Located in Northern Europe, on the shores of the Baltic Sea, Latvia’s neighbours include Estonia and Lithuania. Latvia gets terrifically cold in winter, but party nights in Riga are hot, hot, hot, whether you visit in spring, summer or autumn. Once a very popular destination for stag groups who would arrive en masse to give their groom a cheap, but fun-filled send-off, Riga seems to have fallen off the stag radar somewhat – and most locals are fine with that.

Families, couples, older travellers and low-key groups will find a warm welcome in the nation’s capital, which has much to offer to tourists. With an array of beautiful buildings, plus museums, striking monuments and buzzing markets, visitors to Riga can easily fill two or three days with sightseeing. And when night falls, the bars and clubs of Riga’s Old Town ensure that the fun times don’t end at the stroke of midnight.

Riga International Airport (RIX) is the nation’s only major airport. You can find out more about getting to Riga below, as well as information on getting to and from the airport.

When you are ready to book your plane tickets to Latvia, simply use the TravelSupermarket search tool to tell us when you want to fly and we will scour the market for the best flight deals available. You can also compare prices on hotels in Latvia and car hire in Latvia, as well as a host of other travel extras.

The Latvian capital has direct flights from the UK taking around two-and-a-half to three hours. Wizzair connects Liverpool, Luton and Doncaster with the city. The local carrier Air Baltic has flights from London’s Gatwick airport. And Ryanair flies to Riga from London Stansted, Leeds/Bradford, Glasgow International and East Midlands.

Additional connecting services can be found via Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris and Copenhagen on Lufthansa, KLM, Air France and SAS services.

A frequent bus service runs between the airport and the city centre. The number 22 departs the airport just across from the terminal building and it will have you in central Riga in around 30 minutes. The euro was introduced in Latvia in 2014 and with it came increased prices. The former price of 0.50 Latvian lats (around 60 pence) per person has been inflated to €1.15 per person, but at around 85p that still equates to a bargain transfer. But beware: this is the price when you pay upfront at the Riga tourism booth. Pay the driver and it costs two euros each. Minibus service 241 is another option for visitors to Riga, with tickets per one-way journey costing one euro each. The airport express shuttle bus is a more costly option, charging five euros per one-way journey.

Taxis in Riga are obliged to display the tariff and a 15-minute journey between the airport and anywhere in central Riga should cost no more than €15.

If you plan to see more than the central core of Riga, which is easy to do on foot, consider booking car hire. Book before you travel to get the best prices and you can arrange to pick up your rental car at the airport, avoiding the cost of getting to your hotel via bus or taxi. Having a car gives you the freedom to explore outside of the city too. To find a great-value deal on car hire in Riga, simply use the TravelSupermarket price-comparison tool.

Split by the River Daugava and with a clutch of fascinating tourist attractions, Riga is the obvious place to rest your head of an evening when you jet into Latvia. Vecriga, or Old Riga/Old Town, is the historic centre of the city and a great place to stay. From budget hotels to luxury rooms offered by groups such as Radisson Blu, there are hotels to suit every style and budget in central Riga. Be sure to see Riga Cathedral, the Occupation Museum of Latvia, and the Freedom Monument during your time here. The Central Market is also an astonishing place to visit, whether you intend to buy or not – you could wander around for hours to see, smell and taste traditional Riga.

If you rent a car, getting outside of the busy city is a breeze. Take an hour’s drive to Sigulda, on the doorstep of the Gauja National Park, where castles poke out from bottle-green forests. Cesis is a little further on. It is one of the oldest towns in Latvia and is home to a host of medieval treasures.

Within an hour of Riga are many fine, sandy beaches where the water is shallow and gentle – perfect for paddlers of all ages. There are a few dazzling spa hotels along this pristine shoreline and with low prices and really long summer nights (the sun sets after 10pm in June), summer holidays can be taken cheaply with a hearty dose of cultural Riga on the doorstep.

To plan your adventure in Latvia, compare prices on flights, hotels, car hire and more with TravelSupermarket.