- Riga
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Latvia
We booked two day tours (the Grand Riga Tour and Sigulda Tour). Both were surprisingly good! The guides and service were excellent. Thanks Gatis and Gundega (tour guides) and Janis!
www.latviantourguides.com
+371 29787307
‘Beaming Riga’ (Staro Rīga) is the festival of lights which transforms the panorama of Riga in dark evenings of November. November 18 is also the birthday of Latvia, so coming to Riga on these dates kills two birds with one stone. ‘Beaming Riga’ is a festival all around the city which transforms the city using light, video and
other technologies - buildings, squares, monuments, streets are live and talking through
technologies and creativity.
"Beaming Riga 2011” will take place in the city on 17th – 20st of November in urban
environment. Some more dark autumns evenings transformed into the urban fairy tale by
arts.
‘Sound Forest’ (Skaņu Mežs) is a music festival which plays not only with your ears, but mostly with mind. The first Sound Forest was organized in 2003. The festival is organized to show the latest activities in the world of music and this is also a provocation for new angles in music. The artists in Sound Forest are surprising, boring, shocking, incomprehensible etc. These are brave artists from all over the world - the future of music – the music for which we are probably not ready yet. As the organizers of the festival say,
they are doing it to “knock the mind out of the comfortable and dull "reality" to remind
you of an alternative”.
Sound Forest 2011 will be in Riga on 16th – 17th of September.
www.skanumezs.lv/en/category/news-summary-in-english/
Miera street 58, Riga
+371 29464264
Google map: bit.ly/odTmG0
This year is the XXI Riga International Film Festival "Arsenals" is happening from 10th – 18th of September, Every time the selection of Arsenals films highlights some period in the history of cinematography, and offer audience an opportunity to get to know a particular world region and its culture - this year focusing on the cinema of Southeastern Asia: the programme will offer films from Thailand, the Philippines,
Malaysia, „disguising, wrapping and winding the Oriental essence, applying codes and masks as the sign of the festival this year”.
Arsenals is an event that takes over Riga in autumn since 1986 showing the most vivid
international cinema events and the latest and most interesting Baltic films. Several cinema-related events and works of art are also coming out to the streets and screenings of classical silent films accompanied by live music performed by professional musicians is a great tradition of this festival.
Since 1998 Baltic Film Competition is a special section of Arsenals and screens
films produced in the Baltic region in the last two years. Tihs is the film festival
which demonstrates and rewards the latest and best Baltic feature films, short films,
documentaries and animated films.
www.arsenals.lv/en/
Blaumaņa street 31/15, LV 1011, Riga, Latvia
+371 67210114
Cinema ‘Kino Citadele’ and cinema ‘KSuns’
A subscription ticket for five films - 12Ls; 10 films - 20 lats.
Google map: bit.ly/nrThMG
The contemporary arts forum White Night (Baltā Nakts) presents art, theatre, music,
movement and other art projects and performances. Every year White Night is organized all over the city at the end of August/beginning of September. ‘White Night 2011’ will be here on 10th of September. More than 65 art, music, theater, survival, performance
events in former factory VEF, Spikeri, Miera street, Old Town, and the centre of Riga
and in suburbs. Enjoy the beauty of arts all night long for free, heading form one place to
another! White Night forum is organized by Riga City Council Department of Culture in
cooperation with the active Latvian cultural organizations, involving a number of Latvian
and foreign artists. The city’s cafes, galleries, bookstores, clubs and other establishments
take an active part in the forum.
„White Night” is part of the joint “European White Nights” project by Brussels, Madrid,
Paris, Riga and Rome. This idea is also adopted by Amsterdam, Bucharest, Porto and
Valletta (Malta), as well as Toronto, Tokyo, Montreal, Chicago and other cities.
www.li.lv/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=283&Itemid=1
* Kristine is our Been there local for Riga. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/riga-local-kristine.jsp and she has her own blog here: www.friendinriga.blogspot.com
In the Town Hall square next to the House of Blackheads you will aslo find The
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia housed in a black communist-era building -
.detailing events of Latvia's recent history, from the World War II occupations to the
events of independence in 1991, the museum is definitely worth a visit, in order to
gain a clearer understanding of Latvia.
www.omf.lv/
Strēlnieku laukums 1, Rīga LV-1050
+371 67212715
Google map: bit.ly/ni3iQJ
* * Kristine is our Been there local for Riga. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/riga-local-kristine.jsp and she has her own blog here: www.friendinriga.blogspot.com
The House of Blackheads in the Town Hall square built in 1344, is a stunning example of Gothic architecture. The original house was the headquarters of unmarried local merchants, known as the Blackheads. It was a place which played an important role in the life of society and traditions; VIPs from all over the Europe were often guests there and had wild secret parties.
