Top Riga Region hotels
one word of warning: Dont mess about with the Russians, the latvians are generally friendly wee people who dont like to fight, but the russians will take you on. Some of the dodgy clubs are filled with guns, like starlight and around the ice rink in the old town, but dont be worrying about it. just dont grab any strippers or take the ***.....well not toooo much!
Guys, we all know that Latvian & Russian women are very pretty in average.However, be very careful!!! You might wake up in the middle of a street with crushed bones, nose broken and all your belongings stolen!I am not joking at all. Should you live in Zurich or Berlin, you might be aware of GHB drugs effects and bad people using it to rape women right? What usually happens in Riga is that a very friendly girl will approach you, then after a while you will pay her a drink, dance with her and have good fun. However coming back to the bar she will put some drugs in your glass, pretend to the barman that you are drunk and that she has to take you home.......then comes the funny part where 2 Russian guys will beat you up and take all your belongings!!!!!!!!!Hopefully, that scenario never happened to me in that way but I've had 2 mobile phones, my pair of rayban and my bottle of Issey Miyake...
On the first night in Riga I was stopped on my way home from a nightclub by a van containing 5 or 6 men resembling the police. They all had a similar uniform and asked me to get in the van they were in. I refused to do this and said I was fine to make my own way home so I was dragged into the van and held there. Next I was then taken back to a cell where I was shouted at quite a lot before being asked for money. When I refused to give them money two of the men held me down while one searched my pockets. Once they had my money I was hit in the face a couple of times before being repeatedly kicked by some of the others. They then had the 'curteousy' to take me back to where they picked me up and left me with 1 Lat to get home with (bearing in mind I had around 150 Lat on my person beforehand - roughly equal to £150) I'm certain because I was on my own they picked me out for this. All I can...
In the old town, there is a small section on the side of the bus station/train station where is instantly turns into burned out ghetto. I was looking for a specific pub, rounded a corner and all of a sudden there were no people, save for one "professional" and her "employer". Every building was burned out and collapsing, like in Detroit. Going from very safe tourist area to this was not cool, to say the least.
Unless you are on Atkins, Riga is not a good place to be on a diet. The Lido cafeteria style restaurants lend themselves to overeating, everything looks delicious and it's hard to make a choice. And those big pans of fried potatoes always look so inviting!But Riga is a great town for walking, so eat hearty and walk it off.
Riga is not more dangerous than any other city, but...- at night you should only walk on well frequented streets;- don't take your passport or large amounts of cash with you or leave them in your room;- use the security facilities that may be available at your accomodation;- don't leave luggage, valuables - cameras, etc., exposed inside a parket car or luggage attached to a roof rack;- don't give money to children or people begging - it only encourages this activity;mind your bag in crowded streets, shops or when having a meal or drink.
Watch out for the taxis, as always. The meter can jump 2 or 3 euro without trying. The fare from the airport should be about €10 except in rush hour. Red taxis seem to be safer than white taxis.The street kids are a pain, but relatively harmles.The girls come out at 20.00, and really are not very interesting. Better to go to one of the clubs and dance the night away (only €300 a dance!)
In the waiting room of Riga train station, lots of homeless people/drunkards sleep across the hard yellow plastic chairs. In the morning, policemen come in loudly to prod them and shout at them - presumably to wake up and get out. (My Latvian isnt particularly hot!)
Watch your car! We were warned in advance to take off anything others could take off before they did it. That included windscreenwipers, but wheelcaps apparently were a much sought after item as well.
take care of those 'new Russians' (Skinheads) esspeacially placed in front of the disco 'Pepsi Forums' they are not dangerous but their looks might scare you sometimes... And remember: THEY ARE NOT LATVIAN
Best Eastern Centra Hotel Riga Riga
7 Reviews and 250 Opinions We had an opportunity to travel somewhere with my husband for two nights. As we have 3 small kids,...
Reval Hotel Ridzene Riga
6 Reviews and 115 Opinions This year - hotel Ridzene again. The main hotel's advantage is its very quiet location in the very...
Albert Hotel Riga
4 Reviews and 407 Opinions Despite no plausable connection with the late great Mr Einstein The Albert Hotel is a shrine to the...
Reviews and photos of Riga Region attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Riga Region sightseeing.
Q: Sveiki! I need an advice. my departure from Riga airport at 11.30, but bus arrived (internetional, from belarus) only at 8.10....
A: You should have no problem. Yes, traffic can be bad, but by 0900 it seems to clear out. I used Municipal bus and as I recall, it took about 30 minutes from the stop near...
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