Travel Guide Riga. Nightlife Calendar of events Hotels. Quick view Latvia Travel etiquette Health

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Travel Guide 02 02 03 03 Quick view Travel etiquette Health 04 04 06 06 Phone calls & Internet Top 10 sights

1 Travel Guide Quick view Travel etiquette Health Phone calls & Internet Top 10 sights Shopping in Restaurants Nightlife Calendar of events Hotels Getty Images/Flickr Open LH.com/travelguide 01/10

2 02 Quick view a brief overview Since regained independence 23 years ago, its capital has undergone a remarkable transformation. The once dour Soviet capital has blossomed into a real shining light of the Baltic region. Two distinct halves characterise s centre: the west is a charming medieval Old Town filled with cobbled streets and wandering tourists, while the east is the real living centre, with a charming, almost Parisian district, abound with stunning art nouveau architecture. All told, this is a friendly, welcoming place with a youthful buzz that will both inspire and excite all who visit. General Information Country overview A small country located on the Baltic Sea, boasts diverse and beautiful scenery that belies its size. Geography is situated on the Baltic coast and borders Estonia in the north, Lithuania in the south, the Russian Federation in the east and Belarus in the southeast. The country is divided into five broad regions: in the north, Kurzeme and Zemgale in the west and Vidzeme and Latgale in the east. The country is reasonably flat. A long sandy coastline is backed in places by undulating sand dunes and low sea cliffs. In Latgale, in the east, the landscape is noticeably different with rolling hills and myriad lakes. Wherever you are in you don't have to travel far to find dense forest. In addition the country boasts about 12,000 rivers. 's longest river, the Daugava runs through. Meanwhile, the Gauja River is at the heart of the country's best-known nature reserve, the Gauja National Park. General knowledge Key facts Population: Population Density (per sq km): 32 Capital:. Language n is the official language. Russian, English and German are widely spoken. n belongs to the Baltic language group, part of the Indo-European language family. The language has three main dialects, with the Latgallian dialect, spoken in the eastern part of, especially distinctive. Currency In January 2014 adopted the Euro. 1 Euro (EUR; symbol ) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of 2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents. Electricity 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Round two-pin plugs are in use. General business opening hours LH.com/travelguide 02/10

3 03 Mon-Fri Public holidays Below are listed Public Holidays for the January December 2019 period New Year s Day: 1 January 2018 Good Friday: 30 March 2018 Easter Sunday: 1 April 2018 Easter Monday: 2 April 2018 Labour Day: 1 May 2018 Independence Day: 4 May 2018 Ligo (Midsummer s Eve): 23 June 2018 Jani (St John s Day): 24 June 2018 Republic Day: 18 November 2018 Christmas: 25 and 26 December 2018 New Year s Eve: 31 December New Year s Day: 1 January 2019 Good Friday: 19 April 2019 Easter Sunday: 21 April 2019 Easter Monday: 22 April 2019 Labour Day: 1 May 2019 Independence Day: 4 May 2019 Ligo (Midsummer s Eve): 23 June 2019 Jani (St John s Day): 24 June 2019 Republic Day: 18 November 2019 Christmas: 25 and 26 December 2019 New Year s Eve: 31 December 2019 All information subject to change. Travel etiquette How to fit in Social Conventions Handshaking is customary when meeting someone for the first time. ns can be reserved and formal, but nevertheless very hospitable. They can also be quite direct, but do not generally mean to cause offence. ns are proud of their culture, and visitors should respect this strong sense of national identity. Health Health Vaccinations against tuberculosis, tick-borne encephalitis and hepatitis B are sometimes recommended. Contractual physician of Lufthansa Dr. Kalnina, Zaiga Paula Stradins Clinical University Hospital Pilsonu Street 13 LV-1002 LH.com/travelguide 03/10

