Northern Europe

Latvia

The middle of the three Baltic states: pine forests and empty white beaches, Riga's Art Nouveau streets, medieval castles and a nation that sings.

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Overview

Latvia at a glance

Latvia lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, between Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south, with Russia and Belarus to the east. It is a flat, green country: most of the land is less than 100 metres above sea level, more than half of it is covered by forest, and it has about 500 km of sandy coast along the open sea and the shallow Gulf of Riga.

Baltic tribes and the Finnic Livonians lived here long before German crusaders arrived around 1200 and founded Riga. For the next seven centuries the land was ruled in turn by German knights, Poland and Lithuania, Sweden and Russia. Latvia declared independence on 18 November 1918, was occupied by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany during the Second World War, and restored its independence in 1991 after the peaceful Singing Revolution.

Today Latvia is a parliamentary republic of about 1.8 million people, about a third of whom live in Riga. It joined the European Union and NATO in 2004 and adopted the euro on 1 January 2014. Latvians have a treasure of more than a million folk song texts, and their great Song and Dance Festival has been held since 1873.

CapitalRiga

PopulationAbout 1.8 million

Official languageLatvian

CurrencyEuro (€), since 1 January 2014

AreaAbout 64,600 km²

GovernmentParliamentary republic

Highest pointGaiziņkalns, about 312 m, a hill in the Vidzeme Upland

Longest river in LatviaThe Gauja, about 450 km, which starts and ends in Latvia. The Daugava is longer overall, but only about 350 km of it is in Latvia

NeighboursEstonia, Lithuania, Russia and Belarus by land. Across the Baltic Sea it shares a sea border with Sweden

Drives on theRight

Calling code+371

Next: Story

The story

A short history of Latvia

Latvia's story runs from amber traders and Baltic tribes, through German crusaders, the Hanseatic port of Riga and a duchy with colonies overseas, to independence in 1918, fifty years of occupation and a peaceful return to freedom in 1991.

3000 BC
The first Balts arrive
Around 3000 BC the ancestors of the Latvians settled on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Later they traded local amber with Rome and Byzantium for precious metals.
1201
Bishop Albert founds Riga
German crusaders led by Bishop Albert made a trading place at the mouth of the Daugava river the seat of his power. Riga became the base for the conquest of the lands that became known as Livonia.
1282
Riga joins the Hanseatic League
Riga became a member of the Hanseatic League, the great trading network of northern German towns, and later Cēsis, Valmiera and other Latvian towns joined too. Riga grew rich from east to west trade.
1561
The Duchy of Courland is born
During the Livonian War the Livonian Order was dissolved. Its last master, Gotthard Kettler, became Duke of Courland and Semigallia in western Latvia, under the protection of Poland and Lithuania.
1621
Sweden takes Riga
In a war between Poland and Sweden, Riga and much of northern Latvia came under Swedish rule. Riga became one of the largest cities in the Swedish Empire, and the Swedish period is remembered for schools for peasants.
1651
Courland's colonies overseas
Under Duke Jacob Kettler, Courland built a large merchant fleet in Ventspils and Liepāja. In 1651 it set up a colony on an island in the Gambia River in Africa, and it also held land on the Caribbean island of Tobago.
1710
Russia takes Riga
During the Great Northern War, Russian troops took Riga, and plague killed about half of the city's people. By 1795 all of today's Latvia was part of the Russian Empire.
1873
The first Song Festival
About 1,000 singers gathered in Riga for the first All-Latvian Song Festival, during a time of national awakening. The festival is still held, normally every five years.
1918
Latvia declares independence
On 18 November 1918, just after the end of the First World War, the People's Council proclaimed the independent Republic of Latvia in Riga.
1920
Peace with Soviet Russia
After two years of fighting against Soviet and German forces in the War of Independence, Latvia signed a peace treaty with Soviet Russia on 11 August 1920, which recognised its independence.
1940
Soviet occupation
In June 1940 the Soviet Union occupied Latvia, and in August it made it a Soviet republic. Nazi Germany occupied the country from 1941, and the Soviets returned in 1944. Tens of thousands of people were deported to Siberia or killed, and under Nazi rule tens of thousands of Latvia's Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.
1989
The Baltic Way
On 23 August 1989 about two million people joined hands in a human chain about 675 km long through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, to call for freedom from Soviet rule.
1990
The declaration of 4 May
On 4 May 1990 Latvia's newly elected parliament, the Supreme Council, adopted a declaration on the restoration of independence. In January 1991 people built barricades in Riga to protect key buildings from Soviet forces.
1991
Independence restored
On 21 August 1991, as a coup attempt in Moscow failed, Latvia restored its full independence. Russian troops withdrew in 1994, apart from a radar station at Skrunda that closed in 1998.
2004
Latvia joins the EU and NATO
In 2004 Latvia reached two of its main goals of the 1990s, joining both NATO and the European Union. It joined the Schengen area at the end of 2007.
2014
The euro arrives
On 1 January 2014 the euro replaced the lats, the Latvian currency first used between the two world wars and brought back in 1993. The same year Riga was a European Capital of Culture.

