22/10/2025
🌟 Have you ever met someone whose eyes light up the moment they start talking about their city?
That’s Svetlana Kuznetsova – a guide who has been showing guests around Riga with love and pride for 25 years. ✨
“Our profession gives us the chance to meet new people almost every day and recharge from their energy. It also tests our memory, our ability to stay alert, and our creativity. I love my profession,” she says. 💛
Svetlana became a guide quite by accident – when her former workplace was shut down. Previously, she worked in sea freight shipments to Germany, but life opened another path. Old courses she had once taken at “Intourist” and “Viahansa” became the foundation for her new career, later enriched with continuous learning and reading the latest materials.
“Constant learning is a must in our profession,” she emphasizes. 📚
🚶♀ Walking along the cobblestone streets, she wants her guests not only to see the beauty but also to feel with their hearts the breath of centuries – the footsteps echoing in the stones and towers.
“Riga is a city-riddle,” she says with a smile.
And yes – her life is also inspired by theater and music. They add color to her storytelling and allow her to share emotions that flow through every tour. 🎭🎶
💫 Of course, there are also unforgettable adventures! Like this summer, when three tourists from Germany showed up for a tour… with six dogs! One big, five small. At first, it seemed like a challenge. But no! The dogs became the stars of the tour and captured all of Old Town’s attention. At the end, the furry “company” barked loudly and joyfully to say goodbye to Svetlana. 🐕🐾 Isn’t that beautiful? Memories to last a lifetime!
🌍 Svetlana has seen many cities. Vilnius, which in 35 years transformed from a quiet old-town gem into a shining European metropolis. Limassol in Cyprus, which grew from a small 1990s resort town into a modern, luxurious city.
But Svetlana’s heart will always belong to Riga.
“Riga affects me very emotionally… I feel like straightening my back, being beautiful, and dressing elegantly. I always want to show this beauty to my guests,” she admits.
And indeed – the city’s Art Nouveau architecture, its clean streets, and its fairytale-like flowerbeds enchant everyone. 🌺🌿
Guests are often surprised by Riga’s cleanliness and order, but the city’s flowerbeds receive the most compliments. “They truly are magical,” Svetlana says with a smile, also mentioning the legendary gardener Kufalts, whose work still decorates the city. 🌸
When asked about the secret to a good tour, she answers simply:
“A guide must be in a good mood and have one goal – to show their city in such a way that guests fall in love with it.”
And it’s exactly this love for Riga, felt in every word and story, that makes Svetlana a guide who doesn’t just show the city – she makes her guests fall in love with Riga forever. 💖
🙏 Thank you, Svetlana, for showing us Riga in a way that makes us fall in love with it all over again.
🌆 Because Riga is not just streets and buildings – it’s a feeling. And with you, it becomes a story we want to experience again and again.
