{"id":11865,"date":"2018-04-22T08:33:08","date_gmt":"2018-04-22T06:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/?p=11865"},"modified":"2021-05-13T15:10:46","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T13:10:46","slug":"latvian-capital-riga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover Riga \u2013 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Riga, the capital of Latvia, is well worth a visit. We went there over the Christmas period and left with many new and interesting impressions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Where is Riga?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Riga is an old Hanseatic City. The city was founded by merchants in the medieval. It is south of the Gulf of Riga on the banks of the river Daugava. The hinterland is only sparsely inhabited due to the many bogs and swamps in the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We visited Riga in December and our biggest worry were the temperatures at that time. Days with \u2013 20\u00b0 Celsius are possible. Even in the summer months the temperature rarely ever rises above +20\u00b0 Celsius. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The history of the city is diverse and characterised by periods of German and Soviet occupation. Today, Riga is the biggest urban centre in the Baltic Countries and the capital city of Latvia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to get there<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We flew in from Berlin Tegel using airBaltic. This and many other smaller airlines travel to the international airport in Riga from many German airports. The airport is approximately 15km from the Old Town. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Discover<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The cheapest way to get to town from the airport is by bus on public transport. Bus number 22 goes all the way to the city centre. Cost varies depending on where a ticket is bought. Buying a ticket from the driver costs 2\u20ac (in 2016) and buying it at the kiosk costs 1.15\u20ac (in 2016). The airport kiosk is in arrivals next to the tourist information. Reduced fares are charged here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who want a little extra comfort and a drop off directly in front of their hotels have the option to book an airport shuttle for 14\u20ac from airBaltic together with the flights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There also is a train station in Riga. It is mainly used for public transport but also trains to Russia, Belarus and Lithuania call there. The bus station is right next to it. Coaches to different areas of Europe stop here. Those who want to travel by boat can do so from L\u00fcbeck or Travem\u00fcnde with Stena Line or Finnlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top 5 destinations in Riga<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\nThis is our selection of landmarks in the Latvian capital. Our top 5 destinations.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"Latvian<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Stalin\u2019s Birthday Cake<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The building that is home to the Latvian Academy of Science is called Stalin\u2019s Birthday Cake by the locals. The building is close to the Old Town and is easily accessible on foot. A really impressive building that, despite its size and potency, shows remarkable attention for details on its fa\u00e7ade. Weather permitting, visitors can access a viewing platform 65 meters above ground. Apparently, the view over Riga and the Daugava is wonderful from up there. Our article \u201cStalin\u2019s Birthday Cake \u2013 Academy of Science\u201d<\/a> talks about the history of the building, the address and info about the viewing platform (opening hours and admission fees). <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

Freedom Monument<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Riga\u2019s centre, the Freedom Monument stands 42.7 meters tall. Originally, an equestrian statue of Peter the Great stood in this exact same spot. During the times of the first Latvian Independency, the Freedom Monument was placed there. The monument survived both the German and the Soviet occupation despite its meaning for the Latvians. Especially the Soviet occupiers disliked the monument strongly and had plans to blow it up towards the end of WWII. There are many stories and anecdotes surrounding this monument. They\u2019re all in our article \u201cHistory of the Freedom Monument\u201d<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"History<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Town Musicians of Bremen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Behind St. Peter\u2019s Church stands a sculpture that no one would expect in Latvia\u2019s capital. There are the Town Musicians of Bremen, created by Bremen artist Christa Baumg\u00e4rtel. We tell you why and how this artwork found its way to Riga in our blog post \u201cThe Town Musicians of Bremen in Riga?\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riga Cathedral<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Riga Cathedral is one of the most frequently visited churches in Riga. We particularly liked the wonderful windows. The glass artworks show pretty pictures and when the light hits them the nave lights up in many different colours. A door in the nave leads through a cloister into the former monastery. Pieces of art as well as remains from Riga\u2019s history can be found here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cathedral<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our article \u201cThe Cathedral of Riga \u2013 a landmark of the Latvian capital\u201d<\/a> provides more information on the history of the church, ticket prices and opening hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riga Central Market<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A visit to the Central Market in Riga is something you should absolutely include in your travel plans. This was one of the few spots for us that gets frequented by locals and tourists alike and that therefore provided a little insight into the lives of the Latvians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Discover<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The market is made up of four smaller halls that are 2.500 m\u00b2 in size and measure 70 meters in lengths and one bigger hall that is 