Next: At the table

At the table

What to eat in Latvia

Latvian food grew out of farm life in a cool northern climate: dark rye bread, potatoes, peas, cabbage, pork, dairy and, on the coast, smoked fish. Dill is the favourite herb and caraway the favourite spice. Breakfast is usually light, and lunch, eaten between noon and three, is the main meal of the day, sometimes with a soup to start and a dessert to finish. Many dishes follow the seasons, from birch sap in spring to caraway cheese at Midsummer and grey peas at Christmas.

Main courseRecipe

Grey peas with bacon

pelēkie zirņi ar speķi

All of Latvia

Large grey peas, boiled until soft but still whole, then tossed with fried bacon and onion. They are served warm as a hearty dish or a snack, often with a glass of kefir or beer.

Grey peas are a traditional Christmas dish, and in 2015 Latvian large grey peas were given protected status by the European Union.

See the recipe

Serves 4 1 h 30 min

Ingredients

500 g dried grey peas (or brown marrowfat peas), soaked overnight
150 g smoked streaky bacon, cut in small cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
Salt to taste
Kefir or buttermilk to serve (optional)

Method

Soak the peas in plenty of cold water overnight. Drain and rinse.
Cover the peas with fresh water, bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 1 hour, until soft. Do not overcook them, so that they keep their skins.
Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a dry pan until it gives up its fat and turns crisp. Add the onion and cook until soft and golden.
Drain the peas, add them to the pan with the bacon and onion, season with salt and stir well.
Serve warm, with a glass of cold kefir or buttermilk on the side.

Open the recipe on its own page

Bread

Dark rye bread

rupjmaize

All of Latvia

A dense, dark bread made from coarse rye flour with malt and caraway seeds, traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven. It has been the everyday staple of Latvian meals for centuries.

Latvian rye bread is part of the Latvian Culture Canon, a list of the nation's greatest cultural treasures.

DessertRecipe

Layered rye bread dessert

rupjmaizes kārtojums

All of Latvia

A dessert like a trifle, made in a glass bowl from layers of toasted rye bread crumbs with cinnamon and sugar, berry jam and whipped cream.

It was chosen to represent Latvia in the Café Europe project of the European Union on Europe Day 2006.

See the recipe

Serves 4 2 h 30 min

Ingredients

200 g dark rye bread (without seeds), dried or a day old
2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
20 g butter
300 ml whipping cream with 1 tablespoon sugar and a little vanilla
6 tablespoons blackcurrant or lingonberry jam
Fresh berries and a little grated dark chocolate to decorate

Method

Grate the rye bread into fine crumbs. Melt the butter in a pan, add the crumbs, sugar and cinnamon and toast them for 5 minutes, stirring, until crisp. Leave to cool.
Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until it holds soft peaks.
In 4 glasses or one glass bowl, make layers: a spoonful of jam, then whipped cream, then rye crumbs. Repeat until the glasses are full, ending with cream and a sprinkle of crumbs.
Chill for at least 2 hours so that the crumbs soften and the flavours come together.
Decorate with fresh berries and grated chocolate just before serving.

