Latvia Hotels by HotelTravel.com
Latvia is a land of medieval castles, pagan ruins, whimsical Art Nouveau buildings, and grand old baroque buildings. Situated on the scenic Baltic Sea coast, Latvia is a small country with ancient history and traditions. Latvia offers some extraordinary accommodation as many overlook the beautiful and exotic Baltic beaches.
Nature lovers will enjoy the serene Gulf of Riga and the open Baltic Sea, as well as nature parks, lakes and beautiful forests. There are about 12,000 rivers in Latvia, the biggest being the River Daugava, a popular place for boating and water sports in the summer time.
Latvia's coast is legendary for its amber. The ancient Balts traded Latvian amber with Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Still today it is commonly used in traditional Latvian jewellery.
Bordered by Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, and Belarus, Latvia's population has been multiethnic for centuries, though the demographics shifted dramatically in the twentieth century due to the World Wars, the emigration and removal of Baltic Germans, the Holocaust, and occupation by the Soviet Union of which it gained independence in 1991.
Latvia has been forging its own distinctive style in recent years. In the vibrant, coastal capital of Riga, elegant and whimsical Art Nouveau buildings stand by blocks of Soviet-era structures. Riga is the cosmopolitan hub of the Baltics where good food and nightlife are abundant, with a growing international flair. Old Riga boasts fabulous architectural monuments, along with a variety of nightclubs and pubs.
Long the Baltic favourite, Latvia is now also beginning to emerge as a tourist destination, championed as one of Europe's hidden treasures. Visitors will appreciate the picturesque medieval towns, country castles, museums and folk parks, fortress ruins and grand palaces. They will also appreciate the little Latvian quirks still entrenched in customs, crafts and culture.
