08/31/2026
Riga, Latvia: A Love Rediscovered
This is my second visit to Riga. My first was more than 25 years ago, when I visited with my parents. I still remember being captivated by the city then, although I could not have fully understood why. Returning now, after so many years and with so much more experience of the world, I find myself wondering what it was that I saw in Riga all those years ago. The answer, I think, is that I sensed something in its character that has stayed with me ever since.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Riga was one of the great cities of the Baltic, a prosperous and cosmopolitan center of commerce, industry, culture and intellectual life. That confidence and prosperity left behind an extraordinary architectural legacy. Today, Riga is renowned for its exceptional concentration of of Art Nouveau architecture, particularly in the elegant Quiet Centre, where streets such as Alberta iela unfold as a remarkable expression of early 20th-century imagination and craftsmanship. The buildings are not merely beautiful; they speak of a city that was ambitious, sophisticated and remarkably open to the modern world.
But what makes Riga especially compelling to me is the connection between its architecture and its cultural life. This is a city with a remarkable tradition of opera, ballet and classical music, and one that has produced artists of extraordinary distinction. Perhaps none has a more personal connection to Riga for me than Mikhail Baryshnikov, who was born here.
I was fortunate to see Baryshnikov make his American debut in New York, at the beginning of what would become one of the most extraordinary careers in the history of dance. To stand in Riga now, knowing that this extraordinary artist began his life here, creates a remarkable sense of continuity. The young dancer born in this Baltic city would eventually arrive in New York and transform the world of ballet. Having witnessed a small part of that story firsthand, it is unexpectedly moving to encounter its beginning here.
Riga’s cultural life is still one of its great strengths. The Latvian National Opera and Ballet is a wonderful company, performing in a magnificent historic opera house and presenting an ambitious season. There is something particularly satisfying about experiencing opera and ballet in a city where the performing arts feel woven into the culture rather than presented simply as attractions.
Perhaps that is what returning to Riga has taught me. We never really return to the same place. We return with our own history, and suddenly the place has acquired another layer of meaning. The Riga I experienced with my parents more than 25 years ago exists alongside the Riga I am seeing today. The city has changed, and so have I, but the feeling of discovery remains.
As a luxury travel advisor, I am continually searching for places that offer beauty, culture, character and a genuine sense of discovery. Riga possesses all of these in abundance. Its architecture is extraordinary, its performing arts scene remarkably sophisticated, and its hotels, restaurants and cultural experiences offer an exceptional level of quality and value compared with many of Europe’s more celebrated capitals.
Most of all, Riga retains something increasingly rare: authenticity. It feels elegant without being ostentatious, cultivated without being self-conscious, and deeply European without being overwhelmed by tourism.
I am delighted to be experiencing Riga again with my husband, Kareem George, and our dear friend Joyce Hayes-Giles, as we continue our Baltic journey aboard the beautiful new EXPLORA III from Explora Journeys.
More than 25 years ago, I came to Riga with my parents and fell in love with the city without quite knowing why. Returning now, I think I understand.
It was never simply the architecture that captured me. It was the spirit of the place — cultured, resilient, elegant and quietly confident.
And after all these years, that spirit remains remarkably intact.
