One of the three Baltic states - along with Lithuania and Estonia - Latvia is also bordered by Russia and Belarus. It's one of the more recent EU members, joining in 2004, just 13 years after it declared independence from Russia. Since then more and more travellers have booked flights to Latvia, discovering an attraction-rich destination with a lively capital city, a long coastline and a cultured people.
Riga, the capital, is much like the Scandinavian cities - red-roofed, clean and well-ordered with sturdy, attractive public buildings and churches, and a great cafe culture. The Old Town is a Unesco World Heritage Site. It has extensive Art Nouveau architecture, which puts Riga up there with Barcelona, Vienna and St Petersburg in terms of significance.
Not far from Riga is Jurmala, the Baltic's premier resort. In times past, Jurmala was a favourite with the Soviet high command as well as the party faithful. Along with its reddish sands and striking architecture, its mineral-rich mud and sulphur springs have been attracting visitors since the 18th century.
Away from the coast, the Gauja National Park is a popular winter sports destination, the place to find Europe's longest bobsleigh track – a mighty 1420m long and 121m high.
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May to September (spring and summer) is the best time to visit, with daytime temperatures averaging 16 degrees Celsius, but July and August is the peak tourist season and Latvia flights and accommodation can be fully booked during this time. The coldest months are January and February and winter can experience extreme temperatures, and averages -4 degrees during the day.
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Peak Season:
The summer months are the peak season. Some events occurring during peak season include May 4, the anniversary of Latvia's independence from the USSR and restoration of the Republic of Latvia. June 23 is Midsummer Eve. Book flights to Latvia in advance to secure the cheapest fares.
Shoulder Season:
Spring and autumn are shoulder seasons.
Off Season:
The winter months – November to mid-March – can be very cold.
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Latvian Railway offers a good service throughout Latvia and into Central Europe. Bus, trolley-bus and tram services operate in the cities and there are good bus services to major cities throughout Latvia. Ecolines, Eurolines and Nordeka offer bus services to international destinations.
Ferries: the three main ports are Ventspils, Riga and Liepaja. They are mainly for commercial traffic, but from Riga’s port – very close to the Old Town – there are passenger services to Germany and Sweden.
Major rental-car companies include Hertz and Europcar.
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- Riga’s charming Old Town is a Unesco World Heritage Site. The city also has one of Europe’s largest markets – the central market, which is housed in five Zeppelin hangars that date from the 1920s. Riga has a fine collection of Art Nouveau and medieval buildings. To get a bird’s eye view of the Old Town and the Daugava River, head to the upper levels of the Reval Hotel, one of the city’s landmarks.
- Kemeri – the wildlife reserve and national park is home not only to deer, elk, moose, wolves, foxes and wild horses and cattle, but there are about 900 varieties of flora there too.
- Livonia on the northern tip of Latvia (around Cape Kolka) was settled originally by the Livs, but conquered by the German knights – the Livonian Brothers of the Sword – in the 13th century. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty. In the 1990s, the Latvian Government declared the Livonian coast a protected area. No hotels or restaurants are allowed to be built there.
- Latvia has several medieval-era royal residences such as Bauska Castle and the Riga Order Castle, but the most famous is Rundale Palace, a baroque masterpiece, built by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the architect who designed the Winter Palace in St Petersburg and the Catherine Palace nearby.
- The cathedral of Aglona in southeastern Latvia is the country’s most important Catholic church, attracting thousands of pilgrims each year. It is sited at a spring which is said to have healing powers.
- Gauja National Park was founded in 1973, Latvia’s first national park. The park includes the valley of the Gauja River, Latvia’s longest river. The main attractions are Sigulda – Latvia’s “Switzerland” due to its reddish-brown rocks and caves – Cesis town and nearby Neo-Gothic Birini Castle.
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Those with passports endorsed British Citizen do not require a visa for a stay of up to 90 days per half calendar year. Other British passport categories require a visa.
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