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Walking in and Around Riga: Everything You Need to See in Latvia’s Capital
Walking
in and Around Riga, Latvia
Shivering fingers and frozen toes didn’t stop
us from pursuing our morning agenda in Riga, Latvia. Our troop of
South East Asian blokes wanted to do a leisure walk around the city center and
understand why this underrated city
stood out from our Baltic city must-visit list.
Located near the mouth of the River
Daugava, the capital of Latvia is small, quaint, and
historical. It is home to more than a mouthful of cool museums, cultural
centers, and unbelievable architectures. I like the city, particularly because
it’s way inexpensive compared to neighboring European capitals, and you can
easily navigate your way around the city, without wanting or needing to rely
too much on Google Maps and all that. It took us two full days of
incessant wandering and exploring every inch and corner of Riga’s Old Town, which is copious with many
shops, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.
Quite early in the morning and just skipping
breakfast, we decided to hunt for the familiar cultural spots in Riga, like the
Nativity Cathedral, Freedom Monument, Bremen Town Musicians, Victoria Park,
and Miera Lela, which is the hippest place in Latvia. It took a bit of time,
because it was also freezing cold when we were there, so our bulky boots, and
marshmallow jackets sort of prevented us from brisk walking like a
stereotypical Singaporean style of walking. Hahaha!
One thing that you’ll clearly notice when you
decide to explore the city on your own via foot trips and walkathons is that
there’s this timeless charm about Riga.
The Old Town alone, which is over 800 years old full of history, and even
recognized as an official UNESCO
Heritage Site, is like pieces of
pictures from an old fairy-tale book. The magnificent architectural
masterpieces and the simply romantic cobble stoned streets are so relaxing to look it. Some pockets of the city
look a bit run down to be honest, but that’s what keeps Riga real and
relatable. You can feel how their history struggled and fought for their own
independence through the outstanding works of art seen across Riga too.
While I must agree that if it is your first time in Europe, you can skip Latvia; I would say that it’s worth visiting if you would like to
see the real side of the Baltic countries. Personally, this is my favorite country among the rest of the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). I think Estonia and Lithuania
are equally special, but Latvia has something more than
meets the eye that you have to experience firsthand.
Just a bit of an insider info – did you know
that the Baltics have been dominated by the Swedish Empire, Germans, and a bit
of Russian Empire? So needless to say, you’ll see very distinctive influences
of food, culture, and architectural styles almost everywhere. I was quite
intrigued as to how it turned out, especially since it initially seemed like it
was more dominated by the Swedish culture… but the more we wandered around, the
more I discovered more of its Russian influences and of course, the Latvian spurs of signature styles.
Now, what do you think? Check these Latvia photos out and let me
know?
[LATVIA TRAVEL] Read the rest of Explore Latvia
Travel Blog Series:
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