WHY GO?
Music has always been a key aspect of Latvian culture, and that's most evident during Riga's summer festival season. July, for instance, offers a whole month of organ music, while August brings ballet and opera (August 4 to 15) and sacred music (August 20 to September 5), with a few regular concerts and mini-festivals thrown in, including Summertime (August 14 to 18) in nearby Jurmala.
Even without the music, though, Riga in the warmer months has a celebratory feel. Every bar, restaurant and café seems to sprout a summer terrace where people linger late into the long evenings in the airy streets. There are boats on the river and canal, and you sense – accurately – that the seaside isn't far away.
This year, Riga is better value than it has been for several years. Thanks to the recession, prices in restaurants and bars have returned to more realistic levels, and even the hotels are cheaper due to a cut in their VAT from 21 per cent to 10 per cent.
SPEND THE MORNING…
Wandering the Old Town's cobbled streets. Every era in the city's 800-year history has left its architectural mark: fragments of sturdy medieval defences, red-brick Gothic churches, Baroque townhouses and even stolid Soviet museum buildings. Aim to reach the airy Dome Cathedral in time for the noon organ recitals (www.doms.lv), held daily except Sunday in summer. You might want to buy your ticket in advance to avoid the hefty last-minute queues.
HAVE LUNCH…
On an Old Town roof terrace. The top-floor restaurant at Hotel Gutenbergs(www.gutenbergs.eu), just off the cathedral square, has an outdoor grill for suitably summery dishes and the views are sensational; expect to pay around £10 for a main course. The street-level restaurant at Hotel Neiburgs (see above) lacks vistas, but the prices are low, with main courses such as oven-baked seabass with warm beetroot salad and caraway sauce for around £7.
SPEND THE AFTERNOON…
On the water. From Bastejkalns, or Bastion Park, you can jump on the restored vintage launch, The Darling, or one of its newer sisters (www.kmk.lv) for a gentle cruise along the canal and river that encircle the Old Town. There are several stops along the route, including rustic Kipsala, an island off the west bank of the Daugava where you can get off to explore streets of faded wooden houses. Linger in Bastion Park on your return; there are pagodas and swan houses and lots of shady benches to sit on and watch the world go by.
DINE OUT AT…
Vincents (www.restorans.lv), where head chef Martins Ritins's passion for local, seasonal ingredients cooked to the highest standards has attracted international bigwigs, stars and the merely well-heeled for more than a decade. Considering the quality, prices are reasonable, with mains, such as grilled fillet of Baltic sea turbot with almond citrus sauce, starting at around £18.
If you can't get a table there, other stylish New Town options include the restaurant in the tucked-away Theatre Bar (www.teatrabars.lv), an arty hangout with a popular courtyard terrace, and the equally well-located Bergs Restaurant(www.hotelbergs.lv) at the heart of the chic Bergs Bazaar area.
STAY UP LATE AT…
A relaxed wine bar. KID (www.winebar-shop.lv) is a far cry from the beerier delights of most Old Town bars, with sleek red-and-black décor, live piano music most evenings and a clientele of hip Rigans. If you've come from the jewel box of an Opera House or one of the many other concert venues, its imaginative bar snacks round off the day perfectly.
SPEND THE NEXT MORNING…
Seeing another side of the city. Across the park to the north of the Old Town lies the so-called Art Nouveau district, where you'll find a cluster of some of Riga's best examples of this style. Alberta St is the focus, with some spectacular – florid, even – decorations.
It's also home to the fascinating Art Nouveau Museum(www.jugendstils.riga.lv), based in the 1903-built home of a prominent local architect. South-east of the Old Town, Maskavas district is grittier. Start at the vast and bustling Central Market, take the lift to the 17th-floor viewing platform of the Soviet-era Academy of Sciences – aka "Stalin's wedding cake" – and finish with lunch (all main courses, £6), or just a drink, at the arty Meta-Kafe(www.metakafe.lv) in the Spikeri Quarter's restored brick warehouses.
AND AFTERNOON…
At the beach. Jurmala (which means "seaside" in Latvian) is a collection of settlements along a 33km sweep of golden sand just a short train ride from the city. Majori is the most resort-like, with several excellent spas such as that at Baltic Beach Hotel. For quiet coast-and-woodland walks, head for Lielupe.
AT ALL COSTS AVOID…
Most of the Old Town's pubs: they're magnets for stag parties.
