Riga Travel Forum

Visiting Riga for 4 nights at the end of Nov, about 3 full days with half a day either side when flights taken into account. I'd like to spend a day outside Riga and it looks like Sigulda is the most practical place for a daytrip. Can anyone advise on any alternatives though? I'm generally on the look out for curious museums, architecture and landscape/architecture photo opportunities. I'll also go a long way for a decent restaurant.

Or really am I trying to fit too much in with a trip somewhere else?

Any words of wisdom from those familiar with Latvia would be much appreciated.

Thanks!
Chris

Chris,
I am afraid Riga is not what you might thing it is. The people are rude and arrogant. I just got back from there 22/10. I was in that region for 6 weeks. I was in Riga 3 times, and if I did not have the local friend to advise me, it would not have been very good. Stay away from the seedy bars and strip clubs as you can get in trouble there. A much better bet is the City of Liepaja (LI AH pay yah) which is a 3 hour bus ride southwest and still on the Baltic Sea. Take a look at their website at www.liepaja.lv I got a private room at the Liva Hotel for about 15 GBP with shared toilet in the hall. Clean but noisy on Friday-Saturday nights. They have ensuite rooms on another floor for about 30 GBP. Other nights it is OK. But there is all kinds of reasonable lodgings there and all kinds of Beautiful buildings. Their old tram system is very nice and cheap to ride (24 cents LV) AND the people were very friendly and are looking to please tourists. Stop in at the Tourist office just up the main street from the Liva Hotel and they will give you all kinds of info and well done maps. Riga is good for a day trip and very nice airport, but the People are not nice. I have met others who agree with me. Use it as your portal to Latvia but don't hang there very long. They are also quite expensive for Hotels and even Hostels. It is only about 140,000 population which is 1/3 the size of Riga which also makes for less crowding of buses and trams. And I found many people who could speak fair English. But watch out for the coaches going from Riga to Liepaja. Check before you buy a ticket if it is express or stops at every little town on the way. Take 5 hours on that bus and about 3 on the express. Just before you get to Liepaja there is a huge windmill "farm" making electric power. There is 30 or 40 huge windmill generators along side the highway in Farm country. I would go back withour hesitation. They also have a Syphony Orchestra, but you would have to ask when they have concerts. Good uck.....Jon

We were in Riga in September 2007 and loved every single minute of our stay. We did go on a one day trip to Jurmala to enjoy the architecture there and most of all take a walk on that fantastic beach! Another highlight was the ethnographic museum just on the outskirts of Riga (please have a look at my Riga page for that!)

Enjoy your stay!

Sigulda is nice, but I doubt that late November is the best time to go there - Sigulda and the surrounding national park is very pleasant in summer and autumn, and it is also supposed to be a good place for skiing - but November is sort of "in between seasons", I guess...

I like Cesis a lot, and Jurmala (with its wooden art nouveau houses, pine trees and long beautiful beach) is also very nice! Feel free to take a look at my various Latvian pages for some more info... :o)

Hi,
I would say that Sigulda is too late to go on November. Better to rent a car and go to Kurzeme region, where are Kuldiga (nice, small city), Ventspils and Liepaja, you could also be able to see the coastline. I would advise you to see Rundale castle. Or for a daytrip you may choose Jurmala. Cesis is very nice but not so many things to see, you would need to choose something more to see.

TO Jon: all Latvians AREN'T rude and stupid!

Good luck,
Inguuna

Thanks for the useful advice guys. I'll probably stay in Riga the 4 nights as the hotels work out cheaper that way and I want to be able to base myself in a larger city close to our entry and departure airport. Liepaja sounds nice but I think it's maybe a bit far to do in a day so I'll take those other suggestions on board.

I have absolutely no interest in strip joints and not sure why that comes up in these threads so often. Ho hum.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to seeing Riga for myself. Maybe I should set up a VT meet and prove Rigans are a nice bunch!

You may try :) Despite many Vt-Latvians aren't so active but of course maybe you're lucky to see more than 5 :)

I.

Lucky to see any, judging by the last meeting ;-)

We were waiting with Lana half an hour!!! ;)

Does Riga have two Laima clocks? ;-)

Oh dear, that doesn't bode well! Perhaps best for me to just keep on snapping with the camera and write a positive VT page instead!

