Riga, capital of Latvia, lies at the heart of the wide eponymous bay, the Gulf of Riga. Pleasantly warm in summer but not overly hot, the city offers the perfect conditions for visiting the marvellous old city at your own speed. Just take a stroll through the labyrinthine cobbled streets, and you will be transported back through the ages: with its Gothic churches and ancient buildings so reminiscent of the Middle Ages, Riga is a real open-air museum. The city enjoys over 150 architectural monuments, including the ‘Cat House’ (named after the two brooding figures of black cats on the roof), the Cathedral, built in the 13th Century and still the most potent symbol of the Old City, and the many marvellous churches such as St. George’s, St. Jacob’s and St. Peter’s. Riga Castle, constructed in the early thirteenth century, is now the official residence of the State President.

These mediaeval buildings are interspersed with countless jewels of the art nouveau period: during the fin de siecle period, around 1900, over 800 houses were built in this unique style in the city. Particularly worth a visit is the Alberta iela (‘Alberta street’), a striking example of art nouveau design in Riga.

The Latvians particularly love to celebrate the coming of summer, and do so with a range of different festivals. The oldest (and still the most popular) of these are the twin feast days of Jani and Ligovakars, which mark the coming of the Summer Solstice.  Ligovakars – literally, ‘Ligo Eve’ – is celebrated on 23 June, and is immediately followed by Jani – St. John the Baptist’s Day – on the following day, 24 June. To this day, this festival is accompanied by traditions stretching back thousands of years. As well as such elaborate festivals, of course, the people of Riga also love to simply throw a party at the weekend! Either way, the streets of the city are always full of young people enjoying themselves.

Come and join the party!