My sister bought me a city break for my birthday and it was to a city we had never been to before, Riga. I was a little concerned as my sister is waiting for a knee replacement and is not very mobile and I wondered if it might be a bit much for her. We flew out from Stansted with Ryan Air (my least favourite airline as not only do you have to pay extra for taking any form of luggage other than a thimble size backpack but you also don’t get to sit together unless you pay extra to book in early!) The flight was OK and on time and as my sister and I were going to be in each others company 24/7 for the next four days it was probably good that we didn’t sit together!! On arrival I had researched a bus to the Old Town and this was very cheap at less than 2 euros, however we weren’t sure where to get off and it was getting late so we finally decided to get a cab which was a ridiculous 60 euros which seemed a lot for a short trip! Our hotel The Wellton Centrum Hotel was a boutique-like hotel in the centre of the Old Town. We had the usual problem (which we have encountered lots of times) where we had been allocated a double bed so we had to wait while they worked out how to give us twin beds. Once this was sorted however, the hotel seemed nice enough. The next morning we bought a ticket for the Open Top Bus and realised that the things of interest in Riga are all very close together. We got off at different stops to explore more and saw the Cathedral (very impressive), Riga Castle, The Freedom Monument, The Powder Tower and the impressive National Theatre. Having exhausted the bus route we found a canal boat tour which also took us out onto the river and was a really peaceful way to pass the afternoon. The weather was much nicer than expected which was a real bonus. That night we tried one of the nearby restaurants. Being vegetarian there weren’t a lot of veggie choices but we managed to find something different each night and the food was a lot cheaper than in London that is for sure. The next day we walked to the huge Central Market. Under five different buildings you can browse the fruit, meat, fish, clothes and souvenirs on offer. It is right near the railway station so we decided to go on a little adventure and got a train to Jurmala Beach. We got the train to Dubulti which is a little town between the Baltic Sea and the River Lielupe and walked to the beach from there. It is 20 kilometres from Riga and the beach stretches for 21 miles! Very deserted with only a few hotels dotted around and a few cafes by these hotels. There is a walking trail and we saw people hiking along the waterside. We were happy to sit in the sunshine and watch the numerous birds at the waterside. We had been told you shouldn’t swim here and we didn’t see anyone swimming but it certainly is a lovely beach. Back on the train to Riga, it was nice to see the countryside as we sped past and that night we visited a nearby Pizza place called The Wood Fire Grill.
The next morning we left for the airport (using the bus and therefore saving ourselves at least 56 euros!), It was an interesting city and if you have never been, it is well worth a visit. My sister managed wonderfully because she did not have far to walk as everything was close by, mind you the cobbled streets are a bit hard on the legs!
