Riga sits on the Daugava river a few kilometres from the Baltic, in the flat sandy lowlands of Latvia, and it has been a trading city since the early thirteenth century, when German merchants and crusaders founded it. As a member of the Hanseatic League it grew rich on timber, flax and grain, and the old town is still a maze of cobbled lanes, brick churches, merchants' houses and guild halls. The ornate House of the Blackheads, rebuilt after wartime destruction, stands in the main square, and the spire of Saint Peter's Church rises above it all.
The city has another face. At the start of the twentieth century Riga grew quickly, and architects covered whole streets with Art Nouveau, with masks, sculpted faces and curling vegetation, and today there are more of these buildings than in almost any other city in Europe. Wander the district north of the old town and you will find facade after facade that seem to compete in exuberance. Even the Central Market, in a row of old Zeppelin hangars, has a grandeur that few markets can match, and it is a good place to buy smoked fish, rye bread and berries.
For riders, the city is something to pass through with care, since the cobbles of the old town are slippery when wet and trams run on rails across many streets. The real riding lies outside. The beaches of Jūrmala, with wooden villas in the pine woods, are half an hour to the west, and the Gauja valley to the north-east, with the castle at Sigulda and sandstone cliffs, is a favourite with Latvian riders. The landscape is generally flat, with forest and fields, but the roads are quiet, and the long summer light, lasting past ten in June, makes evening rides a pleasure. Watch for elk and deer at dusk, and for gravel patches on some local roads.
Fuel is easily available around the city. Try Riga's black balsam, a herbal liqueur, and grey peas with bacon. The riding season is short, from May to September, and the air turns cold quickly in autumn.