Book a cheap flight ticket to Riga (RIX) on CheapOair and visit this historic the ‘Paris of the North’. Over a decade after Latvia declared independence from the Soviet Union, Riga is a city on the up and up. In 2001, the city celebrated its 800th year and things have seldom looked so rosy for the cosmopolitan capital that was once revered across Europe as the ‘Paris of the North’. The promised land of both European Union and NATO membership beckons and, since 1991, the economy has been transformed beyond recognition. The city is now firmly on the tourist map. Riga is already the de facto Baltic business capital, leaving Estonia’s Tallinn and Lithuania’s Vilnius in its wake. Increasingly, for tourists, it is becoming the most rewarding city of the three, with visitor attractions spruced up and an ever-burgeoning proliferation of hotels at all levels. Riga, a city older than both Stockholm and St. Petersburg, is the only Baltic capital to have a real big-city buzz. Sightseeing is made easy in Riga, by the fact that most of the sights are handily located within a compact area on the left bank of the Daugava River. The Old Town overflows with things to see but one of the real pleasures is just wandering around the cobbled streets, taking an architectural journey through the centuries, in a city where Gothic, Renaissance, and Art Nouveau abound, often competing for attention on the same street. Recognized sights include the voluminous religious twins of St Peter’s Church and Dome Cathedral, both worth exploring in detail. Riga also boasts numerous museums, with the Latvian War Museum, the Occupation Museum and Mentzendorff House among many others deserving of attention. Neatly dividing the Old Town and New Town is Bastejkalns Park, with its lazy canal, cafés and walkways. In the middle of the park is the Freedom Monument, one of Riga’s and indeed Latvia’s most poignant sites, a symbol of both the nation’s fight for nationhood and the four decades of resistance to Communist rule. Further afield there are boat cruises on the Daugava River and excursions to the Baltic Sea resort of Jurmala. With its sweeping pine flanked beaches, Jurmala provides the perfect escape if all that history and culture gets too much. Teetotalers should think seriously before planning a trip to Riga, as this is a city that likes to drink and it often seems the locals never stop partying. The Old Town is awash with bars – everything from lounge style hangouts with DJs, comfy couches and funky visuals, right through to spit and sawdust drinking dens. One thing to look out for is that some bars are unofficially the sole preserve of Riga’s Russian community and your presence will be, at best, tolerated. Also, some ex-pats report an increase in foreigners being followed and robbed, particularly after leaving bars that are known to be popular with the ex-pat community. Most bars and clubs in Riga are late opening, with many staying open until 0300, seven days a week | 
