Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 696,618 inhabitants (January 2013), Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states and home to more than one third of Latvia’s population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial, cultural and financial centre of the Baltic Sea region. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga, at the mouth of the Daugava. Riga’s territory covers 307.17 km2 (118.60 sq mi) and lies between 1 and 10 metres (3.3 and 33 ft) above sea level, on a flat and sandy plain.
The city will be the European Capital of Culture in 2014, along with UmeÃ¥ in Sweden. The city hosted the 2006 NATO Summit, the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 and the 2006 IIHF Men’s World Ice Hockey Championships. It is home to the European Union’s office of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). Riga is served by Riga International Airport, the largest airport in the Baltic states.
Riga is a member of Eurocities, the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) and Union of Capitals of the European Union (UCEU). Come along on a Riga city tour through the ages. Learn a little about Riga, a city unlike no other in Europe. Of course on first glance the churches and town squares of Riga may seem familiar but when you begin to dig beneath the surface you will soon come to find that there are many things to learn and discover about this magical city.
One theory for the origin of the name Riga is that it is a corrupted borrowing from the Liv ringa meaning loop, referring to the ancient natural harbour formed by the tributary loop of the Daugava River. The other is that Riga owes its name to this already-established role in commerce between East and West, as a borrowing of the Latvian rija, for threshing barn, the “j” becoming a “g” in German—notably, Riga is called Rie by English geographer Richard Hakluyt (1589), and German historian Dionysius Fabricius (1610) confirms the origin of Riga from rija. Another theory could be that Riga was named after Riege, the German name for the River RÄ«dzene, a tributary of the Daugava.With 800 years of experience, there are few cities that can boast the atmosphere that Riga offers for stag parties. A vibrant, modern city with a special love of music, Riga offers a blend of adrenaline-raising activities and heart-pumping night life that make stag parties in Riga the sort that you’re still talking about years later. The Old Town in Riga boasts clubs, live music, DJs, casinos and bars that cover the spectrum from posh to dodgy. And if shopping is part of your agenda, Riga’s city market is the largest in the europe.
The river Daugava has been a trade route since antiquity, part of the Vikings’ Dvina-Dnieper navigation route to Byzantium. A sheltered natural harbour 15 km (9.3 mi) upriver from the mouth of the Daugava—the site of today’s Riga—has been recorded, as Duna Urbs, as early as the 2nd century. It was settled by the Livs, an ancient Finnic tribe. With lots of low cost flights from the UK, it is becoming more popular for stag weekends to go abroad to celebrate that last weekend of freedom. There are a range of cities and countries to choose from to get a change of scenery and culture on your stag weekend away. One of the hot destinations over the past couple of years for stag weekends has been Riga in Latvia. Here we look at some of the exciting aspects that this country has to offer stag parties looking for something a little bit different. The climate of Riga is humid continental (Köppen Dfb). The coldest months are January and February, when the average temperature is −5 °C (23 °F) but temperatures as low as −20 °C (−4 °F) to −25 °C (−13 °F) can be observed almost every year on the coldest days. The proximity of the sea causes frequent autumn rains and fogs. Continuous snow cover may last eighty days. The summers in Riga are warm and humid with the average temperature of 18 °C (64 °F), while the temperature on the hottest days can exceed 30 °C (86 °F).
Riga’s administrative divisions consist of six administrative entities: Central, Kurzeme and Northern Districts and the Latgale, Vidzeme and Zemgale Suburbs. Three entities were established on 1 September 1941, and the other three were established in October 1969. There are no official lower level administrative units, but the Riga City Council Development Agency is working on a plan, which officially makes Riga consist of 58 neighbourhoods. The current names were confirmed on 28 December 1990.
Riga is the vacation capital of Latvia and is one of the most developed cities. It is connected through well developed motorways and serves Latvia as a commercial hub.
The city of Riga is entwined in history and rich culture. This makes Riga one of the most desired luxury holiday spots. Riga is a city which has a great historical significance. Its historic centre, a must see place, has been declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO. Riga offers you the best of everything right from hotels to food. The luxury hotels in Riga come with a heavy price tag but it’s worth every penny. These luxury hotels offer you several packages like the Romantic Package, Cultural Package and the Winter Saver package. Choose a hotel with a sea side view and enjoy Riga’s maritime activities.
