Riga,European Capital of Culture 2014.

Travel tips and advice for Riga,Latvia:Nine must-do highlights

Riga has embraced its Soviet-era past while enjoying something of a renaissance.

  • byDavid Whitley
Aerial view of Riga centre from St Peter's Church,Riga,Latvia.

Tips and things to do in Riga,Latvia:The three-minute guide

Feel the former Eastern Bloc shrug off its dour image in the Latvian capital city,where a demure facade gives way to a place of surprising life and energy.

  • byAndrew Bain
Aerial view showing the beach of Copacabana (L) and the Sugar Loaf hill in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil

Hot spots:the top six cities to visit in 2014

Rio is ramping up for the World Cup,Tokyo has returned to form and Riga is culture capital.

Gdansk

The other Europe

There's more to Europe than Paris and Prague as Ute Junker discovers with these oft-forgotten treasures.

  • byUte Junker
Baltic states. Pioneers (Soviet Scouts) sing a song at the Soviet Sculpture Garden,dubbed"Stalin World,"in the Lithuanian city of Grutas

New beat in the Baltic

With a song in his heart,Adrian Bridge revisits Latvia,Lithuania and Estonia 20 years after independence.

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Tallinn,Estonia.

Tracks winding back

A dreadnought fan from childhood,Steven Herrick takes to the city trams to explore Tallinn and Riga.

Posing for photos in Riga's Dome Square.

A taste for the real Riga

Cathrin Schaer dodges the tourist traps and ends upon the wrong side of the tracks.