The art nouveau capital of the Baltic states — Riga's extraordinary Jugendstil facades, Jurmala's wooden spa villas, Gauja National Park's sandstone caves, and a singing and dancing tradition that survived Soviet occupation.
- Capital
- Riga
- Population
- 1,830,400
- Area
- 64,589 km²
- Languages
- Latvian
- Currency
- Euro (€)
- GDP
- $45,535M
Good to know
Driving side
Right
National dish
Latke
Annual visitors
3,204,000 (2020)
Safety
Low (2.5/100k)
Avg temp
6.9°C
Religion
Christianity
Coast
Coastal
☎ Police 110 · Ambulance 113
Travel guide
Latvia (Latvian: Latvija) is one of the three Baltic states in Europe. The biggest travel destination in the country is the capital Riga, whose Old Town is a World Heritage Site. There are many other great places to see, both urban and rural. Latvia's unspoilt sea coast is a 500-km-long unique biome, mainly consisting of empty beaches, white soft sand, and dunes covered with pine trees. Forests cover approximately half of Latvia's territory and are home to many nature trails, nature parks and wildlife preserves. The city of Liepāja with its magnificent beach and the unique formerly secret military neighbourhood of Karosta, Kuldīga, recognized in 2023 as a UNESCO world heritage site, with Europe's widest waterfall, and Cēsis with its medieval castle ruins are just some of the various sights.
© Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA)
Explore Latvia
Best time to visit
June–August is the best period with long days and warm temperatures. Jurmala beach is packed in summer. Riga's Christmas market (December) is one of Europe's finest. Autumn foliage in Gauja is beautiful. Winter is cold and dark.
Visa
Citizens of US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and most Western countries receive 90 days Schengen visa-free in Latvia.
Public holidays
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (3)
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