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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