Riga: Planning My Trip
Hello Wonderful People
I'm currently suffering from a serious bout of the post-holiday blues as I returned from my annual ski trip last week. As usual it was awesome, and being back in rainy London isn't quite as appealing as the Italian Alps. Funnily enough. However, Easter is nearly upon us (I can't quite believe this though, I'm sure Christmas was only 2 weeks ago?!) and this can only mean one thing.. 4 DAY WEEKEND! And chocolate, obviously. So, what better way to get over the holiday blues and make the most of 4 days off work? Go on another trip of course!! The destination? Latvia's lovely capital - Riga.
Prior to booking this trip I knew very little about Riga. I'm a book now, think later kind of person, so this could have been a pretty poor (and expensive) decision. However, after a bit of research and talking to a couple of friends who've already visited, it seems like Riga is a little gem of a city. Smaller and lesser known than some other Eastern-European capitals you may be forgiven for not knowing much about Latvia's capital. However, if you fancy a city break to somewhere slightly off the well-worn path of European Capitals, then now is the time to visit Riga. Plus, with prices still considerably lower than the majority of the Eurozone, you can't say no!
Despite claiming to be a professional working gal (lolz), I'm still a budget traveller, so will be staying in the highly recommended Riga Old Town Hostel & Backpackers Pub. Whenever I stay in a hostel I always have 2 main criteria: location and atmosphere. This hostel appears to score highly on both, so I'm excited to check it out and hope it lives up to expectations! Being situated in the old town makes it a perfect location and there's an on-site, backpacker focused pub. Plus, they serve free breakfast beers. Yup; Free. Breakfast. Beers.
Culture and nightlife are both high on the agenda for this weekend and I'm hoping to have a healthy balance of both. However, past experience and my horrendous hangovers have held me back before. I once went to Krakow and spent 48 hours dying in my hostel bed, thanks to one too many vodkas the night before. But that's another story. Hopefully, I've matured since then (maybe) and will be able to drag myself out of bed to explore what Riga has to offer.
A walking tour is obviously on the cards; I bloody love them. As you may know, whenever I visit a new city I love to go on a free walking tour. It's the best way to get your bearings and to learn about the culture, history and local knowledge from a local guide. So, Saturday is probably going to be prime walking tour day as it will be our first full day in the city. I literally can't wait. The next thing that's high on my agenda is going on a bobsleigh. Yep. You can take a ride down a bobsleigh track, in an actual real life bobsleigh. Hurtling down and icy track at 100mph, in a small tin sledge? It's going to be awesome. It also might be how I die, but I'm ok with that.
Eating, drinking; drinking and eating, plus a bit more drinking will also be a common theme. I've not got high hopes for Riga being a heaven for vegetarians, but I'm hoping to find at least a few Latvian dishes I'll be able to eat. If in doubt and at risk of starvation, a veggie friend has recommended an awesome bagel shop to try out. You really can't go wrong with a bagel, so I'm 99% sure I'll end up here at some point. Sampling a variety of Riga's finest bars and drinking establishments is also top priority. The hostel also does a pub crawl, and despite my occasional dislike of a rowdy, Brits abroad style pub crawl, I will be attending. I don't like to admit it, as organised fun pub crawls aren't the most cultural thing in the world, but they are amazing fun. And no one likes a fun sponge.
So, with a loose itinerary planned the 4 day countdown to my Riga city break is officially on! Just 3 more days of work to get through first...
Have you visited Riga before? Do you have any recommendations?
Prior to booking this trip I knew very little about Riga. I'm a book now, think later kind of person, so this could have been a pretty poor (and expensive) decision. However, after a bit of research and talking to a couple of friends who've already visited, it seems like Riga is a little gem of a city. Smaller and lesser known than some other Eastern-European capitals you may be forgiven for not knowing much about Latvia's capital. However, if you fancy a city break to somewhere slightly off the well-worn path of European Capitals, then now is the time to visit Riga. Plus, with prices still considerably lower than the majority of the Eurozone, you can't say no!
Despite claiming to be a professional working gal (lolz), I'm still a budget traveller, so will be staying in the highly recommended Riga Old Town Hostel & Backpackers Pub. Whenever I stay in a hostel I always have 2 main criteria: location and atmosphere. This hostel appears to score highly on both, so I'm excited to check it out and hope it lives up to expectations! Being situated in the old town makes it a perfect location and there's an on-site, backpacker focused pub. Plus, they serve free breakfast beers. Yup; Free. Breakfast. Beers.
Culture and nightlife are both high on the agenda for this weekend and I'm hoping to have a healthy balance of both. However, past experience and my horrendous hangovers have held me back before. I once went to Krakow and spent 48 hours dying in my hostel bed, thanks to one too many vodkas the night before. But that's another story. Hopefully, I've matured since then (maybe) and will be able to drag myself out of bed to explore what Riga has to offer.
A walking tour is obviously on the cards; I bloody love them. As you may know, whenever I visit a new city I love to go on a free walking tour. It's the best way to get your bearings and to learn about the culture, history and local knowledge from a local guide. So, Saturday is probably going to be prime walking tour day as it will be our first full day in the city. I literally can't wait. The next thing that's high on my agenda is going on a bobsleigh. Yep. You can take a ride down a bobsleigh track, in an actual real life bobsleigh. Hurtling down and icy track at 100mph, in a small tin sledge? It's going to be awesome. It also might be how I die, but I'm ok with that.
Eating, drinking; drinking and eating, plus a bit more drinking will also be a common theme. I've not got high hopes for Riga being a heaven for vegetarians, but I'm hoping to find at least a few Latvian dishes I'll be able to eat. If in doubt and at risk of starvation, a veggie friend has recommended an awesome bagel shop to try out. You really can't go wrong with a bagel, so I'm 99% sure I'll end up here at some point. Sampling a variety of Riga's finest bars and drinking establishments is also top priority. The hostel also does a pub crawl, and despite my occasional dislike of a rowdy, Brits abroad style pub crawl, I will be attending. I don't like to admit it, as organised fun pub crawls aren't the most cultural thing in the world, but they are amazing fun. And no one likes a fun sponge.
So, with a loose itinerary planned the 4 day countdown to my Riga city break is officially on! Just 3 more days of work to get through first...
Have you visited Riga before? Do you have any recommendations?
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