Open the recipe on its own page

Snack

Sklandrausis

sklandrausis

Kurzeme (Courland), from Livonian tradition

A small, open, round rye pie filled with a layer of mashed potato topped with a thicker layer of sweet mashed carrot, flavoured with caraway. It is eaten with milk and honey.

Sklandrausis comes from the Livonians, and in 2013 the European Commission gave it Traditional Speciality Guaranteed status.

Speķrauši — Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns, CC BY 2.0

Snack

Bacon rolls

speķrauši

All of Latvia

Small crescent-shaped buns of soft yeast dough filled with finely chopped fatty bacon and onion. They take a long time to make, so families bake them in large batches for holidays.

Bacon rolls are baked for both the winter holidays and the Midsummer festival, Jāņi, and the smallest ones are seen as the mark of a skilled cook.

Starter

Jāņi cheese

Jāņu siers

All of Latvia, for Midsummer

A round, fresh, mild cheese made from curds of soured and fresh milk, cooked with eggs, butter and caraway seeds, then pressed. It is sliced and eaten at the Midsummer festival.

Jāņi cheese is seen as a symbol of Latvian culture, and it was added to the EU register of Traditional Specialities Guaranteed in 2015.

Cold beet soup — Photo: TreasuryTag, CC BY-SA 3.0

StarterRecipe

Cold beetroot soup

aukstā zupa

Eaten across the Baltic region and Latvia in summer

A bright pink soup served cold in spring and summer, made from kefir or soured milk with boiled beetroot, cucumber, radish, hard-boiled egg and plenty of fresh dill.

Its Latvian name, aukstā zupa, simply means 'cold soup'. Similar soups are loved in Lithuania, Poland, Belarus and Ukraine.

See the recipe

Serves 4 50 min

Ingredients

3 medium beetroots, boiled, peeled and cooled (or ready-cooked beetroot)
1 litre kefir or buttermilk, well chilled
1 cucumber and 4 radishes
3 hard-boiled eggs
A small bunch of dill and a few spring onions
Salt, a pinch of sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice
Sour cream and boiled or fried potatoes to serve

Method

Grate the beetroot coarsely or cut it into thin strips. Dice the cucumber and slice the radishes thinly.
Finely chop the dill and spring onions. Chop two of the eggs.
Put the vegetables, herbs and chopped eggs in a large bowl and pour over the cold kefir. Stir until the soup turns pink.
Season with salt, a pinch of sugar and lemon juice. If it is too thick, add a little cold water. Chill for 30 minutes.
Serve in bowls with a slice of the last egg and a spoon of sour cream, with warm potatoes on the side.

Open the recipe on its own page

Main courseRecipe

Potato pancakes

kartupeļu pankūkas

All of Latvia

Crisp, golden pancakes of grated raw potato fried in oil, a favourite across northern and eastern Europe. In Latvia they are often served with smoked salmon and sour cream.

Potato pancakes have a different name in almost every country of the region, from draniki in Belarus to bulviniai blynai in Lithuania.

See the recipe

Serves 4 40 min

Ingredients

1 kg floury potatoes, peeled
1 onion
2 eggs
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 teaspoon salt and a little black pepper
Sunflower oil for frying
Sour cream and smoked salmon to serve

Method

Grate the potatoes and the onion finely. Put them in a clean tea towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
Mix the potato and onion with the eggs, flour, salt and pepper.
Heat a thin layer of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Put in large spoonfuls of the mixture and flatten them to about 1 cm.
Fry for about 4 minutes on each side, until deep golden and cooked through. Take care with the hot oil.
Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot with sour cream and slices of smoked salmon.

