Latvia Riga Tours

Landmarks on a First Visit to Riga

Tours of Riga concentrate on the old town, a compact UNESCO-listed core where the House of the Blackheads, St. Peter's Church tower and the Three Brothers houses sit within a few minutes' walk of each other. Cross the ring of parks and you reach Alberta iela, the heart of the largest Art Nouveau district in Europe.

Markets and Food by the Daugava

The Central Market, housed in five former zeppelin hangars, is the place to try smoked fish, dense rye bread and Jani cheese flecked with caraway. Riga Black Balsam, the city's bitter herbal liqueur, turns up in cafes and cocktail bars across the old town.

Easy Side Trips

Several excursions leave the capital for half a day or more:

• Jurmala's long sandy beach, 30 minutes by train
• Sigulda and the castles of Gauja National Park
• Rundale Palace and its formal gardens
• The medieval town of Cesis