One of the three Baltic countries Latvia is wedged between Estonia and Lithuania and bordered by Russia, its much bigger neighbor and former occupier to the east. A small country, It is part of the European Union and NATO and has a well developed economy. Its major attraction is Riga, the capital, an UNESCO World Heritage Site however the country side has a lot to offer with many additional castles and historic sites.
Overall driving in Latvia was easy with traffic being moderate to easy except in downtown Riga where it was quite heavy. Attractions were usually well marked and we felt safe throughout the country even late at night. Food was quite good and varied especially in Riga. Climate was relatively cold with some rain which is probably the big negative if visiting in fall like we did.
Map of Travels
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Trips
- Day 7: Art Nouveau Riga and the City Museum
Riga is famous for the Art Nouveau quarter and we visit it today as well as the City Museum - Day 6: Exploring Downtown Riga
Full day exploration of beautiful downtown Riga visiting the War Museum and all major sights downtown - Day 5: Ligatne and Sigulda on the way to Riga
Before Riga we visit Ligatne and Sigulda visiting old industrial towns and castles while enjoying the Latvian countryside - Sigulda, the city of castles
We stop for a few hours in Sigulda to visit two of the four impressive castles that protected this important town near Riga - Ligatne, a mostly abandoned company townWe spend the night in Ligatne a former company town before exploring the ruined buildings and caves the next day