More features:

• What to buy in Latvia

  
  Whether it’s potent alcohol and sweet chocolate that you’re after or perhaps an antique map or a trinket from Latvia’s Soviet past, the list we’ve compiled for you should help you find the perfect souvenir....

• Here be monsters

  
  Although Latvian-born physicians and engineers have invented everything from viral therapies for cancer to the famous Minox spy camera, a recent study carried out by the SKDS research centre suggests that Latvians aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed when it comes to science....

• Canal & Riverboat cruises

  A leisurely boat tour of the River Daugava or Riga canal is a must when in town, but unfortunately this is only possible from April - October as both waterways usually freeze over in winter....

• Heads up!

  
  You’re walking down a picturesque Riga street on a sunny winter day and all is right with the world when suddenly you hear a loud rumble from above....

• Ayurdeva invasion!

  
  Only time will tell if it’s a fad or a genuine movement, but for now we’ll call it an Ayurveda invasion! Find out why so many Latvians are attempting to open their chakras with exercise, study and spicy food....

• Valentine's Day in Riga

  
  Valentine’s Day is one of those holidays, if you can call it that, that most people seem to love or hate....

• Latvian saunas

  
  People have been using some form of a sauna since ancient times. Steam baths were the cornerstone of Greco-Roman civilisation and for centuries the Native Americans purged their bodies of sickness in sweathouses across North America....

• Scams: tales from the trenches

  The growth of the local tourism industry has created countless new jobs for Latvians, but it has also spawned another lucrative trade, which seems to be inevitable in Eastern Europe – scams and rip-offs....

• The Left Bank (Pārdaugava)

  
  Riga’s visitors are happy to stroll through its medieval old town and admire its stunning art nouveau city centre, but seldom do they cross over to the River Daugava’s left bank, unless of course they’re on their way to the airport....

• Latvian cooking

  
  If you’re looking for something light and healthy to eat, then you’ve come to the wrong place....

• Moscow District

  
  Riga is divided into four sections or suburbs, each named after the traditional region of Latvia it is closest to – Vidzeme, Kurzeme, Zemgale or Latgale....

• Another one bites the dust

  
  On November 22 it became clear that yet another Latvian bank, Latvijas Krājbanka, the nation’s 10th largest financial institution, had to cease operations due to a lack of funds....