A Long Weekend in Riga

I sincerely hope that the times, when most of the western Europeans thought that Lithuania is the capital of Latvia, are long gone and that by saying ‘I went to Riga for a long weekend’ I won’t confuse you and you’ll know where on the map to look for this beautiful city.

(Just in case you are not so sure – it’s the largest city in the Baltic States, the capital of Latvia, based on the coast of the Baltic Sea.)

Sometimes being called ‘the little Paris’ it has many places of interest, that will definitely catch an art lover’s eye. The Historic Centre of Riga has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city is particularly notable for its extensive Jugendstil (German Art Nouveau) architecture, which UNESCO considers to be unparalleled anywhere in the world!

I certainly enjoyed examining the narrow streets of the old town, not sure what each of them would bring…

A perfect view of the colourful ‘toy’ houses?

A tired cat and one brave pigeon?

A church, housing a magnificent organ, where ceiling reaches the sky?

Maybe one of them would lead me to the castle, which is the president's official residence?

Or offer a tiny cafe with a stunning 'cappuccino'?

If you are thinking that you deserve a short brake, why not try and get a cheap flight to Riga? I'm sure you'd bring lots of nice memories, like I did.