Latvia

Latvia is a compact Baltic country of pine forests, rivers, lakes and long sandy shores on the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Riga, easily reached from Ukraine. Jūrmala’s white sand, pine dunes and wooden villas are an easy day trip; Sigulda and Gauja National Park offer Turaida Castle, sandstone caves and autumn colours near medieval Cēsis, and Rundāle Palace shows Baroque halls and gardens.

Riga’s UNESCO-listed centre pairs Old Riga’s medieval, Hanseatic lanes — Riga Cathedral on Dome Square, the House of the Blackheads, the Three Brothers and St Peter’s Church with its viewpoint tower — with one of Europe’s largest Art Nouveau ensembles on Alberta and Elizabetes streets. Stroll the canal parks, Esplanade and Daugava embankments, browse the Central Market’s hangars, visit the Latvian National Opera and National Museum of Art, and enjoy lively cafés.

In Kurzeme, Liepāja has a wide beach and seaside park, and UNESCO-listed Kuldīga the Venta Rapid, among Europe’s widest waterfalls. Taste rye bread, grey peas with bacon, sklandrausis, smoked Baltic fish, Riga Black Balsam and local beer. The climate is temperate: summers usually mild, roughly 20–23 °C, winters cold and often snowy; late May to September suits coast and city, swimming peaks in high summer, and winter brings Christmas markets and spa stays. It suits city breaks, couples, architecture and food lovers, spa-goers and Baltic summer lovers.