Riga:

RIGA (Latitude 56° N and Longitude 24° E):

Riga has a wonderful 'Old City' (just an easy walk across the river from our hotel). Enjoy a stroll on the cobbled streets of the Old City and admire the wonderful architecture (some of it Art Nouveau) and way of life in this historic Capital.
Riga has a great many delightful, historic buildings going back centuries. Riga Cathedral is but one of these and dates back to 1211.
Riga features a remarkable amount of money changing offices and ATM machines.
English is very widely spoken and understood.
(In fact, the weekend before the Convention sees Latvia's Midsummer Celebrations, one of the county's most significant festivals, with Riga transformed into a National Party. Come early and enjoy Riga at a very special time)!.




LATVIA:.

Latvia gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
Since then it is undergoing remarkable changes as its new economy prospers. Many of the old buildings are being abandoned before reconstruction, so now is a good time to see this remarkable country before it is changed forever.
Latvia is a small country with a population of around 2.3 million, one-third of which live in Riga. It is in a fascinating location with Scandinavia to the North, Russia to the East and Poland and Germany to the South. Historical trade routes made Latvia a crossroads and the influence of those nations can be seen in the country.
The currency is Lats, which visitors will need for incidental expenses (including your taxi from the airport) though such as Hotels accept Euros.
And, of course, Latvia has a fast-developing potato industry with some interesting products.

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Above: .Three Brothers
Above right:. View of Riga from Hotel Lobby

GETTING THERE:

BY AIR: Riga International airport (RIX) has the largest share of passenger traffic in the Baltic States. Many airlines offer direct services from a great many European cities.
Riga has three taxi services; red, green or Mercedes. The red and green are the most economical and will cost around euros 13 from the airport.  Mercedes taxis will be up to 50% more. The hotel is 12 k / 15 minutes away from the airport.
NOTE: There are four Radisson Blu hotels in Riga. Be sure to say Daugava for the correct location!

BY RAIL: Riga has rail connections to all neighbouring countries. It is on the main route from Western Europe from Berlin via Warsaw and Vilnius.

Riga is in the Eastern European Time Zone (EET), giving the following time differences:
W. Europe -1 hour (UK -2h). US & Canadian West Coast -10 hours. US East Coast -7 hours.

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USEFUL SITES FOR MORE INFORMATION:

For Riga: http://www.rigalatvia.net  

For Riga airport: http://www.riga-airport.com  

For Latvia: http://www.latvia.travel