History is the mirror which mankind holds up to itself, reflective of an oft undesirable image. It is epiphenomenal, a shadow of past doings, ignored all too often. Karl Marx described human history prior to the advent of socialism as "prehistory": true history doesn't begin until humanity has been emancipated from itself. In the case of Riga, and indeed, Latvia in general, prehistory is the ugly Soviet past that grins back at it through the mirror, and so since their 1991 rebirth, they have simmered with an insatiable urge to re-establish their culture, to preserve and nurture their national identity. It is, after all, a heritage interwoven with rich cultural .  Read the complete review

After reading a lot of reviews for this destination I nearly didn't go on the Stag do in Riga but luckly I did & we all had a great weekend. To start with we were expecting the taxi drivers to rip us off, this was not the case at all. We got a red taxi as advised & he was very friendly giving us some maps on Riga & he charged 6 of us £9 to get from the airport. Also on the 2nd night one of our stag party took a white taxi home but left his jacket in it. For some reason he had the taxi drivers number so called him the next day. The taxi driver drove his jacket back to him & wouldn't even take any money for his trouble. As there had been ...  Read the complete review

I visited Riga, Latvia in early December 2007. Having previously visited Prague with my wife this gave me a taste and love of Eastern European Cities. Whilst Prague seemed very touristy and sanitised I wanted to experience life deeper into the former Eastern Block. Riga, with Ryanair and Easyjet both offering cheap and cheerful (ish) flights from many cities across the UK, was an easy choice. December though! The average temperature in December is -1c. The weather is generally snowy if cold enough or rainy if not. More importantly, perhaps, if you are planning your get away for mid-winter, the light - even on a clear day - is short and gloomy. If ...  Read the complete review

I had wanted to go to Riga for a long time when I finally made it there a while ago. I was lured by the apparent beauty of the city, particularly the pictures I had seen of the bridges the river. I was excited at the prospect of having a cheap holiday. Being one of the Baltic states, I knew Latvia would be cheaper to visit than, for example, France or Germany, and, with low cost airlines flying there, I thought I could have a week there rather cheaply. Initially, landing in Riga, I was impressed. We had flown over the forest that I had expected to see and I thought that it was beautiful. My first insight into the people was a very kind ...  Read the complete review

We are two dutch guys and visited Riga. We had a good time going to the clubs and bars, but als enjouying it's buildings, terras and parks. We'd recommend anyone to find an appartment in the 'Old-Town'. It's very close to all the interesting things to see and do in Riga.Luckely we also came across a taxi-driver who brought us all over town to see the good clubs which are also tourist friendly (some clubs ripp off tourists). He also show'd us the places to visit and see in Riga during the day. We'd recommend everyone to give him a ring when you are in Riga and want to have a good time: Max, 00 371 26333248.Hope you will have as much in Riga as we did!Greets, two dutch guys.