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Riga, Latvia

  • 26-03-2010 3:44pm
    #1
    sizabletomato
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17 ✭


    Hi, heading there for a few days in early June...just wondering what peoples experiences were and what I should do, and completely avoid :D

    Thanks! :)


Comments

  • #2
    undo
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 860 ✭✭✭undo


    Of the three Baltic republics, Latvia has by far the most Russians. You can hear Russian everywhere and you can see how everything in Riga is set up to please Russian tourists. Our hotel room was stuffed with all sorts of tacky extras. Apparently, Russians love to brag how their hotel room had a DVD player and a HiFi system... Still, it is an old city full of very beautiful architecture with many things to see. Vilnius is much nicer though.


  • #3
    Stinicker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 7,102 ✭✭✭Stinicker


    Riga has alot of scams, mainly relating to sleavy stripclubs and prostitution. If your a single male and propositioned into a bar and asked to buy "lady drinks" run a friggin mile. The general scam is to extort money with the lady drink having costed anything up to a grand, if you haven't much cash heavyweight bouncers will force you under duress to an ATM. Just avoid the whole sex tourism element and otherwise it a nice enough place, try and distinguish yourself from England and emphasise Ireland and you will get more respect.

    The mayor of Riga described British tourists who fly in on Ryanair as "the greatest shower of bástards going" who spend their time riding whores, getting drunk and causing trouble. He compared the Easyjet passengers as almost Aristocratic in comparison.


  • #4
    Unshelved
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 865 ✭✭✭Unshelved


    A weekend is PLENTY to enjoy Riga - there's not a huge amount to see. The old town is lovely and the Museum of Occupation is well worth a look. As previous posters have said, avoid anywhere that stag parties might frequent. The police have been known to pick on drunken tourists as well - so stay sober. Be careful of taxi drivers - total scam merchants. I would say that the locals are pretty unfriendly - but that may be because of the calibre of tourists that visit their city at weekends.

    I visited in June a couple of years ago and the temperature varied between 15 degrees on one day to 30 degrees a week later. Weather can be unpredictable at that time of the year.

    Buy some amber while you're there - it's great value and good quality.


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