4 04 Tel Please note that Lufthansa accepts no responsibility for the treatment nor will it bear the cost of any treatment. Phone calls & Internet Phone calls & Internet Telephone Country code: +371 Mobile telephony and Internet Since June 2017, EU citizens traveling within the EU, and also in Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein have been able to use their cell phones and surf the Net without incurring any extra charges: In other words, customers pay the same price for phone calls, text messages and data volume as they do at home. Restrictions do apply to the constant use of SIM cards abroad, however, and caps may be set on data packages. For full details, contact your mobile telephony provider in your country. Travelers using a SIM card from a non-eu state do not benefit from the new arrangement. Free Internet access via Wi-Fi is possible in many busy tourist spots. When using public Wi-Fi networks, it is a wise precaution to ensure encryption of all passwords, credit card details and banking TANs entered. Use of a VPN app or security software to check the safety of a hotspot is recommended. Top 10 sights Top 10 sights in Old Town s UNESCO-listed Old Town is a maze of narrow streets and small squares filled with bars, museums and restaurants where you can sip a leisurely beer on a terrace in summer, or cosy up around an open fire in winter. Old Town Museum of the Occupation of This moving museum documents over half a century of continuous repression under Nazi occupation and then at the hands of the Soviets before s reemergence as an independent nation in Strelnieku laukums 1 Tel: May-Sep daily Oct-Apr Tue-Sun okupacijasmuzejs.lv Open-Air Ethnographic Museum See farmhouses, reconstructed villages and other buildings that show how LH.com/travelguide 04/10

5 05 ns lived and worked in the 18th and 19th centuries at this sprawling countryside museum 9km east of the centre. Brīvības gatve 440 LV-1024 Tel: Daily (Jul-Aug until 2000) St Peter's Church This soaring church features a graceful 123m steeple, originally built in 1209, but most recently reconstructed following a fire in The view of the Old Town from the top of its tower is unmatchable. Skārnu 19 Tel: Tue-Sun House of the Blackheads Built in 1344 as a hotel for black-hatted merchants, this Gothic house with its extravagant Dutch Renaissance facade was painstakingly renovated for s 800th anniversary in Rātslaukums 7 LV-1050 Tel: Interior currently closed Barricades Museum In the heart of the Old Town, this small museum documents the protests and other events in during 1991 that eventually resulted in breaking free from the Soviet Union. Kramu Iela 3 Tel: Mon-Fri Art Nouveau Museum In the heart of the elegant art nouveau quarter, this building was constructed in 1903, and the décor and furnishings have been restored to reflect how it looked then. Alberta Iela 12 LV-1010 Tel: Tue-Sun Cathedral s main church was completed in 1270, and rebuilt several times since. Inside LH.com/travelguide 05/10

6 06 is one of the world s largest organs, built in the 1880s with almost 7,000 pipes. Doma Laukums 1 Tel: May-Sep daily (Wed & Fri until 1700) Oct-Apr daily Freedom Monument The Freedom Monument represents n independent spirit and determination. So strong are the feelings it stirs up among the locals that even the ruling Soviets did not dare remove it in fear of the protests that would have sparked. Brivibas Bulvaris and Raina Bulvaris Pilsetas park and canals A green strip of parkland with meandering canals separates the medieval Old Town and the newer art nouveau city a popular spot for locals and visitors alike to gather in fine weather. Centrāltirgus iela 5 Shopping in Shopping in Key Areas Shops are scattered all across the city, with no single focus, and prices do not vary noticeably between the touristy Old Town and the newer centre to the east. Brivibas Iela in the latter, and the streets off it, are good places to begin a search. Markets The daily Central Market (Negu Iela 7) covers a huge area south of the railway station. The vast indoor market has hundreds of stalls selling everything from food and household goods, to handicrafts and flowers, and also spills outside to fill several surrounding streets. Shopping Centres Centrally located Galerija Centrs (Audeju Iela 16) is in the heart of the Old Town. Launched as a mall with around 100 outlets in 2006, it has been a focus of shopping in one form or other since Also central is Galerija (Dzirnavu 67), with dozens of shops spread over several floors. Restaurants Restaurants in has a good range of restaurants serving everything from high-end French and LH.com/travelguide 06/10

