Latvia concentrates most of what visitors come for in and around Riga: the largest collection of art nouveau architecture in the Baltics, a medieval old town and the seaside suburb of Jurmala half an hour away by train. Beyond that, Daugavpils in the east and the Gauja valley offer a quieter, more provincial picture of the country.
The guides on this page cover Riga, Jurmala, Daugavpils and Latvia overall. Summer is short and busy, especially on the coast, where the beach season runs June through August. Riga works year-round — the old town is compact, and the museums and markets carry the winter months. Distances are small enough that the whole country can be covered from a single base.