Riga with everything, what belongs to it

During my last year of Bachelor studies at the University of Economics in Bratislava, I already knew that my next summer will be spent abroad. The question just was where? I was thinking about a summer internship in Europe in my field of education (International Relations). Then I started to concentrate and google all possible ways and cities, which might be interesting for me. And then it happened – just a great idea crossed my mind and vision about Baltic summer was created. I googled all the possibilities about how I can spend a summer in Baltic states. And then another great idea – doing a summer internship at one of the best universities in the Baltic area that would be appreciated later on. I decided to contact a student service at several universities and I got some replies. The most interesting answer for me was the answer from the University of Latvia that I can spend 2 months at their International Mobility Unit and help them with administrative issues and summer schools. At this point, I couldn’t know that I just arranged to have one of the best summers of my life!

And then it came – graduation from the university in Slovakia, a little bit of celebration (and also traveling – during this time I explored Berlin, Germany) and a big move from Slovakia to Latvia. I had a couple of stopovers on my way to Riga – the first one was in Prague (Czechia) and the second one in Warsaw (Poland). Prague is wonderful, I already was there so many times and also I had a 4 months long internship there during the previous summer but I don’t wanna talk much more about that because this article is not about Prague. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to discover Warsaw but I am pretty sure I will do it on my way home.

Then I overcame 26 hours long way and here I am – RIGA!

The first impression, when I got off the bus was really beautiful (probably because the Bus Station is situated in the city center of Riga). You can easily come to the city center or any other city areas or just have a small walk beside the Daugava river (which is the best during the sunset).

The most valuable just next to the Bus Station is a Local Market, which is open daily (week and also weekend) and you can buy there various kinds of fruits, vegetables, meats, (local) mushrooms and local meals, herbs and also some kinds of local clothes. This place is really crowded by the local people and tourists and if you finally decide to buy something there, don’t forget to discuss the price of the product you are interested in. Local people would probably try to sell you more products that you asked for and make some "useful deal" but mostly for them. So don’t hesitate to negotiate the prices. I bought there a couple of stuff and it was so tasty and delicious – so go there for sure if you have a chance!

The first day of my summer internship, I went to the city center as the University of Latvia is located just in the heart of Riga. In front of the university is a modern and warm park divided into 2 parts by the channel, where you can easily get a boat trip. If you are interested in more adventurous trips, then you definitely should rent a kayak and have a private trip on the Daugava river and local channels. Price for a kayak for two people is 20 EUR. On the other side of the park are National Opera and old buildings (hotels, bars, pubs... ). This area is really great and it’s probably one of the biggest green areas in the city center. Just across the park is Monument of Victory, which symbolizes Latvian victory over the Russian and German occupation.

From this part of the city is just one step to get to the area, where all the bars and pubs are located.

Old City is just one step from the Monument of Victory. In this area you can find really everything – from the souvenirs to the favorite bars and places, where you can hear English, Russian, Spanish, French, German and many other foreign languages. It’s very popular between the tourists to spend holiday time in the city center and discover Latvian culture in the heart of Riga.

Then, just another step away from the Old City Centre is Daugava river – it’s a really awesome place for walking and chatting with friends and sunsets here are breathtaking. You can easily cross the river by the bridges and get on the other side of Riga, where is located Latvian National Library, Russian Monument of Victory and probably the biggest park in Riga – Uzvaras parks – beautiful with its own lake. This is really ideal for a romantic walk with your love (or just walks with friends or running).

I had a walk not once, not twice, not three times but so many times and once, when I was walking and breathing Latvian atmosphere and culture, on the way back through the city center, I suddenly heard the Slovak language! I just stand there and listen and then decided to go there and greet them (normally I am not doing that but this was an exception). They were so happy to see a Slovak guy in Riga and I was so happy to talk to them in my mother language on the Latvian streets and gave them some tips and recommendations, where to go, what to see...

