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Latvia maybe a small country, however is quite vast with its beautiful parks, lakes, nature and one can explore various tours in Latvia.
Riga is the capital city of Latvia, providing many cultural layers, Latvia is beautiful in its own way and has never ending rivers, thousands of lakes, dunes and white sand beaches.
Visa
Maltese nationals holding a Maltese passport do not require a visa to visit Latvia.
Travelers which do not hold a Maltese passport, can check with the embassy or consulate of that country if a visa is required.
Time Zone
Eastern European Summer Time – Latvia is one hour ahead of Malta.
Best time to go on Tours to Latvia
The best time to visit Latvia is in late spring or summer, when the weather is not too hot. The average temperature in the summer months is + 22 ° C, however it may go up to + 28 ° C
In the late Autumn and Winter months the temperature in Latvia can go down to -3 ° C and not higher than 5° C and there is a change of snow, for those who love cold weather and want to enjoy the snow.
Vaccines
EU Nationals do not need to take vaccinations to travel to Latvia
Please see the link as a guide to what vaccinations are required for all travellers. It is important to check which vaccinations you have taken in the past as this will depend on which vaccines need to be taken to travel to this country.
Currency
The currency is in Euro.
Food
The most popular dish in Latvia is pork, and can be found in all restaurants and markets.
It is usually cooked in breadcrumbs and topped with creamy mushrooms, served with potatoes at the side.
Some of the most common foods you will find in Latvia is, Cottage cheese, potatoes, pork, tomatoes and cucumbers and rye bread.
Country Top things to do by interest
Nature
The great Kemeri Bog Boardwalk is a popular tourist destination in Kemeri National Park, which offers travelers to explore the boardwalk with small pine trees, deep pools, dark lakes, and smell of wild rosemary. One can choose which nature trails they wish to take depending of the length of the walk they wish to take. Besides the bog, one can visit a shorter boardwalk trail which has a beautiful wetland forest and a sulfur water spring.
Nature parks in Latvia are very well known amongst other tours in Latvia. Some of the best nature parks in Latvia are, the Pape nature park where you can experience a walk along the lakes, meadows and dunes. Another nature park, is the Lake Engure Nature park. For those bird lovers, there is over 180 bird species that you can find in this park, as well as wild cattle and Konik Horses.
Tervete National Park which is a fun park for families, it has a safe environment for kids to learn about nature and is a fun place with aerial adventure trails and wooden sculptures.
Beaches, Swimming & Relaxing
Jurmala seaside resort, which is approximately 30 minutes away from Riga the capital city of Latvia. It is the biggest resort town in the Baltic states. It is 24 km long of white sand beaches. There are several sections in Jurmala such as Majori, Dzintari, Bulduri, Dubulti and Jaunkemeri all providing clean, safe and well-quipped beaches.
Riga offers two beaches which are the most popular beaches here, where you can sunbathe and take a swim. Vecaki beach, is an old fisherman village and Vakarbulli beach which is ideal for families. It has playgrounds , basketball, volleyball and football fields as well as summer cafes.
Nature & trekking
Kemeri National park is a great place for trekking, with a variety of nature trails. You can trek along the Green Dune which takes approximately 4 hours. The Green Dune stretches at a length of several kilometers, passing through forests and swamps.
Gauja National Park offers a range of beautiful routes starting from easy to hard treks, you can choose the one that suits you best!
Sightseeing
There are many tours in Latvia one can take for sightseeing and there is so much to see!
Some of the many tourist attractions include, House of the Black Heads which is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The old town in Riga and Riga Town Hall Square are definitely a must to visit. They are a popular entertainment district with different historical sights and many and souvenir shops.
Three brothers in Riga, is a building complex of three houses next to each other. The houses together form the oldest complex houses in Riga.
Another must see in the old town of Riga is Cat House. You can take photos outside of this building, as it is a private building.
The Ethnographic Open- air museum, is a historical building. Here you can see the differences of how people used to live in the various historical regions in Latvia
Shopping
Riga Central Market is one of the biggest markets in Latvia. It has different stalls inside and outside where you can buy different traditional foods and vegetables, souvenirs, clothing and accessories
Adrenaline
Bungee jumping in Riga, is a 45 meter high jump, enjoy a scenic view over the Gauja river
Off road 4×4 in Latvia is definitely another great adrenaline experience. Full of adventure and fun through the rural and forest roads, gullies, steep drops and climbs with the possibility of river crossing.
Culture
The Latvian culture continue to observe the traditions of their ancestors. You can see this through Folklore, handicrafts and traditional crafts and a lot of other activities.
Latvian is the official language, however Russian, English and German are fluently spoken.
Cuisine
Pork is the most popular food in Latvia. Smoked fish is particularly popular in Riga and the coastal areas.
The Latvian cuisine mainly consists of meat as a main meal together with vegetables and potatoes.
Different types of pickled items are also one of Latvian’s traditions such as beetroots, mushrooms and Cucumbers.
Latvian beer is also known and their traditional drink