Overview
Latvia is a European Union member nation located in northern Europe. It shares borders with Estonia, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, and Russia. It boasts of a coastline that measures over 500 kilometers, and more than 50% of the country itself is composed of forests. The capital city is Riga, and it is one of the most tourist-friendly places in Europe.
Getting to Latvia and Moving Around
You will not find it stressful to get to Latvia, just like with many other nations in Europe. You can decide to get there by bus or by air or even the ferry via a few spots. If you are considering rail, you must know that Latvia is connected by rail only to Belarus and Russia.
If you want to go with the ferries, you can go from Stockholm, the Swedish capital, which has ferries that go overnight to Riga, the Latvian capital. You can also get a ferry from Germany to western Latvian cities like Ventspils and Liepaja.
For those who decide to make use of buses, you should go from Estonia or Lithuania. This is because they are all Baltic States, and direct buses are linking them together. You will spend about four hours from Vilnius or Tallinn to get to Riga. There are also direct buses from other nations like Russia and Belarus, but the routes are longer. You can use the train or bus to move around Latvia, and you pay a few euros per trip.
Reaching Latvia by flight is very easy, and it is a matter of a few hours if you are coming from Europe. There is an international airport, the Riga International Airport (RIX), that serves this purpose for all visitors and tourists alike.
Staying in Latvia
If you are planning to stay in Riga, the capital city, you will have elegant hotels, hostels, and lots of apartments for rent. But if you are going to be staying outside Riga, you will still hotels to stay but the standards will not be the same.
Things to Do in Latvia
You can get to travel all across entire Latvia in two days. You can choose to rent a car and enjoy some of the most memorable road trips with stunning natural views.
- Exploring the capital city of Riga is one of the best activities to enjoy in the country. You are going to experience the best of cuisine, history, and architecture.
- If you have the time, you should take the bus or train and visit Sigulda, which is just about one hour away. You can enjoy the best of skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, bungee jumping, snowboarding, and others in this town.
- Those who love camping will find the endless seashore of Latvia to be genuinely thrilling.
Best Time for Visit
There are four seasons in the country with the winter season falling in the January-February time for those who love snow. But if you prefer the heat, you should visit during summer or autumn during the September-October period.
What to Eat and Drink in Latvia
You will notice chicken and pork all over the place alongside mashed or boiled potatoes. They also enjoy a salad made with vegetables covered with either mayonnaise or sour cream in Latvia. The meals in Latvia do not contain spices – sorry.
Some of the meals you need to try out in Latvia include cold beetroot soup (known locally as auksta biesu zupa), mashed potatoes alongside herring and cheese, sauerkraut cabbage with stew, pork in aspic, and others. When it comes to drinks, you can go for kvass, traditional Latvian beer, or the legendary Riga Black balsam. Latvians love the Brengulu and Valmiermuiza when it comes to beer choices. In Latvia, you will indeed have enough to eat and drink.
