More features:

• 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....

• 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....

• Food & Curio bazaar

  
  Buy anything from fresh seasonal produce and antiques to vintage clothing and Soviet memorabilia at the Berga Bazārs open market twice every month....

• Kids' Riga

  
  Eating out Finding child-friendly restaurants and cafés in Riga can sometimes be a bit of a chore, but a few have realised that providing a play area for children can actually add to their bottom line....

• 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....

• 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....

• Record Rothko sale

  In May 2012 artist Mark Rothko’s painting Orange, Red, Yellow sold for a whopping US$86.9 million at Christie’s in New York....

• 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....

• Riga calendar of events

  
  Here's what's going on in Riga in April and May. Guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel will impress ...

• Join the circus!

  
  The circus is in town! We remember hearing these five words loaded with expectation at a tender age when the life of a clown or an acrobat seemed like the best possible vocation the world had to offer....

• 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....

• 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....

• Road trip to Rundāle and Bauska

  
  It may surprise you to know that after visiting Riga in December of 1991, the editor of this publication swore he would never return to the place where the military police robbed tourists at gunpoint, street thugs jumped foreigners for no apparent reason and real toilet paper was incredibly scarce....