Open the recipe on its own page

Dessert

Curd snack

biezpiena sieriņš

All of Latvia

A small bar of sweetened curd cheese, sometimes filled with jam and usually coated in a chocolate glaze. Curd snacks became hugely popular in Soviet times and are still loved across the Baltic states.

In 2012 Latvian shoppers voted the Kārums curd snack their favourite product, with 20% of the votes.

Drink

Riga Black Balsam

Rīgas Melnais balzams

Riga

A strong, dark herbal liqueur made with 17 botanicals, from birch buds to oak bark, blended with honey and sold in a clay bottle. There are also versions with blackcurrant and cherry. It is often called Latvia's national drink.

The recipe was created in 1752 by Abraham Kunze, a pharmacist in Riga. By tradition, only the head liquor master and two apprentices know the exact recipe. Anyone who does not drink alcohol can politely say no.

Drink

Birch sap

bērzu sula

The Latvian countryside, in spring

The clear, slightly sweet sap tapped from birch trees, a very popular drink in spring. It is drunk fresh or kept with raisins, lemon peel and blackcurrant twigs, and sold at markets and roadside stalls.

Today birch sap is also turned into lemonade, sparkling wine and even schnapps.

Drink

Kvass

kvass

Drunk across eastern Europe, popular in Latvia

A lightly fizzy, brown soft drink traditionally brewed from fermented rye or black bread. In Soviet times it was sold on the street from big tanks on wheels.

Around 2000, Latvian kvass became so popular that it won about 30% of the soft drink market, and Coca-Cola's share fell.

Table manners

Before eating, people wish each other 'Labu apetīti' (enjoy your meal).
When glasses are raised, people say 'Priekā!' (cheers).
Lunch is traditionally the main meal of the day, and it often starts with a soup.
Kefir or soured milk is commonly drunk with hot meals, not just at breakfast.
A classic simple lunch is boiled potatoes with lightly salted herring, cottage cheese, spring onions and sour cream.
At Jāņi, the Midsummer festival on 23 and 24 June, people leave the city to eat, drink and sing through the night in the countryside.

Next: Cities

Cities

12 cities to know

Riga is by far the largest city, home to about a third of all Latvians. The other towns are small and friendly: seaside ports in the west, castle towns along the Gauja valley, the palace town of Jelgava, and Daugavpils and Rēzekne in Latgale in the east.

Riga Capital

Riga

The capital and largest city of Latvia, with about 590,000 people, where the Daugava river meets the Gulf of Riga. Founded in 1201, it has a medieval Old Town and one of the world's largest collections of Art Nouveau buildings.

Its Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
At least 800 Art Nouveau buildings
The Central Market in old Zeppelin hangars

Daugavpils

Latgale

The second-largest city in Latvia, on the Daugava river in the south-east, about 230 km from Riga and close to the borders with Lithuania and Belarus. It grew as a garrison town and railway junction.

The Daugavpils Fortress, built from 1810 to 1878
A mainly Russian-speaking population
Trips to Aglona Basilica nearby

Liepāja

Kurzeme (Courland)

The third-largest city and the largest in Courland, an ice-free port on the open Baltic Sea. Its name comes from liepa, the Latvian word for the linden tree, and it is known as 'the city where the wind is born'.

A wide sandy beach
Karosta, a former naval town and military prison
European Capital of Culture in 2027

Jelgava

Zemgale (Semigallia)

The fourth-largest city, about 40 km south-west of Riga on the Lielupe river. It was the capital of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, and its dukes' baroque palace now houses a university.

Jelgava Palace, designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli
The Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies
A major railway junction

Jūrmala

Riga region

A long, narrow resort town about 25 km west of Riga, squeezed between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe river. Its name simply means 'seaside', and in Soviet times it was a favourite holiday spot of top party leaders.