5.000 m\u00b2 in size and measures 140 meters in length. It is huge! The bigger hall is a little further to the side than the others and is the place where all the meat products get sold. The other four halls are all next to each other and provide space for dairy products, fruit and veg, gastronomy and fish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Discover<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, many stalls are dotted around the halls where farmers sell their local products. Those, who would like to learn more about our time at the Central Market, its history and the opening hours should have a look at the blog post \u201cA fascinating visit to Riga Central Market\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Riga, the capital of Latvia, is well worth a visit. We went there over the Christmas period and left with many new and interesting impressions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[206],"tags":[85],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDiscover Riga \u2013 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tips for staying in Riga: Where is Riga? Getting there and our 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital. Riga, the capital of Latvia, is well worth a visit.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Discover Riga \u2013 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tips for staying in Riga: Where is Riga? Getting there and our 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital. Riga, the capital of Latvia, is well worth a visit.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FromPlaceToPlace.travel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-04-22T06:33:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-05-13T13:10:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/04\/fernsehturm.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"533\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Susanne Jungbluth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@vonortzuort\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@vonortzuort\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Susanne Jungbluth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/\",\"name\":\"Discover Riga \u2013 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/04\/fernsehturm.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-04-22T06:33:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-13T13:10:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/#\/schema\/person\/7ceae2474db788fc1d91009ae08b08d3\"},\"description\":\"Tips for staying in Riga: Where is Riga? Getting there and our 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital. Riga, the capital of Latvia, is well worth a visit.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/04\/fernsehturm.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/04\/fernsehturm.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533,\"caption\":\"Daugava in Riga\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Discover Riga \u2013 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/\",\"name\":\"FromPlaceToPlace.travel\",\"description\":\"Travelmagazin "From place to place travel"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/#\/schema\/person\/7ceae2474db788fc1d91009ae08b08d3\",\"name\":\"Susanne Jungbluth\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Discover Riga \u2013 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital","description":"Tips for staying in Riga: Where is Riga? Getting there and our 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital. Riga, the capital of Latvia, is well worth a visit.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Discover Riga \u2013 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital","og_description":"Tips for staying in Riga: Where is Riga? Getting there and our 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital. Riga, the capital of Latvia, is well worth a visit.","og_url":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/","og_site_name":"FromPlaceToPlace.travel","article_published_time":"2018-04-22T06:33:08+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-05-13T13:10:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":533,"url":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/04\/fernsehturm.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Susanne Jungbluth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@vonortzuort","twitter_site":"@vonortzuort","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Susanne Jungbluth","Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/","url":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/","name":"Discover Riga \u2013 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/04\/fernsehturm.jpg","datePublished":"2018-04-22T06:33:08+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-13T13:10:46+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/#\/schema\/person\/7ceae2474db788fc1d91009ae08b08d3"},"description":"Tips for staying in Riga: Where is Riga? Getting there and our 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital. Riga, the capital of Latvia, is well worth a visit.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/04\/fernsehturm.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/04\/fernsehturm.jpg","width":800,"height":533,"caption":"Daugava in Riga"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/latvia\/riga\/latvian-capital-riga\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Discover Riga \u2013 5 top destinations in the Latvian capital"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/#website","url":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/","name":"FromPlaceToPlace.travel","description":"Travelmagazin "From place to place travel"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/#\/schema\/person\/7ceae2474db788fc1d91009ae08b08d3","name":"Susanne Jungbluth"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/04\/fernsehturm.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/04\/fernsehturm.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Susanne Jungbluth","author_link":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/author\/susanne\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11865"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11865"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18318,"href":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11865\/revisions\/18318"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}