Latvia Travel Guides
Browse and explore the best travel guides in Latvia.
Latvia Travel Facts
Latvia sits in the middle of the Baltics, wrapping Art Nouveau architecture, pine-lined beaches, and vast national parks around the lively capital Riga. Beyond the UNESCO-listed old town, Jurmala's wooden beach villas, the fairytale Cesis Castle, and Gauja National Park's canoe routes and sandstone cliffs give short-trip travellers plenty to combine with a city break.
Capital
Riga
Population
~1.9 million
Area
64,589 km²
Time Zone
EET (UTC+2) / EEST (UTC+3)
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Languages
Latvian
Main Airports
RIX (Riga)
Visa
Schengen visa; visa-free for most Western nationalities
Best For
Art Nouveau, beaches, forests, castles
Typical Cost Level
Mid-range
Latvia destinations
Latest Travel Guides
Stay in the loop
Get the latest deals, new destinations, and travel tips delivered straight to your inbox.
No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Latvia Travel FAQ
Latvia is in the Schengen Area, so EU, UK, US, Canadian, Australian, and Japanese passport holders can enter visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Other nationalities need to apply for a Schengen short-stay visa before travel.
June to August is the best time to visit Latvia, with long summer days, beach weather on the Jurmala coast, and Riga's Song Festival every five years. May and September are quieter and cheaper, and December's Riga Christmas Market is a strong winter draw.
Latvia is generally very safe for tourists, with a low violent-crime rate. In Riga, avoid the small number of tourist-trap bars along Skarnu iela in the old town, and stick to licensed taxis or apps like Bolt to avoid overcharging.
Latvia uses the euro (EUR), having joined the eurozone in 2014. Cards and contactless payments are the norm, and ATMs are easy to find across Riga and larger towns.
On trip1, you can book hotels across Latvia and pay with over 50 cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDC. trip1 covers 3 million+ hotels in 190+ countries, making it easy to find and book accommodation with crypto.
Buses cover Latvia most comprehensively — Lux Express and Ecolines link Riga with Sigulda, Cesis, Liepaja, and cross-border to Tallinn and Vilnius. A rental car is best for reaching Gauja National Park, Kuldiga, and coastal villages off the main routes.