National Geographic Traveller UK 03.2020

ILLUSTRATION: JOHN PLUMER

Getting there & around

There are plenty of direct lights

from the UK to Riga, including

Wizzair’s routes from Doncaster

Shefield and Luton. Ryanair goes

from Edinburgh, East Midlands,

Stansted, Manchester and

Leeds-Bradford. AirBaltic has a

year-round route from Gatwick, plus

a seasonal route from Aberdeen,

while British Airways lies there

direct from Heathrow.

Average light time: 2h45m.

wizzair.com ryanair.com

airbaltic.com ba.com

Bus number 22 goes from the

airport to the city centre every

10-30 minutes, taking around half an

hour. Tickets cost €2 (£1.70) from the

driver. Taxis take around 15 minutes

and should cost around €15 (£12.80).

Public transport fare, timetable and

journey-planner information is

available at rigassatiksme.lv

When to go

Riga isn’t a winter sun destination,

and the cold, dark winter months

when the temperature hovers

around freezing don’t show the city

at its best. Summer can be rather

magical, with temperatures around

22-24C.

More info

liveriga.com

inyourpocket.com/riga

Insight Guides’ Estonia, Latvia and

Lithuania (2019). RRP £15.99

How to do it

MYRIGA.CO.UK offers city break

packages, including three nights

staying B&B at the four-star Hotel

Gutenbergs, with return lights from

Manchester, from £234 per person.

ESSENTIALS

D RIGA

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Kalnciema Quarter1 mile
Town Hall Square
Riga Ghetto andHolocaust in Latvia
Museum
Latvian Academyof Sciences
Art NouveauMuseum
Riga CentralMarket
Museum of theOccupation of Latvia
B A LT I C S E ALATVIARIGA
200 yards
AFTER HOURS
BREVINGS: A perfect symbol of the
new, more sedate Riga, Brevings has terrace
tables on the Old Town’s busiest square,
but doesn’t pull in the rowdy crowd. The
beer range is excellent — including several
Latvian crat brews and a whole host of
Belgian imports — but the single malt
selection is even better. brevings.lv
CAFE LENINGRAD: Knowingly playing up the
Soviet-era kitsch, with old radios stacked up
against the back wall, 1970s-style furniture
and a smattering of Lenin portraits, this
bar morphs into a punk joint at night. The
tiny stage round the corner from the bar see
bands perform before a backdrop of bras,
presumably donated by patrons. leningrad.lv
GIMLET NORDIC: Don’t expect easy-going mai
tais in this very particular cocktail joint. The
emphasis is pointedly on Northern European
lavours, such as the nordic cooler, where
sherry gets sharpened up with aquavit and
dill. The forest vibes introduces the bitter
and botanical-heavy local liqueur, Riga Black
Balsam, with vodka and gooseberry cordial.
gimletnordic.com
ZZZ
SLEEP
HOTEL GUTENBERGS: Spread over
two old town buildings, this charmer makes
up for small rooms with an awful lot of
thought. The little things thrown into the
mix include a copy of the Gutenberg Bible,
centuries-old paintings and several wall-
mounted engravings. Rooms from €57 (£48).
hotelgutenbergs.lv
RADISSON BLU LATVIJA: This glossy high
rise is deiant, modern Riga. Don’t expect
a world of excitement in the business-
orientated rooms, but the Skyline Bar on the
26th loor has tremendous city views, and the
lits going up the outside of the building are
a fantastic gimmick. Rooms from €98 (£82).
radissonhotels.com
HOTEL BERGS: Built around a glorious
courtyard with a grand old chestnut tree,
this stately 19th-century building is liberally
sprinkled with Latvian Old Master art,
plants, art nouveau design lourishes and
— somewhat less explicably — African
textiles. There’s a whif of Scandinavian
clean lines in the room design, too. Rooms
from €128 (£107). hotelbergs.lv
View over the city towards the
old town from the Skyline Bar
at Radisson Blu Latvija
RIGA
146 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel
RIGA