Central Rīga
This gracious red-brick neo-Gothic church is dedicated to St Gertrude, the patron saint of travellers. Surrounded by flamboyant art nouveau architecture, its austere 19th-century interior is a stark counterpoint. St Gertrude's is also a musical venue. Its organ, built in 1906, is one of the city's best and classical-music concerts take place regularly.
Note the art nouveau gem at Ģertrūdes iela 10. Try to count the panoply of faces on the 1903 facade.
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Like a huge painting that you can spend hours staring at, as your eye detects more and more intriguing details, this must-see Rīga sight is in fact a…
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Forming the centrepiece of Rīga’s skyline, this Gothic church is thought to be around 800 years old, making it one of the oldest medieval buildings in the…
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A real-life house of horrors, this imposing fin de siècle building is remembered by generations of Latvians as the local headquarters of the notorious…
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There is hardly a place in Latvia that can tell such a poignant and optimistic story as this quietly stunning memorial. Žanis Lipke saved over 50 Jews…
Rīga Ghetto & Latvian Holocaust Museum
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The centrepiece of this arresting and challenging museum is a wooden house with a reconstructed flat, like those that Jews had to move into when the Nazis…
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Between 1941 and 1944, the Nazis – aided by Latvians – shot more than 35,000 Jews at 55 different sites in this forest. It is one of several killing sites…
Museum of the Barricades of 1991
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Latvia's independence came after enormous struggles. One of the most remarkable stories involves the barricades built by thousands of citizens around…
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These striking pine-covered cliffs loom above a pristine white-sand beach dissected by a glistening stream. This is one of the most enchanting places…
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A real-life house of horrors, this imposing fin de siècle building is remembered by generations of Latvians as the local headquarters of the notorious…
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This small and rather informal space briefly recounts the city’s history of Jewish life until 1945 through artefacts and photography. Rīga’s Jewish…
3. Nativity of Christ Cathedral
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Its polished gilded cupolas gleaming through the trees, this Byzantine-styled Orthodox cathedral (1883) adds a dazzling dash of Russian bling to the…
4. Latvian National Museum of Art
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Latvia's main gallery, sitting on the edge of the Esplanāde's leafy grounds, is an impressive building that was purpose-built in a baroque-classical style…
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The expansive Esplanāde is a large park dotted with tall trees, wooden benches and open-air cafes. The Latvian National Museum of Art graces it on one…
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One of the great Latvian writers, Rainis – his pen name – created works that called for independence and have become part of the Latvian identity. He died…
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Like a huge painting that you can spend hours staring at, as your eye detects more and more intriguing details, this must-see Rīga sight is in fact a…
8. Vērmanes dārzs (Vērmanes Garden)
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From Brīvības, pass the swirls of colour at the 24-hour flower market along Tērbatas iela to find the inviting Vērmanes dārzs. During the summer months,…