A 33 km white sand beach
Wooden summer houses in Art Nouveau style
Spas and summer concerts

Ventspils

Kurzeme (Courland)

A port city where the Venta river meets the Baltic Sea. Its name means 'castle on the Venta', after the medieval castle of the Livonian Order. Duke Jacob's ships sailed from here to found colonies.

The medieval Ventspils Castle
An ice-free port
Painted cow sculptures around town

Rēzekne

Latgale

A town built on seven hills in eastern Latvia, about 240 km east of Riga. It is called 'the heart of Latgale', and in 1917 the Latgalian congress held here decided to unite Latgale with the other Latvian regions.

Being 'the heart of Latgale'
The ruins of Rēzekne Castle
Latgalian language and culture

Valmiera

Vidzeme

One of the oldest towns in Latvia, on both banks of the Gauja river about 107 km north-east of Riga. It was a member of the Hanseatic League.

The Gauja river
Its Hanseatic past
The largest share of ethnic Latvians among the state cities

Cēsis

Vidzeme

A small medieval town about 90 km north-east of Riga, on ridges above the Gauja valley. It grew up around the castle of the Livonian knights and still keeps its medieval street plan.

Cēsis Castle
St. John's Church and old town walls
The Cēsis Art Festival

Sigulda

Vidzeme

A town about 53 km from Riga on a lovely stretch of the Gauja river valley, with red sandstone cliffs and caves. It has been called 'the Switzerland of Vidzeme'.

Turaida Castle across the river
Autumn colours in Gauja National Park
Bobsleigh and luge in winter

Kuldīga

Kurzeme (Courland)

A small, picturesque town in western Latvia, first mentioned in 1242, with red-tiled roofs, wooden houses and a little river running between the houses. Its old town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023.

The Venta Rapid, a very wide waterfall
A 164 m old brick bridge from 1874
Its UNESCO-listed old town

Bauska

Zemgale (Semigallia)

A small town in southern Latvia, about 66 km from Riga and 20 km from the Lithuanian border, where the Mūsa and Mēmele rivers meet to form the Lielupe.

Bauska Castle
Rundāle Palace nearby
The road between Riga and Lithuania

A grand baroque summer palace about 12 km west of Bauska, designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli for Duke Ernst Johann von Biron of Courland. It was built in two stages between 1736 and 1768, and the palace and its gardens are now a museum.

Near Sigulda

Turaida Castle

A red-brick castle on a hill above the Gauja river, across the valley from Sigulda. It was begun in 1214 by order of Bishop Albert of Riga, on the site of a wooden Livonian fort. Its tall main tower rises above the trees.

Cēsis

Cēsis Castle

One of the best-preserved medieval castles in Latvia, begun by the Livonian knights about 800 years ago. It became the seat of the master of the Livonian Order. Visitors are given a candle lantern to explore its dim Western Tower.

Kuldīga

The Old Town of Kuldīga

Kuldīga's old town of wooden and stone houses was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023. On its edge the Venta river drops over a low ledge about 249 metres wide, the Venta Rapid, often called the widest waterfall in Europe.

UNESCO World Heritage

Near Daugavpils

Aglona Basilica

A late baroque church with two 60-metre towers in Latgale, built between 1768 and 1780. It is one of the most important Catholic centres in Latvia, and thousands of pilgrims come every year on 15 August, the feast of the Assumption. Pope John Paul II visited in 1993.

