193. Regional Travel #4.0 - Riga, Latvia
I had a day off from work on Monday, November 6, in celebration of Russia's Unity Day. This seemed like a great opportunity to venture farther afield and explore a new place in northeast Europe. I had already visited the largest nearby cities in Finland and Estonia (Helsinki and Tallinn, respectively) in August, so next up was Riga, the capital of Latvia.
It is possible to take an inexpensive bus from St. Petersburg to Riga, but as I planned this trip over a three-day holiday weekend, I did not want to waste so much time traveling back and forth (it would have taken 18-20 hours for the round trip). Flights on airBaltic were convenient and not too expensive, with a flight time of just 80 minutes each way.
I packed as much of the city as possible into my itinerary. Over an extremely full Saturday and Sunday, I visited numerous historic buildings and monuments, five museums, ate a variety of traditional Latvian foods, shopped at an outdoor market, and walked all over the city's core historic neighborhoods. My Airbnb apartment was located right in the center of Old Town, and all the main sights were located within a 20-minute walk. In fact, many museums, churches, and monuments were within a four-block radius of my lodging. I had a wonderful time in Riga, and really enjoyed my weekend here.
Over the next several weeks, I will write blog posts that cover the highlights: the buildings and monuments in Riga's Old Town, the amazing Art Nouveau architecture just outside of the city's historic center, the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia 1940-1991, the Latvian War Museum, the Riga Dom, Latvian National Museum of Art, the National History Museum of Latvia, the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation, and the Art Museum Riga Bourse. Stay tuned!
It is possible to take an inexpensive bus from St. Petersburg to Riga, but as I planned this trip over a three-day holiday weekend, I did not want to waste so much time traveling back and forth (it would have taken 18-20 hours for the round trip). Flights on airBaltic were convenient and not too expensive, with a flight time of just 80 minutes each way.
I packed as much of the city as possible into my itinerary. Over an extremely full Saturday and Sunday, I visited numerous historic buildings and monuments, five museums, ate a variety of traditional Latvian foods, shopped at an outdoor market, and walked all over the city's core historic neighborhoods. My Airbnb apartment was located right in the center of Old Town, and all the main sights were located within a 20-minute walk. In fact, many museums, churches, and monuments were within a four-block radius of my lodging. I had a wonderful time in Riga, and really enjoyed my weekend here.
Over the next several weeks, I will write blog posts that cover the highlights: the buildings and monuments in Riga's Old Town, the amazing Art Nouveau architecture just outside of the city's historic center, the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia 1940-1991, the Latvian War Museum, the Riga Dom, Latvian National Museum of Art, the National History Museum of Latvia, the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation, and the Art Museum Riga Bourse. Stay tuned!
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