Riga: Where History Meets Charm, can it be done in 36 hours? 🇱🇻

📌 Riga, Latvia As part of my idea of ticking off every European country (eventually, when times allow), Latvia was next on my list and having had such a great time in Estonia, I'd heard good things about Riga so knew it was time to take on Latvia. Why should you visit Riga, Latvia? 🏙️ Beautiful Art-Nouveau Buildings 🤫 Chilled City Life 💶 Budget Friendly, ideal for weekend trips 🌳 Stunning areas of beauty and green space within the city 🍽️ Vibrant and cosmopolitan food and drink scene Day 1 ✈️ After my 6:45am flight from London landed into Riga's international airport at 11:15am. After clearing Passport Control it was around 15 minutes' wait until the bus to the city centre, a journey of around 30 minutes and at a cost of just €1.50 (£1.24). I immediately got the impression that this would be a very budget-friendly weekend. I disembarked at the city's Main Station. ⛪ After arriving to my hotel, checking in early and leaving my bags, I then headed into the city centre to find Rāthausplatz Riga, arguably one of the city's main squares although there's not much hive of activity in this area during a regular day. Completely destroyed in WWII, you'll find this square has been sympathetically rebuilt. I stood for some time to admire the House of the Blackheads (Picture 2). A symbolic tale suggests that local citizens contributed one brick each in order to rebuild it in the 1990s after Latvia's independence. 🧭 I then took on a self-guided city tour and passed delightful buildings like St Peter's Church (Picture 3) and Riga Cathedral (Picture 4) before arriving to Vansu Tilts, Riga's flagship bridge heading over the River Daugava, which splits Riga's urban districts into two (Picture 5). I headed over the bridge to stretch the legs and came back into the city, coming across curious buildings such as the Three Brothers, each their own relic of different design periods (Picture 6) and the Swedish Gate (Picture 7). 🥐 I then took a pit stop at a café for a Latvian pastry and a tea before retiring to bed. Day 2 🚄 I went straight back to the river and took a view of the Railway Bridge back over the Daugava River (Picture 8). 🖼️ I then went round to the Riga Ghetto and Holocaust Museum which offered an excellent insight into Latvia's difficult history over WWII and was also free of charge: I did leave a suggested donation though which was worth it. 🍸 I was trying to be budget-conscious and I was aware that the main tower in Riga was a bit pricey to go up. I wanted something to drink so instead thought I'd go to the Radisson Blu Conference Centre, going up the lift to Floor 26's Skyline Bar for an Aperol Spritz and unblemished city views (Picture 1). €15.00 (£12.41) total. ✈️ Time to head back to the airport for my 10:15pm flight home, on my way I passed a fantastic arrangement of Art-Nouveau style quirky buildings (Picture 9). All in all this was a great adventure, great for those on a budget, nice relaxed atmosphere and everything is so easy to navigate to. I'm sure I'll be back soon. #springwander