Next: Fun facts

Fun facts

Things you might not know

01
Riga's House of the Blackheads is linked to one of the earliest recorded Christmas trees: the Brotherhood of Blackheads put up a holiday tree there in 1510. Tallinn in Estonia has similar records from 1441.
02
Jacob Davis, the tailor credited with inventing riveted blue jeans, was born in Riga in 1831. He later went into business with Levi Strauss in San Francisco.
03
The tiny Minox spy camera was invented by Walter Zapp, who was born in Riga, and it was first made in Riga by the VEF factory in 1938.
04
In the 1600s the small Duchy of Courland, now part of western Latvia, had colonies in Africa, on the Gambia River, and in the Caribbean, on the island of Tobago.
05
Collectors have written down more than 1.2 million texts of Latvian folk songs, called dainas. Most are just four short lines long.
06
The Latvian Song and Dance Festival brings tens of thousands of amateur singers and dancers to Riga. Together with the song festivals of Estonia and Lithuania, it has been on UNESCO's list of intangible heritage since 2008.
07
Riga's Academy of Sciences, a 108-metre Soviet-style tower finished in 1961, is nicknamed 'Stalin's birthday cake'. It was the first skyscraper in Latvia.
08
In spring, salmon at the Venta Rapid in Kuldīga leap up the waterfall, so Kuldīga was once called the town where they catch salmon in the air.
09
Latvia's highest point, Gaiziņkalns, is only about 312 metres high. A tower was once built on it to beat Estonia's highest hill, Suur Munamägi, at 318 metres, but it was never finished and was pulled down in 2012.
10
Livonian, a language related to Estonian and Finnish, was once spoken on Latvia's coast. Grizelda Kristiņa, long called its last native speaker, died in 2013. Today a few families and students are bringing it back.
11
Latvia won the very first European basketball championship, EuroBasket, in 1935.
12
Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, President of Latvia from 1999 to 2007, was the first woman to be head of state in any country of the former Soviet bloc.
13
In Latvian, foreign names are spelled the way they sound in Latvian, so newspapers change the spelling of names from other languages to fit Latvian sounds and endings.

Next: Words

Latvian words

20 words to start with

Pronunciation is written the way it sounds; the capital letters show where the stress goes. Audio is coming soon.

Basics

jāYAHyes
nēNEHno
paldiesPAHL-dyessthank you
lūdzuLOO-dzooplease, or you're welcome
sveikiSVAY-keehello, or bye (friendly)

Food and drink

maizeMY-zehbread
ūdensOO-denswater
alusAH-loosbeer
piensPYENSmilk
siersSYERScheese
zivsZIVSfish
kafijaKAH-fee-yahcoffee

Getting around

vilciensVIL-tsyenstrain
autobussOW-toh-boosbus
pa kreisipah KRAY-seeon the left
pa labipah LAH-beeon the right

Shopping

dārgiDAHR-geeexpensive
lētiLEH-teecheap
tirgusTEER-goosmarket

Time

šodienSHWAW-dyentoday

Next: Phrases

Say it like a local

Useful phrases

Labrīt

lahb-REET

Good morning

Greeting someone in the morning

Labdien

lahb-DYEN

Good day, hello

The polite greeting for most of the day, in shops and with strangers

Labvakar

lahb-VAH-kahr

Good evening

Greeting someone in the evening

Ar labu nakti

ahr LAH-boo NAHK-tee

Good night

Saying goodbye late at night or before bed

Uz redzēšanos

ooz RED-zeh-shah-nwawss

Goodbye

Leaving a shop, a restaurant or people you don't know well

Kā jums klājas?

KAH yooms KLAH-yahs

How are you? (polite)

Asking an older person or a stranger how they are

Labi, paldies

LAH-bee, PAHL-dyess

Fine, thank you

Answering 'How are you?'

Prieks iepazīties

PRYEKS EE-ah-pah-zee-tyess

Nice to meet you

Meeting someone for the first time

Atvainojiet

AHT-vy-naw-yet

Excuse me

Getting someone's attention, or getting past people

Vai jūs runājat angliski?

vy YOOS ROO-nah-yaht AHN-glee-skee

Do you speak English?

Before asking for help

Es nesaprotu

ess NEH-sah-praw-too

I don't understand

When you can't follow what someone says

Cik tas maksā?

TSIK tahs MAHK-sah

How much is this?

Shopping at a market or in a shop

Kur ir tualete?

