LANGUAGE

Latvian

CURRENCY

Euro

BEST TIME TO VISIT

July to September

NEAREST RAILWAY STATION

Riga Railway station (RIGA)

NEAREST AIRPORT

Riga International Airport (RIX)

EMERGENCY HELPLINE NUMBER

112

INTERNET ACCESS

Free wi-fi is a standard even in the most obscure hotels, as well as in most cafes and restaurants (but you’ll need to ask the waiter for password). The National Library is unbeatable as a quiet space to work and surf the internet. It only takes a few minutes to get a permanent pass. Birojnica If you need a working desk away from your working desk (self-hired folks often do), as well as fast internet access and printers, this nicely designed modern co-working space is the place to go. It’s €1.50 per hour (internet access only) or €6 per day (internet, unlimited coffee, printers).

VISA

Not required for citizens of the EU, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA, among others. For further information, visit www.mfa.gov.lv.

HOTEL

Both Old Rīga and Central Rīga lend themselves well to pedestrians. For short visits, Old Rīga puts you within arm’s reach of most attractions; those in town for longer might find Central Rīga a better option. Hostels dominate the budget scene. At the opposite end of the spectrum, luxury picks are divided into two categories: flamboyant throwbacks to Rīga’s aristocratic past or avant-garde gems straight from a Scandinavian design magazine.

LUXURY

Grand Palace

Hotel Bergs

Radisson SAS Daugava

MID-RANGE

Hestia Hotel Jugend

Kolonna Hotel Brigita

Rixwell Centra

BUDGET

Dodo Hotel

KB Hotel

COST OF LIVING

With a location that is remote for most travelers, Riga and all of Latvia aren’t obvious destinations unless you are on a serious tour of the region. Those who go to the trouble to reach Riga will be rewarded with a pleasant and handsome city center along with very low prices (by European standards) for most everything.

This former Soviet country costs only a fraction of what you’d spend in nearby Scandinavia, with hotels and hostels available at prices that are drawing in the nightlife crowd from the UK looking for a cheap weekend break. The Old Town area is where you’ll find most hostels and hotels, and fortunately there is so much competition among restaurants and bars that deals are common and prices are quite low. If you can get a cheap flight, this is one of the better places for a stag weekend and that sort of thing.

In addition to the cheap and hearty local food and the free-flowing and cheap local lager beer, even the museums and other major attractions cost very little. Riga hotels generally have high season rates from May through September, and the rest of the year is low season, except for the period around Christmas. Hostels in Riga are bargains all year round.