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Sightseeing tours |
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Old Riga
town walk (1.5 hours walk) |
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Take a walk through the labyrinth of cobble-stoned
streets and you will probably feel that you have made a journey back in
time. Gothic churches and ancient buildings remind you of the Middle Ages.
This open museum contains over 150 architectural monuments. The tour of
our ancient Hanseatic City comprises of the most attractive and significant
sights. The impressions of the visited places will stay with you long after
the tour is over. During the walk through the Old Town you will see such
places of beauty as: |
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The Latvian National Opera, a magnificent
building that is situated between the Old and the New Riga City. The traditions
of Latvian National Opera House go back to the 18th century when first production
of Richard Wagner' s the Flying Dutchman was staged. Opera is fondly known
between Latvians as "White House". |
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The Convent Yard is situated in the
heart of the Old Town and is one of the oldest building complexes in it.
Convent yard takes you on tour through the ages starting from the 13th century
convent, which was the initial purpose of the structures. In the following
years, the complex has been used for everything from housing apartments
to warehouses. You can find here the oldest stone wall structure in Riga,
the St. George Church (now the Museum of Applied and Decorative Arts). Visit
the basement museum for a more vivid picture of its eventful history. |
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St. Peter's Church, one of the best
examples of Gothic architecture in the Baltics, meant to be the main church
of the town. First the Church was mentioned in the 13th century. From the
observation platform of the tower you can enjoy a splendid view of Riga.
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The Dome Cathedral, the largest cathedral
in the Baltics has become the most important spiritual center in Riga. The
Cathedral is famous with its organ, which was made in 1884. It was the biggest
organ in the world, which comprised of 6 718 pipes. |
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Powder Tower first was mentioned
in the 14th century as a sand Tower because it defended the city from the
side of the Big Sand Road. Tower has acquired its present name "Powder
Tower" in the 17th century when it has been used for gunpowder and
cannonballs storage. |
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Great and Small Guild, the eclectic
Gothic style buildings. Both houses were built over a century and a half
ago and are the "family nests" of two Riga families of tradesmen
and craftsmen. Now in the Small Guild many cultural evenings, parties, seminars
and conferences are organized. |
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You will also see other sights: Cat House,
Dominican monastery, House of Blackheads, Roland's statue, St. Jacob's Church,
St. John's Church, Riga Castle, Swedish Gate, Three Brothers, the Freedom
monuments and other restored buildings, souvenir shops, cafes, bars, restaurants.
During the tour you can make stop at the café, bar or restaurant
and have prearranged snack and aperitif. |
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The Riga city tour |
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Tour has walking and driving part, takes
3 hours.
This tour unites both Old Town's beauty and more distant Riga' s districts
and places of attraction. You will be invited to view the most significant
sights of Riga: central streets and boulevards of Riga, the Bastion Hill,
Laima clock, The University of Latvia, Latvian Opera House, Passenger Terminal
and Daugava river, Brethren cemetery and Art Nouveau architecture. After
the driving the walking part through the Old City is followed. Take a walk
through the labyrinth of cobble-stoned streets and you will probably feel
that you have made a journey back in time. Gothic churches and ancient buildings
remind you of the Middle Ages. This open museum contains over 150 architectural
monuments. The tour of our ancient Hanseatic city comprises of the most
attractive and significant sights. During the walk through the Old Town
you will see such places of beauty as: The Latvia National Opera, The Convent
Yard, St. Peter's Church, The Dome Cathedral, The Powder Tower, Great and
Small Guild, Cat House, Dominican monastery, House of Blackheads, Roland's
statue, St. Jacob's Church, St. John's Church, Riga Castle, Swedish Gate,
Three Brothers. The impressions of the places visited will stay with you
long after the tour is over.
During the tour you can make stop at the café, bar or restaurant
and have prearranged snack and aperitif. |
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The art nouveau architecture |
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The Art Nouveau Architecture excursion will
take about an hour. Art Nouveau is one of the styles that dominate in architectural
heritage of Riga. Riga is known as the "capital" of the Art Nouveau.
It is really worth seeing. There is no other place in the world where you
can find so many magnificent Art Nouveau buildings. Spread throughout the
City, but you will find the most expressive specimens concentrated on the
Alberta street, Elizabetes street, Vilandes street and Strelnieku street.
The architect Mikhail Eisenstein (1867-1921) -the father of the famous moviemaker
Sergey Eisenstein constructed most of these buildings. The facades of the
buildings are decorated with beautiful lines, flowery garlands and marvelously
sculptured figures. The interior of the building is as much inspiring as
the outside façade; it shows rich history of the house and its owners.