I am sorry you got confused about my post Inguuna. I did not call anyone "STUPID". I said "RUDE AND ARROGANT". If you look up the word "RUDE" in a dictionary, you will see it can mean UNPOLITE, ROUGH, HARSH, CRUDE, UNCULTIVATED, ETC. When I saw young people pushing old ladies out of the way so they could get on the tram first, or pushing thru a line waiting to pay at a shop, that is what I call "RUDE". When I say young people I mean 15 to 50 years old.
If you look up "ARROGANT" you will see it can mean ASSUMING, HAUGHTY,INSOLENT BEARING, ETC. In other words they assume they are more important than anyone else. I did not see this just once or twice, but many times in Riga only. How can Riga be this way, and every other place I went in Latvia was different? I think you might try to educate your fellow citizens they need to improve their manners. I will admit they did not discriminate. They were rude and pushy to everyone, not just tourists. I will return because it is on my way to nicer places, but I will keep going as fast as my connections allow.

dont mean to barge in on sombedy elses argument here but... when it comes to bein ruse and arrogant mr jonellis... your pretty ood at it yourself.

ive been to new york, san fransisco, tahoe, philadelphia, albany, los angeles and more... and trust me there are people just like you descibe in riga in the USA as well.

ive been to riga twice and am planning to go again in jan 08... ive met some wonderful locals.


Re: Riga and Environs
Posted: Sun November 4, 2007 09:28 PM UTC
I am sorry you got confused about my post Inguuna. I did not call anyone "STUPID". I said "RUDE AND ARROGANT". If you look up the word "RUDE" in a dictionary, you will see it can mean UNPOLITE, ROUGH, HARSH, CRUDE, UNCULTIVATED, ETC. When I saw young people pushing old ladies out of the way so they could get on the tram first, or pushing thru a line waiting to pay at a shop, that is what I call "RUDE". When I say young people I mean 15 to 50 years old.
If you look up "ARROGANT" you will see it can mean ASSUMING, HAUGHTY,INSOLENT BEARING, ETC. In other words they assume they are more important than anyone else. I did not see this just once or twice, but many times in Riga only. How can Riga be this way, and every other place I went in Latvia was different? I think you might try to educate your fellow citizens they need to improve their manners. I will admit they did not discriminate. They were rude and pushy to everyone, not just tourists. I will return because it is on my way to nicer places, but I will keep going as fast as my connections allow.

Hi! You're welcome to Riga and Latvia.
It's true that people in Riga are rude sometimes. I hope you'll not meet rude Rigains.
Liepaja is very nice. I like this city, but it is far from Riga. You really have to spend 2 days for going there.
During your stay in Riga, don't miss Ethnographic Museum. Have a nice time in Riga!

There could be surely better season to visit Sigulda, but it still most practical day trip destination out of riga in terms of logistics and concentartyion of attarction you'll get there - if it is not rainy, and ( guess?) may sunny , and, hopefully, not so much windy, then this day trip can work out as perfect.

To go to Jurmala to seashore, as wellas to Liepaja in November chances to get harsher weather conditions, at leats mcuh stronger wind, are no doubts much higher!

As an options (type it in Google to find info about that)

1) Riga central market :) you want to see real average locals? http://www.centraltirgus.lv/lv/imprints/

2) Ligatne soviet bunker

3) Ligatne nature trails (http://www.gnp.lv/eng/lnt.htm ) (probably better in warmer season)

4) Koknese castle ruins ( http://www.latvia360.lv/files/1/ZOOM/java_EN.php?ID=1&ID_360=11 )

5) Kuldiga town (http://85.15.207.186/portal/foto.new/)

6) Kemeri swamp (http://www.kemeri.gov.lv/_Apmekletajiem/purvalaipa1.jpg)

7) Cēsis castle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_of_C%C4%93sis )

8) Turaidas castle ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turaida_Castle )

9) Rundāles castle ( http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=f5163086cbe6e4f3120f74e5949a682c )

10) Eastern part of Latvia (Latgale) also is nice (lakes, nature), but it is some >200 km away from Riga and not for one day trip ( http://turisms.latgale.lv/en/ )

11) for more - use www.google.com/maps (or Google Earth) type in "Riga Latvia" hit Enter, under "My maps" check "Photos from Picasa" and "Photos from Panoramio", then just browse through photos, zoom-in, zoom-out around Riga and decide, which ones you want to see live and plan your route :) (you could need to change zoom and wait some time before photos appears)


About people - yeah - we are not so always smailing as americans, but not so bad after all :)

Sorry - the "abrakadabra" was Cesis castle and Rundales castle

Well Riga was great. Some very good museums and food, and the art deco buildings are just beautiful. And I certainly would not say that the inhabitants are all rude or arrogant. In fact it's a city that I'd like to go back to in the summer so I can see more of it in daylight! Thanks all for the positive advice.

Pleasure to hear:) Welcome back!