USEFUL Information

We have put together some useful information that will help you get around while in Riga.

If there is anything else you need or want help with please contact us by email at 

Riga@simplystay.com

Currency

The national currency is the Latvian Lat, and 1 Lat approximates £1 or 1.45 Euros. The currency is strong and stable and pegged to the Euro. As a new European State, Latvia is expected to join the European Single Currency in 2010, although this date has been put back from 2008.

If you are thinking of changing money, get some at the airport before you arrive, but change most when you are in Riga as the exchange rate is more favourable. Most Restaurants, Bars, and even taxis accept credit cards so no need to panic if you run short of cash!

Driving in Riga, Hiring a car, taxis, & public transport

If you are thinking you might need to hire a car to get around Riga, don't! Unless you plan to travel out of town, it simply isn't necessary, and parking in Riga is worse than London, expensive and anything but easy. Parking spaces are a premium, if you can find one, and will cost 10 Lats/£10/15 Euros per day. Taxis are inexpensive, the cost from the Airport to the Centre of the City will cost just 12 Lats/£12/17 Euros.

In addition, the Suite is so centrally located, you can walk straight into the centre of Riga Old Town in less then 5 minutes. A large part of the Old Town is pedestrianised, and most traffic is jammed nose to tail, so walking is frequently faster (& safer!)

If you want to hire a car, you are advised to hire one on line before you arrive, which can be a lot less expensive.

Taxis will also take you anywhere, including areas where normal cars are restricted, and are abundantly available. If you are really on a budget, the busses and trams are plentiful, if a little old, easy to master, and cheap. The Tourist Office can supply maps of the routes.

The Airport

The Riga International Airport, the country’s main travel hub, recently underwent multi-million-dollar renovations. More are planned, but it is already a spectacular contrast to its former grey-and-concrete self. This now modern, Western-feeling Riga airport (or lidosta) is a close 10 kilometres from the city center, and it’s fairly small and rarely crowded.

The airport is divided into two main levels, a lower floor and an upper floor. The lower floor is the arrivals hall; there is a currency exchange here, a variety of money machines, a post office, car rental booths, tourist info desk, bathrooms, a bar and a place to order taxis. The main parking lot is just outside the doors.

The upper floor is the departure area. There aren’t that many flights on the hour, so finding your check-in desk is easy. There’s an information office, internet access (internet cafe and wireless broadband), a bar, café, and a newspaper shop.

While currency rates at airport exchanges aren’t always the best, you might want to exchange some money at the airport to carry you over until you reach the City.

Finding your way to (or from) the City center (centr) is quite simple. Buses #22 and #22A run about every half hour between the airport and the city center; it costs a cheap 20 santims (0.20 Lats). Bus tickets are available directly from the bus driver. 

Climate 

Being part of Continental Europe, Latvia enjoys a remarkable variation in weather, and contrary to popular belief, Summer can be really hot & frequently hotter than the UK, especially in July when the midday temperature can rise rise to as much as 36°C. At this time of year dawn breaks at 4:30am and the sun doesn't set until 10:30pm. May to September (Spring and Summer) is the best time to visit, with daytime temperatures averaging 67°F (17°C). The weather in Spring & Autumn fairly mild. Rainfall is common throughout the year with the heaviest being the occasional thunderstorm in August. However during severe spells of Winter, Latvia can suffer from the cold winds from Russia & snowfall is common. The coldest months are January and February and Riga can experience extreme temperatures (-25°C in crisp, clear blue sky), but averages are only -1°C during the day because of the proximity of the Baltic Sea & the Gulf Stream. For this reason a lot of the older buildings get very cold in the Winter months. This is not a problem for our suite which is brand new & fully air conditioned, so you can set the temperature to suit you.

Average temperatures in Centigrade

To check the actual weather in Riga & Latvia right now, click here!

Tourist Information Centres

Riga’s Tourism Information Center has two outlets: One in the old city, in the House of Blackheads complex, at Ratslaukums 6 (I-2); tel. 703-7900, fax 703-7901; tourinfo@rcc.lv; and also at the bus terminal, at Pragas 1, tel. 722-0555. Open:10:00 to 19:00.  www.rigatourism.com

The info at the Riga International Airport, tel.720-7005, fax 720-7100; tourinfo@lgs.lv. The official Latvian tourism board website is www.latviatravel.com.

Time

Latvia is on Eastern European Time. It’s two hours ahead of the UK. A good website that always has the right Latvian time, plus Latvia’s time relative to other countries, is www.worldtimeserver.com.

The Phones

The phone system is reliable and easy to use. See YELLOW PAGES towards the end of the Riga tourist listings for more details about how to call in, to and from Latvia. If you need to make phone calls from a pay phone, you should purchase a Lattelekom phone card—available at newspaper kiosks, post offices and some stores. For international calls, buy an international phone card.

USEFUL PHRASES

Latvian, unlike Estonian, is an Indo-European language. This doesn't mean it's easier to speak, but at least it is in the same ballpark as German, English and most other European languages. Latvian is related to Lithuanian, and people from the two nations can roughly understand each other. The stress is almost always on the first syllable.