Welcome to the city of beautiful Art Nouveau Architecture. |
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Riga jewish heritage tour |
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The Jewish community has a very important
role in the history of the city. During the tour you will have the opportunity
to view the most significant sights and memorial places of Riga and gain
plenty of information on Jewish Heritage in our country. You will visit
the place of the burned down Big Choral Synagogue which was built in the
19th century; Salaspils memorial; Jewish Hospital "Bikur Holim"
which is still working and treating people; The Old Jewish Cemetery - now
a memorial park; memorial place in Rumbula, a place where about 30 000 Jewish
people from all over the Europe were massacred. The tour is divided into
two parts. First part included sights related to the Jewish heritage located
in The Old Riga and Riga Center. This part can be combined with Old Riga
Walk tour, which takes about 3 hours. After the first part we recommend
a break for having pre-booked meal in one of the Riga's restaurants. The
second part of the tour includes drive to the city outskirts and also takes
about 3 hours. |
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Rundale palace(6
hours) |
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Don't miss the opportunity to see one of
the most beautiful baroque Palaces in Latvia. On the way to the destination
you will have a chance to enjoy a splendid view of Zemgale region. Our route
goes through the Bauska town, which is 66 km to the South of Riga. You will
visit the ruins of the Bauska Castle (15-18th century). The destination
of the tour is Rundale Palace, which has been designed and built between
1736 to 1740 by the famous Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli
who has also designed St. Petersburg's famed Winter Palace. The Rundale
Palace is outstanding example of baroque period. The Palace was built as
a summer residence for the Duke of Courland Ernst Johan Biron. Most of the
Palace's interior decorations were completed from 1765 to 1768. The most
impressive are the Golden Throne Hall, the White Dance Hall, the big gallery,
small cabinets in which you can see a Japanese and Chinese porcelain collection,
46 rococo interiors the bedroom of the Duke. The Rundale Palace is one of
the few remaining places in Latvia, where the very essence of the 18th century
may still be experienced. The Palace boasts a beautiful French-style park.
Opportunity to have meal at the palace restaurant. |
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The ethnographic
open-air museum (3 hours) |
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The Ethnographic open-air Museum, founded
in 1924, is one of the oldest open-air museums in Europe. Authentic houses,
farmsteads, and fishermen' s villages that represent different regions of
Latvia of 16-19 centuries. The museum is situated in a vast pine forest
by the lake Jugla, its territory is about 100 hectares. On weekends you
can watch traditional craftsmen at work and buy souvenirs. You will have
a chance to taste honey with country bread from the museum's bee-farm and
a special drink brewed from honey. During summer weekends folk dancing displays
and concerts are held in the museum premises. The museum pub Priedes Krogs
offers a pre-booked meal opportunity. An unforgettable experience that you
should not miss! |
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Jurmala
(3 hours) |
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The Baltic Sea famous spa-resort Jurmala
is located only 25 km to the West from Riga on the Gulf of Riga. Its natural
curative features: mild climate, golden sandy beaches, conifer forests stretching
along the coastline, curative medical mud and spa mineral water. During
the tour you will see small wooden houses and summer cottages plunged into
parks and forests, spa health centers and hotel. You will have a chance
to have a stroll along the sand coast and along a famous central pedestrian
Jomas Street where you will find plenty of souvenir shops, cafes. We recommend
this tour particularly for those who come to Latvia in spring and summer. |
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Sigulda
(5 hours) |
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Sigulda is located 53 km away to the East
from Riga in the Gauja River valley. This small town is one of the most
picturesque towns in Latvia and is often referred to as "the small
Latvian Switzerland " because of the beautiful mountainous region.
The past of the town is rich in historical events. There were castles built
in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knight's Order and Riga's Bishop: Sigulda
in 1207, Turaida in 1214 and Krimulda in 1252 out of which only the Turaida
Castle has remained. Nowadays, Sigulda is a center of the Gauja National
Park. Hilly riverbanks, sandstone caves, ruins of the medieval castles make
it so very unique and make Sigulda a favorite resort for tourism and relaxation
throughout the entire year. Sigulda is the most popular tourist and leisure
destination as well as a famous place for winter sports competitions with
a bob sleight route, which is one of the best in the world, and the downhill
skiing routes. We can offer a pre-booked meal opportunity in one of the
cozy restaurants in Sigulda. The tour involves a lot of walking and we recommend
comfortable shoes. |
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Cesis |
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A full day tour to the heart of Vidzeme.
Cesis is a beautiful Latvian Hanseatic town located about 90 km away from
Riga. This green and picturesque town which history goes back to 800 years
used to be recognized in Europe as the capital of the Livonian Order. The
tour to Cesis includes the stop at the site of the Castle Araisi Lake, dating
back to the 9th century. Cesis town is famous with its knights' tournaments,
Cesis beer festival and the open-air theatre performances. You will have
a chance to enjoy a quiet and relaxing small town atmosphere. You will see
the 13th century Order of Knight's Castle and the soaring Gothic tower of
the 13th century Church of St.John. The castle was built in a variety of
architectural styles: romanticism, Gothicism, baroque and classicism. Now
only ruins are left from the medieval castle what gives an inspiring impression
of the Dark Ages. You will have an opportunity to explore the castle's ancient
cellars and tower. Visit the local History Museum displayed in the New Palace
and enjoy a walk in the Palace Park. During the tour you will experience
many surprises. There is also an opportunity to pre-book a meal in one of
the cozy restaurants in the town of Cesis. |
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Social programs |
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