April’s country of choice was Latvia and their capital Riga. We went for just One Night which meant zero holiday allowance used from work!
The details:
Flights- Ryanair- Stansted to Riga. Saturday 6.25am landing 11.05 flying back Sunday 21.55 landing 22.40 cost £65 return each.
Accommodation- Air BnB Central Riga above a bar/restaurant overlooking one of the smaller squares next to the building with the infamous black cat on its roof. £80 for the night included luggage lockers to store luggage
Transfers- Taxi from outside the airport cost about £10-£15 from memory and took about 20 mins
I’m going to do a separate post on where we ate when we were there so for now here’s the sights to see whilst there amongst others!
Beautiful Buildings
I couldn’t believe how much Beauty there was we didn’t even scratch the surface of any of these and I deffo want to return to go inside some of them!
The Nativity Cathedral
I’ve found my fave building of all time (who knew you could even have one!?) The brickwork is a pale red and cream mix of stripes which gives it this kind of pink glow and it’s topped off with shiny gold domes which are just beautiful! When we just wandered on the second day we ended back up at it it was like it was drawing me to it!
House of the Blackheads
This landmark was rebuilt in the 1990’s after the original building was damaged in the Second World War. It was originally built in 1334 and it really is a sight to see!
St Peter’s Church
This has one of the best aerial views of Riga, however after my Wroclaw experience of climbing a church tower I just didn’t fancy this one! (Checkout The Wandering Quinn’s Post for their fave aerial views!) It’s worth saying they do love a good church in Riga and at one point we counted 5 spires in our view when walking up to the castle.
Latvian Academy of Sciences (Stalins Birthday Cake)
We didn’t get up close to this but this tiered building has another fab view from its observatory deck and it was built as a present to Stalin (but he died before it was finished) and is nicknamed his birthday cake due to its shape.
Three Brothers
These three houses are the oldest dwelling houses (legend is they belonged to three brothers) in Riga so they’re ones to see- one houses the museum of architecture if that’s of interest. Check opening times before you go though!
Art Nouveau Building/ Museum
One of the most insta famous staircases can be found in the entrance to the museum. We didn’t go into it as we were running out of time, but one to potentially visit. The whole area is pretty though as you can see!
Cat House
this has two black iron cats on the roof and is a symbol you’ll often see associated with Riga great for a cat fan like me!
As you can see from all the pics there are a lot of pretty buildings all around Riga! It was so hard to choose just a few!
Marvellous Museums
I can’t believe how many museums there were dotted around! We went inside just one which was the Cosmos Illusion Museum for a bit of fun! I absolutely loved the final room isn’t it fab!?
There’s loads more to see and do though if Museums are your thing! We loved getting lost on the streets of Riga though and I’d really recommend it for a lovely quick trip away as there’s certainly lots to do! Would you think about visiting Riga now?