Rīga, Latvia

Show: all | airports | hotels | shopping locations | landmarks & sights | restaurants & bars | cities & villages | waterbodies & beaches

liked Zakopane | Sunshine Coast | Albuquerque | Bremen | Avignon | Chişinău | Townsville | Veliko Tărnovo | Courmayeur | Brugge | Florence | Cracow | Koblenz | Zanzibar | Portland | Verbier | York | Galway | České Budějovice | Annecy | Bled | Masca | Vis | Bergen | Verona

did not like Jämsä | Kerava | Podgorica | Joutseno | Joutsa

"I would appreciate any recommendation for our family of 4 at the smaller nice hotel in Old Town.Konventa Seta has a great location, right in the middle of old town but I haven't stayed there either.Great location in Old Town, which is hard to beat.The management is the same as that of Hotel de Rome, one of the city's premier hotels, which, too is in a great location just opposite the "Milda" Freedom Monument and at the entrance to Old Town.Another gorgeous, but in fact posh option would be the Grand Palace Hotel, also within Old Town's limits.I would prefer staying at the Reval, which is very near the old town.But this hotel is neither "smaller" nor "in the old town".Besides that, I actually cannot agree about Old Town being sketchy.But in general I don't think that safety in Riga is an issue, and especially not within Old Town.I lived in Riga for 2 years (2001 -2003) and a couple of my friends in Riga had problems in the old town at night, attacked, drugged (in a bar), and mugged.I personally did not feel comfortable walking alone at night in the old town (during the darker months).I feel it is important to be careful in the old town at night, to not take it lightly.We've just returned from another holiday in the Baltics and as far as safety is concerned, I've never felt more comfortable walking around at night, Riga's Old Town included.The Hotel is not in Old Town but has many positive attributes.(We ended up retaining Valdis for out-of town trips to Priekule, Liepaja, Ventspils and Rundale Palace.) After crossing the Daugava River ?with a wonderful view of Riga Castle and Old Town--we checked into the sparkling lobby of the Hotel Latvija on 55 Elizabetes Iela (street).Our rooms were on the 15th and 17th floors and we had an expansive view down Brivibas Boulevard, Freedoms Monument and Old Town (with the stately steeples of Dome Cathedral and St. Peters Church).The picturesque park across the street would take you to the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, the National Art Museum, various outdoor shopping stalls and onto Freedom Square and across the canal running into Vecriga (Old Town)."
fodors.com

"Just as you can't take the Old Town's beauty any longer, you look up to a bewitching skyline of castle turrets and church steeples."
lonelyplanet.com

"Its old town of Vecriga, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a medley of fine medieval treasures, only very occasionally interrupted by a Soviet eyesore."
timeout.com

"Walking Tours A number of companies offer walking tours of Riga, which can be booked at the main tourist office in the old town.A good place to start a walk is at the Occupation Museum on Kalku iela, before heading into the old town.Almost all of the main sights are located within a compact area in the old town.Pick-up by bus is from outside Hotel de Rome, on the edge of the Old Town.This tour incorporates the 13th-century churches and the UNESCO-protected Art Nouveau masterpieces in the Old Town."
cityguide.travel-guides.com