A German merchant club the Brotherhood of Blackheads existed here until the middle
of the 20th century. On the top of the building you see a blue astronomical clock and inside the
building in the basement there is an exhibition about the history of the building. Its rooms and halls are rich with golden decorations, 19th century furnishings, paintings, the Latvian State highest award - the Three Star Order
- and the medal collection. Rooms of the building are also rented for cultural and private
events/celebrations, different concerts and exhibitions.
Rātslaukums 7, Riga, LV-1050
+371 67044300
Google map: bit.ly/o0kBd1
* Kristine is our Been there local for Riga. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/riga-local-kristine.jsp and she has her own blog here: www.friendinriga.blogspot.com
You will find the Town Hall square (Rātslaukums)
as you walk through The Old Town. And you don’t want to miss it because it’s what you see on postcards from Riga. You need to take your own picture at this place.
With stalls, workshops and various feasts The Town Hall Square used to be the centre of public life during The Middle Ages. Historians believe it
was originally a market place, but after expansion of the city in 1211 the Town Hall square was formed here. Punishments were executed and pageants used to be arranged here
as well. During World War II the luxurious development of the square was completely destroyed. Thanks to grand reconstruction works in this century the main buildings - the Town Hall and Blackheads House - have been restored.
Today at the Town Hall Square you will find a renovated House of Blackheads, souvenir shops, City Hall and the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. In the centre of the square you can see a figure of Roland which is a symbol of judicial
power, freedom and independence of many European cities.
It’s located between Kaļķu Street and Grēcinieku Street, close to the river Daugava.
Google map: bit.ly/qYOlPf
* * Kristine is our Been there local for Riga. Her page is here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/riga-local-kristine.jsp and she has her own blog here: www.friendinriga.blogspot.com
To experience the feeling of being ‘up there’ you should visit the radio and television tower at Zaķusala - the 368 metre high tower in Riga which is the tallest in the European Union and a symbol of Riga.
The observation deck is the highest publicly accessible viewing point in Riga. From there you can easily see the city and in the right weather conditions you can see the Riga HES at Salaspils and the highest points of Sigulda (around 50km away from Riga), as well as the Gulf of Riga and ships in the gulf. Not many visitors, welcoming service staff.
You can book an excursion there (around 45min) or just go there and enjoy the view. For detailed information (mission, history, services, technical information etc) check their website. To get there you will have to take a trolley bus number 19 or 24 (at the city center) to the “Zaķusala” stop, which is located on the Salu Bridge. The tower is a 20 minutes walk from the bus stop. It is also possible to park buses and private cars at the tower car park.
www.tvtornis.lv/tvtornis/index.php?l=en
Zaķusalas krastmala 1, Rīga, LV-1050
+371 29409027
Google map: bit.ly/qMzZL9
You get a great view of Riga from the 26th floor of the Radisson Blu Hotel Skyline bar in the city centre – there are beautiful sunsets you can enjoy together with your friends with a glass of your favorite drink there! Radisson Blue Hotel you will easily see walking just some three minutes from the Freedom Monument to the historical centre (away from the Old Town). The bar opens at 3 - 4PM, but you can't always get the table near the window and you can't reserve. But you can go there and walk around enjoying the sights, and you can do it for free. The best thing is that from this place you can enjoy the lights of Riga at night. If there are any free tables on the left side of the room – you are lucky, the view from there is the best. They have also panoramic elevators (and the view from the toilets is worth seeing).
www.skylinebar.lv/en
Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija, Elizabetes Str 55, Riga
+371 67772222
Google map: bit.ly/nAcbWa
If visitors want a great view of Riga I usually advise them to go to the tower of the Academy of Sciences. It’s in the centre of Riga, it’s easy to go there and the view over Riga is really wide - you can see the Old Town, the so called Moscow Suburbs of Riga, Central Market and you can enjoy the contrasts. The building itself was built after World War II, between 1953 and 1956 and it was the first skyscraper in the republic. The building is a cousin to similar Stalin-era skyscrapers in Warsaw and Moscow, and an example of Stalinist architecture. You can see the 360 degree wide birds eye view to Riga from the 17th-floor balcony (height of 65 metres, 213 ft).
www.lza.lv/index.php?mylang=english
Akademijas laukums 1, Riga, LV-1050, Latvia
+371 26804899
Google map: bit.ly/qiMpsQ
The most popular place to see Riga from the height of birds is the Tower of St. Peters Church. The church is located in the Old Town, it’s included in the UNESCO World Heritage and from there you can enjoy romantic views to the old buildings, the river Daugava - which divides the city into two parts, and bridges. It’s a postcard worthy sight.