7 07 international cuisine to tourist and localeateries and no-frills canteens serving filling pelmeni dumplings by the kilo. Vincents Modern fine-dining restaurant subscribing to the slow food movement, serving traditional regional cuisine. Elizabetes Iela 19 LV-1010 Price: Expensive Tevocis Vana Elegant Russian restaurant with wooden furnishings, and books and photos covering the walls. Smilsu Iela 16 Price: Moderate Elements Chic diner serving modern takes on traditional n and international dishes. Tallink Hotel Elizabetes 24 Price: Moderate Piejura Cosy traditional n restaurant serving heavenly food at down-to-earth prices. Kalku Iela 2 Price: Cheap Pelmeni XL Serve yourself cafeteria-style to feast on delicious stuffed pelmeni dumplings for next to nothing you pay by weight. Kalku Iela 7 Price: Cheap Nightlife Nightlife in In the evening fizzes with energy. The city s thriving nightlife includes cocktail bars, music clubs, busy pubs and thumping dance clubs. LH.com/travelguide 07/10

8 08 ALEhouse s best beer bar has 200 craft beers, including several that they brew themselves. Lacplesa Iela 12 LV-1010 Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs Atmospheric cellar bar the first dedicated to traditional n folk music, played live every night. Peldu Iela 19 Bites Blues Club A popular blues club featuring live music from both local acts and big international names from around the world. Dzirnavu Iela 57A LV-1010 Spot Kafe Lively and popular café bar offering a host of shot-sized and long cocktails. Jauniela 19 Skyline Bar Trendy lounge bar with fabulous views and occasional DJs, on the 26th floor of the Radisson Blu Hotel. Elizabetes Iela 55 Calendar of events Calendar of events Salsa Festival The Baltics might not seem like an obvious place for the hottest names in salsa to get together, but that s exactly what they do every June for the Salsa Festival. Expecta booty-shaking programme of live performances and salsa DJs, plus the opportunity to find your feet with a series of workshops led by some of the most talented teachers around. LH.com/travelguide 08/10

9 August Venue: Various venues Autumn Chamber Music Days Another must for classical music lovers, this annual festival offers a smorgasbord of performances which are held in some of the finest concert halls the city has to offer. The festival s patron is n composer Peteris Vasks. October Venue: Various venues Festival Porta This international music festival is going from strength to strength each year. A celebration of world music, it plays host to a broad spectrum of performers from the far corners of the world and everywhere in between. Their website isn t in English, but the tourist information centre should be able to give you all the information you need. November Venue: Various venues WinterFest This festival of classical music first ran in 1999 and since then its popularity has snowballed. Taking place between November and February, it features a series of concerts that celebrate Christmas, New Year and the legacy of n pianist, Herman Braun, who died in November February Venue: Various venues New Year in Street party on New Year's Eve to welcome in the new year. 31 December January 2019 Venue: Old Town's main squares Hotels Hotels in has a wide range of good-value accommodation. Compared with Western European prices, room rates are reasonable even in the higher end places. Bergs LH.com/travelguide 09/10

10 10 Luxurious boutique hotel in a refurbished 19th-century townhouse. Elizabetes Iela Category: Expensive Grand Palace This elegant palatial hotel, built in 1877, has modern comforts and large rooms. Pils Iela 12 Category: Expensive Man-Tess In the heart of the city, enjoy these spacious rooms with modern fittings and quaint old-world charm. Teātra st. 6 Category: Moderate Art Hotel Laine A tastefully furnished design hotel in a 1912 art nouveau building. Skolas Iela 11 LV-1010 Category: Moderate Hotel Riverside A comfortable suburban hotel with rock-bottom rates but no riverside location, despite the name. Natana Barkana 5 LV-1003 Category: Cheap LH.com/travelguide 10/10

Classical Baltics Guaranteed Departure Tours Vilnius Riga Tallinn Riga A tour that offers you a wonderful chance to visit all three BALTIC

Classical Baltics Guaranteed Departure Tours Vilnius Riga Tallinn Riga A tour that offers you a wonderful chance to visit all three BALTIC Classical Baltics 2018 - Guaranteed Departure Tours Vilnius Riga Tallinn Riga A tour that offers you a wonderful chance to visit all three BALTIC STATES - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. 8-day guided coach