Cheap flights to Latvia from GEL98*

Latvia is an amalgam of architectural masterpieces, wild coastline, dense forests, serene lakes and hospitality expressed in hearty food and drink as well as sessions in hot saunas and cold lakes with friends old and new. Medieval fortress towers rise above thick pine trees, and Baroque palaces preside over country towns. Whether you’re looking for a city break, exploring small towns, a seaside spa vacation or a hiking and biking holiday, Latvia has something new and intriguing for you.

Fly to Latvia to:

• See amazing architecture in Rīga – Gothic, Art Nouveau, Baroque and even Stalinesque.
• Experience the steamy sauna tradition, including a dip in a chilly lake.
• Visit medieval castles and Baroque palaces – see how nobility lived across the centuries.
• Hike rolling hills and dense forests, or paddle on rivers lazy or fast in four national parks.
• Spend a night in an old Soviet-style jail in Liepaja.
• Stroll the sandy beaches along Latvia’s 500 kilometres of coastline, or sail or surf it.

A Baltic treasure trove

On Latvia’s Baltic Sea coastline, all the beaches are open to the public, and Latvians love to spend summers in charming wood cottages near the shore. Over half of Latvia is covered by forest, meaning Latvians also love to hike, picking mushrooms and berries along the way for hearty home-cooked dishes, desserts and liqueurs. A third of the population lives in Rīga, which makes for a vibrant, modern city that takes its history with it into new directions. Explore the shore, the parks, castles, palaces, towns and cities in this compact corner of Europe.

Rīga: the cool eclectic Latvian capital

Rīga, the largest of the Baltic States’ capitals, lays out the history of architecture before your eyes, especially Art Nouveau. The elegance of centuries past is also reflected in the palaces-turned-embassies along the city’s old moat, in the National Theatre and in the Opera House. But Rīga isn’t all about buildings! Get a taste of Latvian traditions at the Rīga Central Market, built out of German Zeppelin hangars, check out the local music and art scene while you shop at explore Kalnciema Kvartāls market, or head to the sandy beaches and try the national drink, kvass, or local berry-and-herb liqueurs while you soak up the sun.

Castles and palaces

Do you prefer gilt-and-crystal chandeliers or wrought-iron candlesticks? Mirrored ballrooms or turreted towers? They’re all on offer in Latvia, especially at the Baltic Versailles, Rundāle Palace, designed by Rastrelli of St. Petersburg Winter Palace fame. It’s super-symmetrical and so are the immense gardens. Be sure to see the Golden Ballroom and the Pink Rose Room for some over-the-top opulence, but beware, it’s haunted by the Black Lady. Nearby Jelgava Palace is another Rastrelli masterpiece, built for the very same duke. For more mystery, head to the forests of the Gauja River valley to find the neo-Gothic Sigulda Castle and the medieval Turaida Castle. To have a whole medieval weekend, the town of Cēsis retains its centuries-old layout, dotted with craft shops and cafés. Learn archery or Latvian jewellery-making, and then take a torchlight tour of Cēsis Castle, if you dare.

Lakes, rivers, forests and sea

Latvia’s natural wonders range from the wild shorelines of the Kurzeme region, pine-fringed sandy beaches near Rīga, through forested national parks, to the interior region of Latgale, known as “the land of blue lakes”. In the western Kurzeme region, visit the vibrant port city of Ventspils, or head inland to Kuldīga, where timbered houses align with the Baroque, and you can witness Europe’s widest waterfall, the Ventas rumba. Choose Jūrmala, near Rīga, for spa treatments next to sandy beaches and a coast dotted with timber cottages. As for natural parks, choose Gauja for forests, rivers and castles, or explore Kemeri for hot springs and marshes. Razna National Park, in the lake-filled region of Latgale, surrounds serene Lake Razna, while seaside Slītere is home to Cape Kolka, where the Baltic Sea meets the Gulf of Rīga, and the Slītere Lighthouse sits atop the Blue Hills.