Destination: Latvia

Odyssey travels by coach and occasionally uses local transport, including trains and ferries for its small group Latvia tour. Specifics are always outlined in your small group tour of Latvia tour itinerary. Latvia has an excellent bus network, offering extensive transportation coverage across the country. Latvia‘s rail network connects Riga with several destinations, including Tukums, Liepāja, Daugavpils and Skulte, though may be somewhat limited as an option for reaching more isolated locations. Taxis are plentiful and easy to find in Riga and other main cities.

As with other tours, Odyssey’s small group tour of Latvia stays in centrally located 3-4 star hotels in Riga, the Latvian capital, typically we choose hotels in the old town with easy access to public transport and a local walking tour for a guided tour of Riga‘s old town. In smaller towns or rural areas, we usually stay in family-run hotels or guesthouses. On our longstay tours, during which you spend the length of the tour in a single location, we use serviced apartments as part of the vacation package experience.

Odyssey always engages local guides for any guided tour with regional knowledge to ensure an authentic experience during which you can learn as much as possible about the history and culture of places you visit in Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia as you tour the Baltic countries.

Latvia is situated alongside the Baltic coast, and covers an area of 64,589 square kilometres. The country is very flat, with 98% of Latvia’s surface lying under an elevation of 200 metres. Latvia holds over 12,000 rivers and over 3,000 lakes, while woodlands cover 52% of the country.

Latvia’s climate is tempered by the Gulf Stream flowing across the Atlantic Ocean, and experiences mild summers and cold winters. Depending on the season you intend to travel, check the weather reports and dress accordingly.

Latvia has 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with another 3 on the Tentative List. You can view the official list of the sites here (https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/lv). The listed sites currently include:

Historic Centre of Riga, Latvia‘s capital , is filled with hundreds of buildings in the distinctive Art Nouveau and is an important part of any sightseeing tour.

Struve Geodetic Arc, a remarkable multinational project involving Latvia and several other nations involving a chain of survey triangulations to measure a portion of the world’s surface.

Numerous festivals and events dot the calendar in Latvia. One of the biggest events in Latvia is the Latvian Song and Dance Festival. Held every 5 years, the festival brings together tens of thousands of performers for mass performances of folk songs and classical choir songs, with orchestral concerts and exhibitions of photography, art and folk craft also staged. The Staro Rīga Light Festival is an eye-catching event, with the bridges, buildings and squares of Riga illuminated by elaborate light shows. Other notable events include the Riga Opera Festival in June and Autumn Chamber Music Days.

Latvia: A Short History, by Mara Kalnins
The Case for Latvia, by Jukka Rislakki
Latvia: A Love Declaration in 35 Pictures, by Jacques Sauvage
Lāčplēsis, by Andrejs Pumpurs

Latvian cuisine is built around starch, vegetables, meat and fish. Rye bread occupies a central part of the Latvian diet, with Latvians consuming around 50kg of rye bread a year. Indeed, rye bread is not only included as an accompaniment to most meals, but is also served as a dessert in the form of rye bread pudding, made from sweetened rye bread, fruit, cinnamon, and whipped cream. Given the many lakes and waterways that thread through Latvia, fresh fish are abundant and are widely consumed, with smoked fish a staple of Latvian cuisine. Other notable Latvian dishes include rasol (a potato salad made out of layers of meat, eggs, vegetables, mayonnaise and sour cream) and pelmeni (dumplings made from unleavened dough and filled with minced meat, vegetables or cheese).

Latvians will often wash down food with either Riga Black Balsam (a liquer made with a range of herbs including pepper, ginger, linden flower and rasberry), or kvass, an alcoholic beverage made from rye bread.

Generally speaking, Latvia is safe to travel in, though always exercise common sense while travelling. Street crime does sometimes occur in major cities, including bag snatching and pickpocketing, so pay close attention to your belongings and to your personal security.

Whenever you travel overseas, it’s always wise to take an appropriate travel adaptor. Latvia’s electricity supply runs at 230V and 50Hz. Latvia uses both Type C and Type F plugs, so make sure you have the right travel adaptor with you.