Riga

About

An important port since antiquity, the charming cobbled streets of Riga’s UNESCO-listed Old Town have over 500 monuments, representing every style from Gothic to Art Nouveau. These are all represented in Riga’s Cathedral, the largest medieval building in the Baltics, which also houses the fascinating Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation in its serene 13th century cloister. The ‘Three Brothers’ gives another overview of the city’s long history - these three adjoined houses were built in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, and now house the Museum of Architecture. Just north of the Old Town is the Art Nouveau district, one of the world’s richest collections of the style. Fans of the style should head to the Art Nouveau Museum, which is home to one of the most impressive staircases in Europe. For a taste of Riga’s cosmopolitan energy, the Central Market is the largest in Europe, housed in 5 beautiful WWI Zeppelin hangers.