Welcome back to the third part of my article series on Eyobus and the Northern Europe experience. In this article, we'll explore Riga, the capital of Latvia. While I'm here with you in writing, I would like to share a video of my travels like "Cok Gezenti", but perhaps with your support, we can make that happen too. As you may know, Latvia was once under Soviet influence, but it has a unique history and texture that make it a recommended destination, especially the city of Riga. Latvia is located in the north, bordering Estonia, and in the south, bordering Lithuania, while Russia and Belarus are to the east. A beautiful bonus of this country is that it has a sea border with Sweden, allowing visitors to explore Sweden.
As we explored the city of Riga, we couldn't help but notice the Daugava River, which divides the city in half, giving it a special and mystical atmosphere. Our ancestors knew the importance of water, as it brings life to any place. The historical buildings in the city take you on a journey back to the Middle Ages, making it an unforgettable experience.
During our visit, we had the opportunity to see some of the most iconic landmarks in the city, such as St. Peter's Church, the Bremen Town Musicians statue, the Freedom Monument, the 3 Brothers buildings, the Black Brothers Merchant's House (Guild), the Riga Cathedral and Castle, the Swedish Church, the Cat's House, the Dome Square, and the Lithuanian National Library. We also took the time to explore the charming streets and alleys of Riga, which were paved with cobblestones. If you plan on visiting Riga, make sure to grab a city map from any information centre or your hotel, and explore the main themed sightseeing and must-see places. Let me take you on a journey as I describe the places we visited.
We visited St. Peter's Church, which offers a 360-degree panoramic view of the city, we proceeded to our next stop. For a certain fee, you can go up to the 72-meter tower of the church by elevator and enjoy the breathtaking view of Riga. When we went, we were fortunate enough to have beautiful weather, making it the perfect time to visit St. Peter's Church. The beautiful terrace of the church allowed us to determine the streets of Riga and all the places we would visit from the top and determine how to get there. The terrace also offered an opportunity to witness the atmosphere and texture of the city along with the beautiful photo frames captured there.
Our next stop was the Bremen Town Musicians statue, which is within walking distance of the church. The statue is built almost identically to the one in Bremen, offering you a glimpse of what it would be like to visit Bremen.
Our adventure in Riga started with a visit to the Bremen Musicians statue where we snapped some souvenir photos. Armed with a map from the hotel, we ventured into the city's unique alleyways and made our way to the Riga cathedral and castle. Also known as Dome Cathedral, the medieval church is the largest in the Baltic countries and sits right next to the river. Inside the cathedral, you can find the city museum and the Museum of Navigation History, as well as a personal collection of Nikolas von Himzel's scientific and artistic works. If you have some time, these places are definitely worth a quick visit. Next, we visited the Riga Castle, located on the banks of the Daugava River. Unfortunately, the castle was under renovation, so we couldn't go inside. However, this castle is not your typical castle. Unlike other castles that are located at higher positions for strategic defence, Riga Castle is on the same level as the river. It is still an important structure in the city as it serves as the entrance and exit point of Riga. The castle is also unique in terms of its building structure. Unlike other castles, Riga Castle was built in a rectangular shape and has three floors with four rectangular towers, one on each corner.
After our castle visit, we took a leisurely coastal walk by the river and made our way to the House of the Blackheads, one of the most iconic buildings in Riga. Built in the 19th century, this structure is a guild. It was called the Black Heads Building because merchants were generally dark-skinned at that time. In the large square in front of the building, there is a small statue where the tradition of decorating glass trees originated in 1550. You can also find many souvenir shops in this square, as well as relax in the seating area and take beautiful photos.
We had a great time exploring some of Riga's most iconic and historic buildings. Three Brothers Houses is definitely a must-visit spot, especially if you're interested in the architectural structure of cities. The three buildings built in different time periods are located side by side and showcase how the architectural features have changed over time. We were particularly impressed by building number 17, which is the oldest building in the old town and has Gothic-Renaissance architecture from the 15th century. Building number 19, with its Dutch architecture, was also fascinating to see.
Our next stops were the Swedish Church and the Cat House. The Swedish Church is an old church located in an old historical cave and has a unique story of its own. We tried to listen to the rumoured voice of a girl living in the church wall but unfortunately couldn't hear anything. After that, we visited the Cat House, which is a yellow building with medieval architecture and cat miniatures on each roof in the form of a tower. The entrance gate also reflected the characteristics of the age. Overall, it was an enjoyable and educational experience.
It should not be quite challenging to find the popular landmarks of Riga while exploring the city. However, thanks to the map with the documents we had, our journey became much easier. As we strolled around the streets of the city, we visited Dome Square and a cathedral inspired by the Riga cathedral, located near the square, which had a unique historical beauty. Although it is possible to climb the tower of this cathedral and enjoy the beautiful view of the city by paying a certain fee, we opted to use this right at St. Peter's Church, which was a better option. Therefore, we only wandered around this beautiful square, took a quick tour of the places near the war museum, and took souvenir photos in front of the yellow building with the logos of the Lithuanian municipality.
If you have time, you can also visit Riga Central Market, which is one of the largest neighbourhood markets in Europe, for shopping. Besides, you can also join the 1-hour canal tours if you are interested in canal tours. You can witness the beauty of the city from the river and water during this tour. After spending a lot of energy travelling, we headed to Lido/Vermanitis Restaurant, which is one of Riga's important local restaurants, to rest and regain our energy. Here, local delicacies are served in the open buffet/tradesman restaurant concept and we had the opportunity to taste delicious local foods. I highly recommend you take note of the name of this restaurant and visit it if you go to Riga. Although it is a popular place, it has enough seating area. We sat in the outdoor section, but I suggest sitting in the upper floor section to enjoy your food better. Although we couldn't finish sightseeing in Riga, we efficiently used our time and visited most of the must-see places. Unfortunately, we had to leave this city and head to Tallinn, another one of the Baltic countries. See you in our Estonia/Tallinn travel article.
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