www.peterbaznica.lv
Skārņu street 19, Riga, LV-1050
+371 67229426
Google map: bit.ly/nuG6p6
LIDO restaurants and bistros you will find also at the airport, shopping centres and other places, but in the centre of Riga I would advice bistro Vērmanītis located next to the Vermann’s garden. Vegetables, meat, fish, salad, desserts – always fresh food, wooden interior, Latvian music and bellyfull just for around 2 – 4Ls. Vērmanītis is one of these places budget travellers are choosing and enjoying for their Latvian meals.
www.lido.lv
Elizabetes iela 65, Riga, LV-1050
+371 67286289
Google map: bit.ly/qbJH6U
For those who are not used to hearty Latvian food and who do not want to make
their wallet empty because of it, there is affordable vegetarian food at Indian bistro Rāma. The whole place where you will find Rāma is called the Hare Krishna centre – there is an
Indian shop in cellar with incense sticks, cosmetics, food, pictures of deities, jewelry
etc. There is also vedic yoga centre, the girls working there are wearing saris and the
place is filled with Indian chants. The vegetarian food is light and tasty – rice, cutlets, salad, buns, snacks, vegetarian pizza, lassi, fresh juice
and a big variety of teas with a special accent on yoga teas. Happy hour if from 18.30 – 19.30 during which time you get hot dishes with a 25% discount and if buying yoga tea you can get any of their Eastern sweets for free.
Even without these discounts you will pay around 2 -3Ls (£2.50-£3.50) for a good meal. Sounds good, no? This place invites you to get your inner balance while eating.
www.krishna.lv
Krišjāņa Barona iela 56, Rīga, LV-1011, Latvia
+371 7272490
Google map: bit.ly/oZ85f2
This bistro is a number one choice for students and budget travellers in Riga, and also for
people returning home from a night in the Old Town – one of their bistros at the
Old Town works till 4am!
Here you can get two types of cold dishes, two types of soup and six types of dumplings (‘pelmeņi’ is Latvian word for dumplings) - with different types of meat, with cheese and vegetables. For 1-3Ls (£1.20-£3.50) you get an entire meal, and then you're ready to enjoy the city. One of XL Pelmeņi bistros is located right in the heart of the Old Town, another one at the shopping centre 'Galerija Centrs' and another at
shopping centre 'Origo' (Central Train Station). Oh, and they have even happy hours
there: at the shopping centres from 2pm – 10pm, but at the heart of the Old Town (Kaļķu
Street 7) 12pm – 4am(!), that’s when you can get all kinds of dumplings and salads for just for 0.69Ls (£0.85).
www.xlpelmeni.lv/
Old Town: Vecrīgā, Kalķu 7, Rīga
+371 7 222728
Google map: bit.ly/rpFWNT
Audēju 16, Galerija centrs, Teātra iela 16
Riga, LV-1050, Latvia
+371 67104441
Google map: bit.ly/qGEySa
Stacijas laukums 2, Origo Centrs, LV1050
+371 67073956
Google map: bit.ly/osyJLB
Istaba (the Room) is an art gallery, shop and restaurant. The small gallery shop will make you wonder – you can find there things from greeting cards to tableware, jewelery, matches, souvenirs, home design objects etc, all created by local artists. Monthly exhibitions to highlight different types of art work are organized here, so what will you see when you come depends on the exhibition which is currently on. If you are searching for original gifts or souvenirs, this place is just perfect – no trite nonsense or rubbish, but pure art even in small practical things!
If the shop already takes you into a little dream world where everything around you is a piece of art then the restaurant Istabas Bufete on the first floor allows you to dwell longer in this little La Boheme world. I think the best thing to order here is a glass of wine, although the food here is prepared by one of Latvia’s most popular local chefs Mārtiņš Sirmais. Here is just a small daily menu and if you want to eat something the chef himself will come and consult you what to order. That’s also the reason why it’s not possible to know how much money you have to take with you. You can get soup, fish, meat and vegetables for around 3 – 8Ls (£4-10) not the cheapest place, but the food there is always fresh, ecological and high quality – these are the values of the chef.
People admire or hate this place. Some of them go away from there totally unsatisfied with the service – no menu, no big choice, just what the chef offers, but mainly people leave with smiling faces and always return there to enjoy its atmosphere and celebrate life with a glass of wine and intellectual talks for hours.
Kr. Barona iela 31a
+ 371 6728 1141
Google map: bit.ly/oj5jqU
Google map: bit.ly/rmgNXj
Monday to Saturday: gallery-shop 12.00 – 20.00, restaurant: 12.00– 24.00,
Sunday – closed
Cross the river Daugava, take a walk on the Stone Bridge - the view to Riga from there is wide and beautiful. On the other side of the river this summer until September is a creative sand sculpture park. It's not big, but worth seeing it.
