Riga is located along the Daugava River, near the Baltic Sea in Latvia.
Riga is accessible by car, bus, train, boat and plane. Riga Airport is located eight km from the city center; most European airlines, including Ryanair, offer flights to Riga.
Riga originated as a fishing village by traders from Scandinavia and Russia. Over the years, it was ruled by Germans, Swedes and Russians, eventually becoming a part of the USSR. In 1991, Riga and the rest of Latvia declared independence from the USSR.
Architecture fans should head to the Central District. In 1997, the historic center of Riga was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site based on the quality and the quantity of its Art Nouveau architecture and nineteenth-century wood architecture.
Museums in Riga include the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation, Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts and the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum.
Churches worth visiting include St. Peter's, St. Jacob's Cathedral and the Russian Orthodox Cathedral.
