Riga, Latvia - A Great Place for Teens

Hearing the name Riga, Latvia might bring up mental images of a village with very little to interest a teenager. It is indeed an ancient town, but do not be so quick to discount it from your summer travel plans. It is an old town, but with a whole lot of modern stuff to keep you oogling. Riga even has a ton of Internet Cafes.

Riga is the capital of the little country of Latvia. If you are going to Google for more information, you might want to spell that their way, though: Latvija. Riga became one of the most important in the Baltic area around the 1400s, sitting right dead center of everything, and remains one of the most important places in Europe today. The big scientific conventions are mainly held here. Do not make the mistake of thinking that means the city is entirely geekish, though. It is really quite the hot spot for all ages and a favored travel destination of Europeans.

If you are at all into castles, medieval architecture, and history, then head to the west side of the city and take a stroll through Old Town Riga. The buildings there have all been restored and are just really very cool. The King's castle sits right there on the bank of the water, and you can get some killer deals in the many small shops crammed together along those small cobblestone streets. In the summer, tents are set up in the main square with even better deals. Any souvenir you could possibly want can be found there, along with great prices on the latest European fashions, gadgets galore, funny t-shirts, and enough delicious chocolate from the region to satisfy any sweet tooth.

Right between the Old Town and the new part of the city is where you will find the Freedom Monument. This is Latvia's version of the Statue of Liberty and holds the same tourist attraction status in Europe as the lady does in New York. There is actually a series of monuments and statues throughout Riga dedicated to freedom and strength.

Do not bother with renting a car while in Riga. They have a wonderful transportation system of buses, trams, and trolleys. This is a very inexpensive town and some kind of public transport goes by every few minutes so just stroll around admiring everything and when you get tired, something is bound to roll by that you can hop on for like the equivalent of thirty-two cents.

If you like museums, you will be in heaven in Riga. There are a total of 33 museums here and range from everything like Fine Arts to Film to Medicine to Computers. No matter what your personal interests, Riga probably has a museum covering the history of the subject.

Want something more on the fun side? Head to Livu Water Park, the biggest water park in Northern Europe. Since it is inside, it is open year round. They have all kinds of water themes and activities here, and if you happened to forget to bring a towel or a swimsuit, you can rent them both from the park. You can even learn to SCUBA dive on the weekends.

If you are the really brave sort, you can head out to Gauja National Park for a bungee jump from a cable car over the huge cavern. This is a 50 meter high jump over the Gauja River... or skip the jump and just have a blast on the numerous trails.

If you can get six friends together, then go try the indoor race track called Riga Out There for 54 Euros each. For that price you get 2 hours of intense track time. They have English speaking instructors to show you the tricks of the trade, and the price covers heats and finals, complete with a print out of all your lap times and your place in the various races. How cool is that?

If you didn't get the trophy for the racing, stay on premises and go try a nice soccer match. Your six players will be put against some of Europe's finest players, so do not get embarrassed if your team loses. You will have your own coach who does speak English, so you will come away with a thrilling experience to last a lifetime... and this one will only cost you 23 euros each.

If you cannot manage to get your friends into the prior activities, then go for the 20 minute Quad Biking Safari. This adventure actually lasts two and a half hours, with groups of four at a time going to race and such, while the rest have fun at a BBQ and what have you. They certainly do make it worth the 52 Euros each.

As far as where to stay, your options are limitless. Riga has everything from upscale hotels to very inexpensive Hostels. The city is very safe and geared for fun, so even if you can afford the richer digs, you might want to go ahead and get the Hostel so you have more to spend on all the cool activities.

Food is everywhere you turn, and represents pretty much every European country. No matter if you want to try German Weiner schnitzel or Swedish Meatballs, it can all be found right there in the new part of Riga. It is authentic, and cheap.

As you can see, Riga is a place you really shouldn't skip over when planning a trip to Europe. In fact, this might be the best city of all the ones you visit... and here you thought places like this were just for old people.

-------------------------------

As seen in the Aug/Sept 2007 issue of Teen Trend Magazine; All rights reserved