Tourism in Latvia
Tourist places in Latvia
General information about Latvia
It is a country located in the Baltic Sea region in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia (the length of the border is 343 km), to the south by Lithuania (588 km), to the east by the Russian Federation (276 km) and to the southeast by Belarus (141 km), and it shares a maritime border to the west with Sweden.
It is one of the least populated and densely populated countries in the European Union. The capital of Latvia is Riga, and the Latvian language is the official language and its currency is Lats. On January 1, 2014, it was replaced by the euro. The country has a moderate seasonal climate.
The Latvian people are Baltic and culturally related to Estonians and Lithuanians. Latvians are the indigenous people of Latvia along with the Levans of the Finno-Ugric ethnicity.
Culture and history in Latvia
In terms of geography, land and population, Latvia is the center between the three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Latvia shares its history with Estonia during the periods of German, Polish-Lithuanian, Swedish, Russian, Nazi-German, and Soviet rule, Christianization in the thirteenth century, and the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century. Both countries are home to a large number of ethnic Russians (27.4% in Latvia and 26% in Estonia) some of them are non-citizens. The history of Latvia is predominantly Protestant, with the exception of the Latgalia region in the southeast of the country, which has a predominantly Catholic history.
The name Latvia comes from the ancient Latgalians, who are one of the Indo-European Baltic tribes, which together with the Coronians, Selonians and Simeigal tribes formed the ethnic core of the Latvian people today.
Around the beginning of the third millennium BC, the Proto-Baltic ancestors of the Latvian people settled the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea.
Latvia is famous for folklore, especially folk songs dating back about 1000 years, which were distinguished by more than 1.2 million texts and 30,000 folk melodies.
Tourist areas of Latvia
The ancient city of Riga
It includes cobbled streets and medieval buildings there. When you open your arms in Rosina, the narrowest street in Riga, you can touch opposite walls together, and you can also eat local traditional meals in one of the famous restaurants.
The city of Kuldega
This city is located on the banks of the River Venta, 155 kilometers from the capital, Riga. It dates back to the Middle Ages and is ideal for a romantic break, or for hiking, cycling, horses, fishing or taking a boat out for walks.
Rondal Palace and Museum
It is located in the fertile plains of southern Latvia. The interior “decorations” date back to the period between 1765 and 1768 and are the creativity of the German sculptor Johan Michael Graf, the Italian painters Francesco Martini and Carlo Zuchi. The building includes art galleries, fine arts and historical galleries, and the palace hosts a festival. Music and classical music concerts, and the place can be visited daily from ten in the morning until six thirty in the evening.
Guaja National Park
It is the oldest and largest national park in “Latvia” and the park is distinguished by its biological diversity, topography, natural springs and caves, as the park extends over more than 90 thousand hectares, so one day will not be enough to enjoy the magic of all parts of the place.