Latvia

Facades covered in carved faces and curving ornament fill an entire quarter. It is counted among the densest concentrations of art nouveau in Europe.

Destroyed in the war and raised again from photographs and drawings. Its red brick front is the picture most people carry away from Riga.

Medieval castles and ruins strung between red sandstone cliffs and forest. An hour from Riga by train, so it is a common day out.

More than thirty kilometres of sand backed by wooden villas. Half an hour from Riga on the commuter train.

Tens of thousands singing together on one stage, inscribed as intangible heritage. The open-air stage stands there in the years between.

Planks laid over peat bog let you walk between the pools without sinking in. It is best known for the mist that settles at sunrise.

Medieval warehouses, nineteenth-century timber houses and art nouveau overlap within one district. A day on foot covers it.

Seventeenth and eighteenth-century wooden buildings surviving street by street. What is said to be Europe’s widest waterfall runs beside the town.

Part of a nineteenth-century chain of survey points running from Norway to the Black Sea to measure the shape of the Earth. The heritage is a stone, so it looks modest up close.

Old town, the art nouveau quarter and the central market all join up on foot. Buses and flights linking the three Baltic states converge here.

A cable car crosses the valley and three castle sites link up on foot. Best known for its autumn colour.

Its ruined tower is shown by handing visitors a lantern to climb with. The old town is small and quiet.

Abandoned coastal fortifications sit alongside a reputation as a music city. Outdoor concerts fill the summer.

Unusually well kept for a working port, with parks and playgrounds that make it a family destination. Painted cow sculptures are scattered through the streets.

Bogs and forests wake up and the birds return. The wind is cold, so bring a layer.

Beach and festival season, with very long days. On midsummer night bonfires burn across the country.

Colour in the Gauja valley peaks now. Rain is frequent and the days shorten fast.

A grey, damp cold that holds for months, and the sea sometimes freezes. Christmas markets and a snow-covered old town are the draw.

Up to 90 days in any 180 across the whole Schengen area. The European travel authorisation scheme is being phased in, so check official guidance before you leave.

Even small shops and market stalls generally take cards. Prices sit below western Europe.

Five vast barrel-vaulted halls given over entirely to market stalls. Smoked fish and rye bread in one place.

Trains suit Jurmala and Sigulda from Riga; buses cover almost everything else. Long-distance coaches between the Baltic states also centre on Riga.

A Baltic language, close kin to Lithuanian. English works in the cities and a large share of the population speaks Russian.

The pan-European number reaching police, ambulance and fire, with English available. Signal weakens in stretches of bog and forest.