Latvia is a wonderful country with a beautiful forests, which are situated just beside the roads (in case you decide to travel out of Riga). I had a chance to visit Valmiermuiža brewery, which is a local beer factory (really delicious), then a barefoot trail in the park and Soviet Secrecy Bunker (bunker was built for the needs of political and state authority elite of the 1980-is for state administration in case of nuclear war).

Local transport in Riga is easy-going – you can get an E-Talon, which is a card for cheap traveling within Riga area and is valid for buses, trolleybuses and trams. In case you don’t have an opportunity to have an E-Talon card (it’s mostly for students), then you can easily buy a card for traveling in every Narvesen shop (there are many of them everywhere) and one ride costs 1, 15 EUR.

Also really great connection is to get to other Baltic capitals – Tallinn and Vilnius. I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days in Tallinn, Estonia. The city is really beautiful and if you are there, I highly recommend you to see Helsinki too. It takes just 2 hours by ferry from Tallinn and ticket costs 23 EUR. Helsinki is not so huge so one day there is enough to see all the sightseeing and the city center.

Also, food in Riga is delicious – I haven’t had any problem with food or digestion. Typical Latvian soup is made by beetroot and milk and sometimes they used boiled eggs and dill. Be aware that Latvians use dill in all meals no matter what is it (except sweets and cakes). My favorite is potatoes with dill as a side dish to meat or fish, then pancakes (sweet and also salt filled with meat, cheese and spinach), Russian pelmeni filled with various kind of meat with sour cream on the top (and dill of course). As all Northern European countries, they used to order garlic bread (which I simply love since I have tried it for the first time) together with beer. Typical Latvian (and also delicious) beer is Valmiermuiža (which I already mentioned above). Prices for the food and beverage in Riga are similar to Central Europe – beer costs about 3 EUR and lunch should be around 5 EUR (but it also depends on the location and the constitution and type of the meal). Riga is considered as one of the cheaper countries in Europe so you can easily handle here with your student budget.

Not so far away from Riga are beautiful beaches which are compulsory to visit during warm summer days. The most well-known is Jurmala, which is half an hour away from Riga by train and many other beaches – just depends on your preferences. Sea is a clean, salty and little bit cold (which is obvious because of the location) so not everyone can be comfortable with a sea temperature. But it is really worth to see it once you are here.

Nightlife in Riga is popular and you shouldn’t have any problem with people and party during the weekends. I had a chance to spend a summer in Riga, which is not quite crowded here (except of the tourists) but if you come during the academic year when the city is full of international students, you won’t have any problem with a proper party in the night clubs. Most well-known are Coyote Fly, Just Bar and the First Mir (which is more Russian than Latvian and you can hear here a lot of Russian popular music). Please, bare in mind dress code if you want to enter the club (long pants even it’s summer and modern T-Shirt or shirt – smart casual).

For romantic hearts there are a lot of places to go too – the best choice is a cafe, which is noticed as the most romantic and hidden cafe in Riga (I was there and have to say it’s really wonderful even it’s quite more expensive). Just in front of this cafe is another French cafe with the best Latvian cakes and desserts. For rock hearts, there is a Rock Cafe so I am pretty sure that all types of people will find their favorite cafe in Riga.

Laima – this name probably doesn’t sound well-known for you (I haven’t had any idea about that before coming to Riga) but it’s quite popular between all Latvians – it’s the name of local chocolate, which is produced by the local chocolate factory. If you have an opportunity to visit this factory in person, you can create your own chocolate bars with different ingredients. Also, you can try there all their chocolates and candies produced by themselves (I did it and it wasn’t a good idea – got a stomach ache afterward because of the amount of eaten chocolate).

If you have some more free days to travel across Latvia, you should visit a swamp Cenas Tirelis – it’s around 5 km long walk around the swamp in a really beautiful atmosphere with a lot of trees and lakes – you just should bear in mind to not step out of the pavement there, otherwise you can fall into the lakes.

Riga is really beautiful and if you have a chance to visit this fabulous city and country, you shouldn’t miss this opportunity because some opportunities come just once in life. So take a chance, make a decision, pack your suitcases and travel! The world is waiting for you.

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