KOOR eer TWAH-leh-teh

Where is the toilet?

In a café, museum or station

Kur ir bankomāts?

KOOR eer BAHN-kaw-mahts

Where is a cash machine?

Looking for an ATM

Labu apetīti

LAH-boo AH-peh-tee-tee

Enjoy your meal

Before eating with others

Priekā!

PRYEH-kah

Cheers!

Raising a glass for a toast

Tas bija ļoti garšīgi

tahs BEE-yah LYAW-tee GAHR-shee-gee

It was very delicious

Thanking the cook or the waiter

Rēķinu, lūdzu

REH-tyee-noo, LOO-dzoo

The bill, please

Asking for the bill in a restaurant or café

Next: Local tips

Local tips

Before you go

Euros and modest tips

Latvia has used the euro since 1 January 2014, so old prices in lats are long out of date. Tipping is modest: rounding up or leaving about 5 to 10% is enough, and it is not required. Check the bill, as a few places add a service charge.

Emergency number: 112

The common emergency number in Latvia is 112, as in the rest of the European Union. Operators answer in Latvian, English and Russian.

Headlights on all year

Drive on the right, and keep your headlights on whenever you drive, all year round. Winter tyres are compulsory from 1 December to 1 March. Watch for wild animals on forest roads, especially at night.

Ticks in the forests

Ticks are active from May to September in forests, long grass and even town parks, and they can carry tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease. Check yourself after walks and ask your doctor about vaccination before a summer trip.

Swim with care

Obey the flags on the beaches. Even on hot days the Baltic can bring in very cold water, and currents around piers are dangerous even when the sea looks calm.

Plan around Midsummer

Jāņi, on 23 and 24 June, are public holidays when many Latvians leave the cities for the countryside. It is a wonderful time to see bonfires and hear singing through the night, so plan travel and bookings ahead.

English is easiest with younger people

Younger Latvians usually speak good English. Many older people speak Latvian and Russian but little English, so a few Latvian words and a phrasebook help, especially in the countryside.

No drinking in the street

Drinking alcohol in public places outside bars and restaurants is frowned upon and can bring a fine. Enjoy your beer at a café table instead.

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Where to next?

EstoniaFull trip: food, cities, phrases

LithuaniaFull trip: food, cities, phrases

ItalyFull trip: food, cities, phrases

SpainFull trip: food, cities, phrases

JapanFull trip: food, cities, phrases

FranceFull trip: food, cities, phrases

Latvia

Ready for the trip?

Neighbours

Print the Latvia pack

The first Balts arrive

Bishop Albert founds Riga

Riga joins the Hanseatic League

The Duchy of Courland is born

Sweden takes Riga

Courland's colonies overseas

Russia takes Riga

The first Song Festival

Latvia declares independence

Peace with Soviet Russia

Soviet occupation

The Baltic Way

The declaration of 4 May

Independence restored

Latvia joins the EU and NATO

The euro arrives

Grey peas with bacon

Ingredients

Method

Dark rye bread

Layered rye bread dessert

Ingredients

Method

Sklandrausis

Bacon rolls

Jāņi cheese

Cold beetroot soup

Ingredients

Method

Potato pancakes

Ingredients

Method

Curd snack

Riga Black Balsam

Birch sap

Kvass

Table manners

Riga Capital

Daugavpils

Liepāja

Jelgava

Jūrmala

Ventspils

Rēzekne

Valmiera

Cēsis

Sigulda

Kuldīga

Bauska

The Historic Centre of Riga

The House of the Blackheads

The Freedom Monument

Riga Central Market

Rundāle Palace

Turaida Castle

Cēsis Castle

The Old Town of Kuldīga

Aglona Basilica

Basics

Food and drink

Getting around

Shopping

Time

Euros and modest tips

Emergency number: 112

Headlights on all year

Ticks in the forests

Swim with care

Plan around Midsummer

English is easiest with younger people

No drinking in the street

Where to next?