Page 16 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Estonia Latvia & Lithuania

14 INTRODUCING LA T VIA

14 Days in Latvia

• Airports Arrive and depart
from Rīga Airport.
• Transport This tour can be
made using Latvia’s bus and
rail network, but hiring a car
would allow more flexibility.

Day 1 Rīga
Morning Start the day with a
visit to the Old Town, Rīga’s
ancient heart. The city lost
many of its splendid historic The wonderfully reconstructed buildings of Town Hall Square, Rīga
buildings during World War II,
but a large number have been contem porary historical historic buildings and sculpture
meticulously restored in recent perspective head for the nearby park at Turaida Museum
years. The area around Town Museum of the Barricades of Reserve (p192) are also worth
Hall Square (see pp150–51) is 1991 (p146), which documents visiting and are just a few
dominated by the mighty the Latvian people’s overthrow kilometres from Sigulda.
St Peter’s Church (p153), of Communist rule.
and many of the area’s other Day 4 Gauja National Park –
magnificent buildings, including Day 2 Rīga Līgatne and Cēsis
Mentzendorff House (p152) Morning Choose either to From Sigulda, travel northeast
and the Town Hall, have explore the UNESCO-listed Art to Līgatne and the Līgatne
been returned to their former Nouveau architecture of Rīga’s Education and Recreation
glory. The immense Soviet- Quiet Centre (pp156–7) or Centre (p193). This delightful
era Modernist slab of concrete travel to Dauderi (p160), the wooded nature park is home
which normally houses the stately Neo-Gothic mansion to brown bears, beavers, elk,
Museum of the Occupation once used as the presidential lynx and European bison and
of Latvia (p152), currently summer residence, and now can be explored either on foot
closed for renovation, is housing a rather eclectic or by car. Continue northeast
generally considered an eyesore. museum on local history. to lovely Cēsis (p192), one of
Neighbouring Mežaparks Latvia’s oldest towns, where
Afternoon After lunching at (p160) is a residential district the narrow streets are lined
one of the Old Town’s many of lovely Modernist and Art with 18th and 19th-century
outdoor restaurants, enter the Nouveau homes popular with wooden and stone houses.
cool interior of the 13th-century well-to-do Latvians.
Dome Cathedral (p146), the To extend your trip…
largest place of worship in the Afternoon Don’t miss the Rent a canoe and spend a
Baltics, before continuing to the Latvian Ethnographic Open- day or two paddling along
Museum of Rīga’s History and Air Museum (p163), a vast the Gauja river. You can
Navigation (p146) at the rear of expanse of woodland on the arrange boat hire and
the cathedral. For a more shores of Lake Jugla dotted with transport through a river-trip
thatched homesteads, churches, specialist (p359 and p361).
windmills and other traditional
structures from all over the coun-
try – they provide a wonderful Day 5 On to Ventspils
insight into Latvia’s rural history. Head back to Rīga before
continuing west to the historic
Day 3 Gauja National Park – coastal town of Ventspils
Around Sigulda (pp180–81), where pleasant
Sigulda (p192) lies 50 km cafés, parks and a white sandy
(31 miles) northeast of Rīga and beach await.
makes a great base for explor-
ing the forested wilderness of Day 6 Ventspils
Gauja National Park (pp190– Despite its long heritage as a
93). Named after the river that trading centre and member of
wends its way through the the Hanseatic League, Ventspils
park’s sandstone hills, it’s a was little more than a tanker
Ventspils Castle, a 14th-century Livonian wonderful place to hike and the port for much of the Soviet era
Order stronghold in the resort of Ventspils trails are very well marked. The and has only recently become
For practical information on travelling around Latvia, see pp382–7