We visited Riga, the capital of Latvia, at the end of June. The weather was mostly sunny and the sun set after 10.30pm so the days were pretty long. We only had the weekend, but we still had a great time and it felt like we’d been away for longer.
Our perfect weekend trip includes good food, drinks, a bit of culture and a bike ride.
FRIDAY EVENING
We checked into ST. PETER’S BOUTIQUE HOTEL at Peldu iela 23 in the Old Town. It’s very quiet. The rooms are soundproofed and prettily furnished and decorated in an old-fashioned style. I felt relaxed straightaway.
For our dinner we ate at MILDA RESTAURANT at Kungu iela 8 as it was just nearby and recommended by the hotel. It turned out to be a really great restaurant. It’s stylish and authentic and they make beautiful Latvian and Lithuanian dishes. We shared an appetizer of crunchy potatoes with a creamy garlicsauce. You can imagine—irresistible! Then we had an amber-coloured Latvian beer with a starter of pâté and bread; followed by duck with potato purée, spinach, apple jam and popped buckwheat for me and potato pancakes for Mr Casa Alison.
After dinner we strolled around the centre and along the banks of the river Daugava and watched locals dancing on the riverbank and sort of wished we had the courage to join in.
Saturday Morning
We had an excellent breakfast in the cosy hotel dining room with vaulted brick walls. Someone had taken a lot of care to present a buffet of appetising food! We tried the local dishes like rye bread with curd cheese and cucumber and different cured meats and smoked fish.
Visit to the OPEN-AIR ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM at Brīvdabas iela 21, Riga
As it was a beautiful day we decided to get there by bicycle so we hired two bikes for €20/day from Baja Bikes in the city centre.
You take the E11 cycle path most of the way and in Latvia the drivers really respect cyclists so you feel safe. The total length is 14km on the flat. Cycling outside a city is a great way to observe the real life of a place. There are fewer tourists and the people you see are doing their everyday thing- shopping, taking their dog for a walk or children to the park. The museum is a large forested area containing examples of homes from all the different regions of Latvia with typical furniture and household objects and each one is decorated in a traditional folk art style.
I was enchanted by this open air museum and felt like I was walking inside a book of fairy tales: you walk along paths through the forest and come upon a wooden cottage…and at some of them you would even find the potter or the wood carver in costume. My favourite was the lady who made corn dollies to keep away the evil spirits.
OPEN-AIR ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM
Saturday Evening
Cherry liqueur at PIANA VYSHNIA at Škūnu iela 6, Riga.
This bar has a great design inside, like flashy and decadent, but in a good way: cherry patterned wallpaper and a huge red glass chandelier that’s just begging to have its photo taken. The ‘grandma’s recipe’ style wine served in old-fashioned glasses tastes nicer than you’d expect.
Dinner and fun at THE STAGE, BY TWO MORE BEERS in Lìvu Square in the city centre.
We had a great time with good food and drinks, and live music throughout. It’s a welcoming space for all ages and types of people.
Sunday Morning
ST. PETER’S CHURCH
Climbed up the top to see the view over the city rooftops and beyond towards the river and the plains.
As luck would have it, our visit coincided with the Song and Dance festival and once we’d come out of the church and back in the centre, the streets began to fill up with men and women in traditional colourful costumes from different Latvian regions, getting ready to parade through the streets.
If you ever collected dolls in traditional costumes when you were little, (yes, I did!) then this is the moment when you’ll see all those dolls come to life!
Lunch at MILDA again as it was close by and starting to rain. This time we had Cepelinai, Lithuanian potato balls filled with curd cheese and basil in a creamy butter sauce. They’re big so you might want to share. We also had the fish. All the food was excellent again. This time, though, we were inside where the decor feels a tweak sombre.
Sunday Afternoon
After lunch, the rain got worse so we cosied up at the hotel until it was time to take the taxi to the airport for our return flight. Overall, the city is clean and feels safe; there are plenty of green spaces to cycle around. We’re already thinking of cycling to the beaches on the Baltic Sea next time we come; you will eat and drink well, and have fun without spending too much.
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