"Magic Sand" is an international festival. In Riga you will see artwork by 12 professional world class sand masters. Sand sculpture park also offers to make your own sand sculpture (for additional fee), "Game Station" for children, workshops, early morning yoga classes and more. The view to Riga from there is wonderful – water, towers of the Old Town, bridges; and the atmosphere - meditative and peaceful. Artists working, and kids playing in a big sandbox. I also enjoyed playing with the sand!
www.magicsand.lv
+37129572828
The place: AB dam, right in front of the Old Town – the other side of the river, next to the Stone Bridge and Radisson Blu Daugava Hotel (Kuģu street)
Google map: bit.ly/pXq9yj
Entrance fee - 2Ls.
Working hours: every day till September 10AM - 9PM.
You can see pictures of the sand park in Kristine's blog: friendinriga.blogspot.com/2011/07/creative-sand-sculpture-park-magic-sand.html
This is definitely a very special place located betwean The Old Town and Riga’s own ‘Moscow suburbs’, right next to the Central train terminal and bus station. Even if youare not planning to shop, you definitely need to go.
The buildings here, today used as market pavilions, were initially built as hangars for the German army’s zeppelins. Now next to the imported food you will find here delicious, fresh, ecological food from the countryside of Latvia, and it’s cheaper than in any shop. The meat pavilion, grocery, green grocery and fish pavilions, the open air market area. And there are a lot of opportunities to taste the food before buying it! If you look at clothes/shoes – it’s a ‘Made in China’ paradise, but between that you can also find high quality stuff. It is the second biggest market–place in Europe.
On my free weekends I take my shopping bag and go to the Central Market to get the best (fresh and cheap) food in the city. It’s not only a market-place, but it also holds cultural events and shows a little different face of Riga than you will see in The Old Town.
www.rct.lv/index.php?id=425
+(371) 67229985
7 Nēģu street, Riga, LV-1050, Latvia
Google map: bit.ly/qxYQLS
The Freedom Monument is something you can’t miss. It’s the border between The Old Town and the new part of the city, it’s the beginning of the main street in Riga – Brīvības street (Freedom street), it’s a meeting place and more. The
42 meter high monument helps people orient themselves.
On the left side of the monument stands The National Opera House with it’s garden, on the right side is Bastion Hill and in front of it lies the Old Town. All roads in Riga eventually lead to it – the highest freedom monument in Europe.
It is dedicated to 'Fatherland and Freedom' and is topped by a Liberty Statue - a woman with three stars symbolizing regional parts of Latvia:
Kurzeme, Vidzeme and Latgale. At the base of the monument are several sculptural groups symbolizing different values - Labor, Strength of the Nation, Spiritual Strength, Freedom, Family. On the lowest block you can read historical events showed by the help of sculptures. The Monument was created by Kārlis Zāle (1888-
1942), a well-known Latvian sculptor and erected in 1935 during the first period of Latvian independence between 1918 and 1940.
Nowadays everyone is free to place flowers there and people really do it, but during the Soviet era, a running joke, not completely untrue, was that the monument was a travel agency, because anyone who dared to place flowers at its base got a free one- way ticket to Siberia ... The occupation authorities did not remove the monument fearing protests, but there was an unwritten law not to film and take pictures of the
monument. This is the monument Latvians really respect and take care of and now it is as important as it was during the time Latvians didn’t know the freedom.
Nowadays you will find there different cultural events, national holidays, song and dance
festivals celebrated near the monument. Sometimes you will see here a brass orchestra
playing, you will hear the National Anthem or folk songs, you will hear the heads of
the country with their speeches during national celebrations talking to people at this place. On a daytime there are also guards standing at the monument. If you want to see the changing of the guard come at 10am or 5pm. Every morning there are people watching them coming and taking pictures of this small performance.
Riga, LV-1050
Google map: bit.ly/nNAdqb
This is a great place to enjoy live music outside. Egle is near the Town Hall square – Rātslaukums – with the famous Backheads houses you see
on almost every postcard from Riga. There is a Christmas tree made from pieces of mirror (because Riga is the birthplace of the tradition to decorate a tree on Christmas), Souvenier shop with a big black cat next to it called 'Riga Cat' and then there is cafe 'Egle' – open air leisure venue with live music every evening from 8PM. Traditional music, classical rock songs, jazz, popular Latvian rock and pop bands – all kinds of music.
www.spogulegle.lv/intro.php?lang=en
Oldtown, Kalku street 1a,
+371 25505268
Google map: bit.ly/qdqdSv
Is this your business?Search Been there
