What to eat, see and do in Riga, Latvia

See

The Old Town is made for mooching, with a maze of lanes, squares and sensitively-restored churches. Town Hall Square is the star, with the rebuilt House of the Blackheads, covered in fussily dainty decoration. Look for the marker on the spot where the world’s first Christmas tree was erected.

For an idea of why so much of Riga had to be reconstructed, the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia looks at the horrors of the Nazi and Soviet eras (okupacijasmuzejs.lv). Cheerier is the Art Nouveau District. The Art Nouveau Museum (jugendstils.riga.lv) hosts an apartment inside adorned with dreamy furniture.

Do

South of the Old Town is Moscow District (named owing to the big Russian population). Once rather dicey, it’s now home to three of Riga’s best attractions. Riga Central Market’s five huge pavilions are former Zeppelin hangars: the Gastronomic Pavilion has a posh food court vibe.

The former Jewish ghetto hosts the bleak Riga Ghetto and Holocaust in Latvia Museum (rgm.lv). Many displays are inside a train carriage, representing the ones used to send victims to concentration camps in the forests. In the wider neighbourhood old warehouses are being turned into cafés and start-up offices. It’s one of the “creative quarters” designed to spread life and energy throughout the city. Dominating the Moscow District, is the Latvian Academy of Sciences (lza.lv). Nicknamed Stalin’s Wedding Cake due to its tiered, Soviet-style look, it has an open-air observation deck at the top with top drawer views.

Eat

In recent years there’s been a renaissance in Latvian food — which generally means smoking or pickling anything you can get your hands on, and making the most of forest berries and mushrooms. Zviedru Vārti (zviedruvarti.lv) incorporates some of this in a gorgeous 16th-century Old Town building, with a heavily meaty menu.

Stay

The rooms at the Radisson Blu Latvija (radissonhotels.com) are solid, unremarkable and business-friendly. But the Skyline bar on the 26th floor, looking over the city, is more exciting. The lifts climb up the outside of the building — the Orthodox cathedral’s golden dome soars past. Doubles from €98.