Riga, Latvia

[Freyja]

Has anyone been to Riga in Latvia. DH will be speaking at a conference there in October and I have decided to go with him for a few days. It seems to be a beautiful old city but I´d love to hear from people who have been there.

 

[akcire]

Has anyone been to Riga in Latvia. DH will be speaking at a conference there in October and I have decided to go with him for a few days. It seems to be a beautiful old city but I´d love to hear from people who have been there.

I visited Riga about 5 years ago for a couple of days and had a nice time. I enjoy walking around old cities. In some ways it is similar to many former Eastern block European cities full of Churches & Castles (for me, once you have seen one....you have seen them all). I found the Latvian people to be EXTREMELY nice, and would gladly go back.

Also at the time their currency was very low in value and everything was exceptionally inexpensive. I see you are in Iceland, and with your recent economic issues I don't know how your currency will translate.

They also have a spa which some people in our traveling party visited and greatly enjoyed. I am not much of a spa person.

 

[Freyja]

I visited Riga about 5 years ago for a couple of days and had a nice time. I enjoy walking around old cities. In some ways it is similar to many former Eastern block European cities full of Churches & Castles (for me, once you have seen one....you have seen them all). I found the Latvian people to be EXTREMELY nice, and would gladly go back.

Also at the time their currency was very low in value and everything was exceptionally inexpensive. I see you are in Iceland, and with your recent economic issues I don't know how your currency will translate.

They also have a spa which some people in our traveling party visited and greatly enjoyed. I am not much of a spa person.

Thanks for the info! A spa sounds great but I´m not sure I want to spend my time there, since we only have 3 days and our exchange rate sucks. But glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay and found the Latvian people to be nice

 

[pogo791]

I visited Riga about 5 years ago for a couple of days and had a nice time. I enjoy walking around old cities. In some ways it is similar to many former Eastern block European cities full of Churches & Castles.

I'd agree. I've been there both right after Latvia became independent (beginning of the 1990s) and a couple of times since then. It's changed considerably, especially after Latvia became a member of the European Union in 2005.

First off, for a Baltic city it's rather big (twice the population of Iceland ...). I assume your husband's conference will be in or near the old town, where there are a number of fairly new (or just renovated) international hotels - some of which do indeed have a spa. It's a very nice area, and there's really no comparison with what it was, say, fifteen years ago: a bit of paint and mortar, as well as a number of very new skyscrapers, does wonders for what was once a very run-down and drab area! Today, the old town is quite attractive, with parks and lots of malls and interesting stores selling both name-brand stuff (at more expensive prices then in Western Europe or in the U.S.) or various handicrafts (which are quite cheap, considering the quality).

Since you are thinking of being there only a few days, you should be able to spend all of your time just walking around the old town, visiting some of the churches or the historical places. Beyond the old town, the city is still rather drab. Many of the suburbs, for example, are still very much the concrete wastelands that they were during the Soviet Union area.

The down-side of Riga is that (like many other cities around the world), you have to be careful. Riga has one of the highest crime rates in Europe, and almost one-fifth of the population live in poverty. You and your husband will probably be warned about two things in particular, the scams in the nightclubs (double-check the price of each and everything you order, especially alcohol!), and the pickpockets.

Freyja, you definitely should go. The transformation in the Baltics is really fascinating, and the area has a lot of interesting history!

 

[Freyja]

I'd agree. I've been there both right after Latvia became independent (beginning of the 1990s) and a couple of times since then. It's changed considerably, especially after Latvia became a member of the European Union in 2005.

First off, for a Baltic city it's rather big (twice the population of Iceland ...). I assume your husband's conference will be in or near the old town, where there are a number of fairly new (or just renovated) international hotels - some of which do indeed have a spa. It's a very nice area, and there's really no comparison with what it was, say, fifteen years ago: a bit of paint and mortar, as well as a number of very new skyscrapers, does wonders for what was once a very run-down and drab area! Today, the old town is quite attractive, with parks and lots of malls and interesting stores selling both name-brand stuff (at more expensive prices then in Western Europe or in the U.S.) or various handicrafts (which are quite cheap, considering the quality).

Since you are thinking of being there only a few days, you should be able to spend all of your time just walking around the old town, visiting some of the churches or the historical places. Beyond the old town, the city is still rather drab. Many of the suburbs, for example, are still very much the concrete wastelands that they were during the Soviet Union area.

The down-side of Riga is that (like many other cities around the world), you have to be careful. Riga has one of the highest crime rates in Europe, and almost one-fifth of the population live in poverty. You and your husband will probably be warned about two things in particular, the scams in the nightclubs (double-check the price of each and everything you order, especially alcohol!), and the pickpockets.

Freyja, you definitely should go. The transformation in the Baltics is really fascinating, and the area has a lot of interesting history!

Thank you! We will be staying at the Radisson Blu Elizabete (since I won the amazing prize of 365 hotel nights with Radisson Blu). It´s situated in the old town and gets great reviews.
We have also been invited out with my step moms brother who lives in Riga a few months out of the year and has been doing business there for the past 20 years. It´s always great to be shown around by people who know the area well, and cann tell stories about the city and it´s people.

We will be careful and have traveled a lot in Eastern Europe so I think we kind of know what to expect.

I appreciate your comments