In place of a Christmas party this year, we have just taken a team trip to the Christmas markets of the Latvian capital, Riga. Just under a three-hour direct flight from the UK, we reached Riga. Despite snow on the ground, our arrival was smooth, and just over 30 minutes from leaving the airport we were at our hotel.
We spent the Sunday afternoon exploring Old Riga, the local cafes and a visit to the tourist information located next to the House of the Black Heads. The friendly guides provided us with local maps, general information on the local tram system (that we used frequently) and also some recommendations of local delicacies to try.
As the sun came down, the Christmas lights lit up the city. The snow started falling, we wrapped up well and headed for the Doma Laukums, main Christmas market. The market was filled with children enjoying the snow nearby playground sledging, locals of all ages singing and dancing and the scent of mulled wine, soups and sausages filled the air.
Looking around the stalls, there were plenty of locally produced crafts, honey, knitted wool and gingerbread. The following day we took a tram to the district of Āgenskalns – a 15 minutes journey over to the left bank of the river Daugava from the tram stop outside our hotel and costing just over one euro per person each way. The area is one the newest parts of the city dating back to the late 19th and early 20th century and the Āgenskalns market building is one of the best examples of 20th-century Art Nouveau. Here, we shopped with locals visiting the spice market, bread makers and a couple of the local breweries. We headed back on the tram to Old Riga, calling in at one of the city’s many beer houses for lunch before a walk through a snowy park and to the Freedom Monument.
On our final day in Riga, we visited the Christmas market located at the Esplanade park in front of the Riga Nativity of Christ Cathedral, built in Neo-Byzantine style between 1876 and 1883.
We spent time here looking at the stalls and feeding the rabbits at the Rabbit Kingdom.
Our last evening was spent in restaurant Milda serving traditional Latvian & Lithuanian cuisine, we enjoyed dumplings with pork cheek, onions & pickled vegetables, porcini soup served in a bread loaf, traditional cabbage rolls and Milda sausage served with potatoes- perfect for a very chilly evening!.
Whilst we visited Latvia in the winter for the Christmas markets, there is so much to offer within easy reach of the historic UNESCO World Heritage Centre of Riga during the summer months. From the four national parks filled with mysterious caves, lively streams and ancient castles, bird watching or visiting some of the almost 500km of beaches.
Fancy a trip to Riga in 2023? Call Savannah Travel on 01904 623444 for more information.
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