Latvia Countryside Travel Briefkaart

Latvia is a Baltic country where medieval heritage and vast natural landscapes exist side by side. Its capital, Riga, is renowned for one of the finest collections of Art Nouveau architecture in the world, alongside a UNESCO-listed Old Town filled with guild halls, churches, and cobbled streets. Beyond the capital, Latvia’s history unfolds through castles, manor houses, and small towns shaped by German, Swedish, Polish, and Russian influences, reflecting centuries of shifting borders and cultures along the Baltic Sea. Nature plays a central role in Latvian life, with dense forests, peat bogs, rivers, and a long, windswept coastline of sandy beaches and dunes. Gauja National Park, often called the “Switzerland of Latvia,” offers hiking trails, caves, and medieval ruins set in a wooded river valley. Traditional songs, midsummer festivals like Jāņi, and a deep connection to the land remain important to Latvian identity, giving the country a quiet, grounded character that rewards travelers who enjoy both culture and open space.