Architecture from shortbread to deco - and the cities are sweet and stylish. Latvia is the small, flat and largely boggy meat in the sandwich between its Baltic neighbours. It packs a lot in though: start with R ī ga, its vibrant coastal capital, and move on to photogenic castles, music festivals and scenic river valleys.
Capital: Rīga
President: Valdis Zatlers
Prime Minister: Ivars Godmanis
Government: parliamentary democracy
Time zone: GMT +2
Area: 64589
Population: 2348784
Religions: Latvian is one of the two languages of the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Currency: Latvian Lats (Ls)
Country Dialing Code: 371
Direct flights link R ī ga with Berlin, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, Helsinki, Kiev, London, Minsk, Munich, Moscow, Paris, Prague, Stockholm, Tallinn, Vienna, Vilnius, Warsaw and Zurich. There are no direct flights between R ī ga and north America, Australia or Asia. There are direct buses to R ī ga from Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Belarus, Estonia and Lithuania. If trains tickle your fancy, the Berlin-St Petersburg service passes through Daugavpils in southeastern Latvia. Trains also link R ī ga with Moscow, St Petersburg and Minsk, and Daugavpils with Chernivtsi. If you prefer to suck in the sea air as you travel, there are direct ferries to R ī ga from Travem ü nde in Germany and Stockholm in Sweden.
R ī ga's airport is at Jurmala, 14km (8mi) west of the city centre. The airport is connected to the capital by bus and taxi. Buses and, to a lesser extent, trains go just about everywhere in Latvia, although services are less frequent to off-the-beaten-track destinations. Both are cheap and slow. R ī ga has a comprehensive network of trams, trolleys and buses. Driving and bicycling in Latvia are popular, as the main roads are good and distances aren't great. Most of the major car rental agencies have offices in R ī ga and at the airport. Driving is done on the right side, and there are 24-hour petrol stations along all the major roads.
From early November until the April thaw, temperatures struggle to rise above 0 ° C (32 ° F) as the sun makes a brief appearance during the day and drops well below zero at night. June to August daytime highs are normally around 20 ° C to 22 ° C (68-72 ° F) and are particularly pleasant. July and August are the warmest months, though prone to moderate but persistent showers.
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