riga (Latvia)
St Peters Church View
in Latvia's past. For more information on the museum please see:http://www.occupationmuseum.lv/eng/about_us/welcome.html
It is an interesting museum, however there is not much to see, it is mostly full of things to read.
St Peter's Church -------------------------
This is a very old church which was burned down a few times and reconstructed. "It is one of the best samples of Gothic architecture in the Baltics" (as quoted from Riga Hotels.net). From the outside the church is attractive, from the inside I didn't think it was anything amazing....This may have been because I was comparing it to the Basillica in St Mark's Square in Venice which I thought was lovely. However, visit this church simply to go up the tower (the views over Riga are great). We were charged to enter (but a reasonable price - just a few pounds).
To go up to the tower you are taken up in a lift by someone working at the church. When you step out of the lift the first thing that hits you is the cold. In the winter it will be painfully cold up there as it is so high and windy. You step out of the lift and you can walk all the way round the top of the tower which is surrounded by bars obviously for safety. The views are great though. Please see my photo's.
Shooting in a Soviet Bunker --------------------------------------
This is definately something I would recommend. I have never shot a gun before in my life but I had a chance to do it here. I chose a pistol and paid for 12 shots. I hit the target only twice but it was good fun all the same! You also can choose bigger guns (shotguns) which my boyfriend did. You can pick how many guns you want to shoot and how many shots you want. For more information please see:
I've got to tell you that this place is not the easiest place to find....It is underground so all that you see is a small white hut/shack in the middle of two roads with a picture of a target on it. It took us a while to find it, we nearly gave up.
***ATTRACTIONS OUTSIDE OF RIGA***
During your stay in Riga you just have to try a train trip as they are amazingly cheap (I'm sure one return ticket cost us under a pound). The trains are really old fashioned. The first place we visited was Sigulda.
Sigulda ------------
The snow is deeper here and there are many places to ski in Sigulda. Don't expect huge ski slopes and mountain ranges as this is not what Sigulda has. However it is certainly worth a visit. I paid 4 pounds to hire my ski equipment, it is 5 pounds for men (for some strange reason!). You pay a matter of pence for everytime you use the ski lift. But it was lovely to ski on real snow.
We chose the biggest ski slope in Sigulda, but please ask for directions at a hotel when you arrive in Sigulada (or better still get a taxi). We spent 2 hours wandering around in the cold trying to find this place. When we finally found it we discovered we were at the top of the ski slope and there was no way down (huge drops everywhere). In the end we had to walk down the ski slope to get to the hut at the bottom.
Also at Sigulda is the Sigulda Bobsleigh track. This is a world-class track and looks pretty scary! If you stay at Argonaut hostel you can get a chance to visit this place and ride in a proper bobsleigh. It will cost you around £50 each (including food and drinks). If you want to do this then please book through the hostel. We decided we didn't want to pay £50 so we visited the place before we went skiing, only to find it was closed. We thought we would be able to visit and ride on a bobsleigh at a cheaper price.
Concentration camp at Darzini (Salaspils) ----------------------------------------------------------
We really wanted to see this memorial site where thousands of Jews were killed by the Nazis. We took a short train ride from Riga to Darzini station (which costs a matter of pence each). We got off the train at Darzini to find we were in the middle of a snow filled Latvian forest. We were in the middle of nowhere and nobody was about. We thought it would be easy to find the monuments however we were very wrong!
We found one sign which vaguely pointed us away from the train station....There were paths everywhere and all you could see for miles were trees and snow. We thought there would be more signs but there was absolutely nothing. We walked in the vague direction the sign had pointed and I think we were in the forest for about 2-3 hours! We never did find the place and we ended up getting the train back to Riga as it was starting to get dark.
I read on the Internet when I got home that there are some signposts or wooden poles with no signs on them that you are meant to follow....I never saw these. Either get some advice before you go as to how to find this place or get someone to take you there.
***CONCLUSION***
Riga is a great place to visit in the winter as it looks pretty with the snow (however be prepared for the cold). There is lots to do and many places to see (historical and museums, and exciting activities like bobsleighing, skiing, iceskating outdoors, and shooting). It is a relatively cheap place to visit: particularly for alcohol and train journeys.
Give a hostel a go as you will meet people and will have lots of people to talk to for advice. Before you visit places in Riga or outside of Riga make sure you get hold of a good map and get some advice on directions. The shooting range, concentration memorial and the skiing were all a nightmare to find. Restaurants and bars on the other hand were easy to find with a 'Lonely Planet' map and book.
If you want to try somewhere a little different and can live without a hot sunny beach holiday then give Riga a go.
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Really good review - and I liked the sound of Riga too. The cold must be something else (I was expecting it to be that cold when I went to Minsk but the temperature was in the 30C's!)
zipcis 01.11.2006 12:26
good review
torr 18.03.2006 17:48
A very informative and interesting review. Definitely on my list of destinations. Duncan
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Advantages: Cheap, friendly place to visit, interesting architecture. Disadvantages: Might not last too long in its current state. Freezing cold in winter.
TheDuke 10.03.2006 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Riga (Latvia)
Advantages: Cheap, friendly place to visit, interesting architecture. Disadvantages: Might not last too long in its current state. Freezing cold in winter.
TheDuke 10.03.2006 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Riga (Latvia)
Mar 17th, 2006
exceptional by (17%):
very helpful by (83%):
