Riga

Riga is the capital of Latvia. Latvian, like Lithuanian, is a member of the Baltic language group. Russian remains by far the most understood foreign language, as in all ex-Soviet states; the highest percent of people fluent in Russian in the European Union is to be found in Latvia. English and German are understood by younger people to some extent. In tourist areas there should be no problem with speaking English.

The climate of Riga is in between maritime and humid continental. The coldest months are January and February, when the average temperature is -5°C but temperatures as low as -20°C to -25°C can be observed almost every year on the coldest days. Due to the proximity of the sea autumn rains and fogs are frequent. Continuous snow cover may last eighty days. The summers in Riga are warm and humid with the average temperature of 18°C, while the temperature on the hottest days usually exceed 30°C.

Riga is more than 800 years old and a perfect place for spending your vacation. See the sights section for more details. Rige is well connected with the outside world. You can arrive by plane, train, car or ferry, see the getting there for details.