What to see and what to visit in Riga, a capital of art nouveau: a city rich in art and culture. Here are all the tips to visit Riga, Latvia and be enchanted.
Riga it is one of the most beautiful discoveries that can be made in Europe. It is a city on a perfect human scale: not too big, rich in history, culture and traditions. Riga was European capital of culture in 2014 and thanks to that occasion he had the opportunity to redevelop some areas and make himself known throughout the continent.
Today, the Latvian capital is one of the must-see cities for those who love it Northern European style and it is one of the perfect destinations to discover the splendid art nouveau. The historic center is a real gem: flowers on the windows, extremely well-kept buildings, cobbled streets and pointed roofs frame the wonderful walks inside the city, accompanied by the numerous street musicians who meet.
Riga, the capital of art nouveau
A Riga there are over 800 Art Nouveau buildings and they are almost a third of the total. Compared to other European capitals such as Paris and Vienna, Riga is unfortunately not yet so famous for its refined architecture and perhaps for this reason, it reserves even more amazing surprises. To admire all the splendor of the Latvian liberty it is necessary to go Alberta iela and Elizabetes iela, full of palaces in art nouveau style all to be photographed, such as the Scuola Superiore di Giurisprudenza, the Alberta iela 2A building and the Elizabetes iela 10B.
In addition to these two ways there is also the Riga Art Nouveau Museum which can be the ideal starting point for an architectural itinerary in the city. The museum contains all the history of the city and its stylistic evolutions. Among the architects who have written the history of the Latvian capital are Michail Osipovič Ėjzenštejn and Konstantīns Pēkšēns.
What to see and what to eat in Riga
In addition toliberty itinerary, in Riga not to be missed is also the Church of St. Peter, with one of the highest bell towers in Europe. It is a gothic style church near Kalku iela, one of the main streets of Riga which ends in a beautiful square. In this area there is also the home of the blackheads, one of the most elegant and beautiful buildings to photograph in the city. In addition to the historic center and its splendid streets and squares, there is also the central market, where you can taste and buy the typical products of Latvia, consisting of 5 pavilions.
Latvian cuisine is not world famous for its varied flavors, but this can also be a pleasant discovery. First, the Latvian craft beers they are really good and can be tasted for example al Saint Peter's Brewhouse in the historic center. In addition to this, in Riga you can taste excellent hot and cold soups, such as that of cucumbers, spinach and pink pepper or that with salmon, delicious both in winter and in summer. In general, restaurants in Latvia offer excellent fish dishes, in particular salmon and shellfish, but also meat, legume soups and above all many desserts based on berries: a real delight!
