Founded over 800 years ago, bustling, complex Riga was a thriving capital when Helsinki was just a swamp and St Petersburg nothing but a tiny village. Modern Riga is a city of great character and resilience that has emerged from a tumultuous 20th century to be the shining star on the Baltic stage.

Home to three quarters of a million people, equally divided between ethnic Latvians and Russians, Riga has the feel of a large city tempered with the ambience of a small town. The compact old town, and the busy commercial districts which surround it, give way to a fairly substantial urban sprawl dotted at its periphery by Lego-like concrete grey buildings. Most visitors content themselves with exploring the many attractions of the centre.

Riga's nightlife is second to none. You can find cutting-edge clubs, intimate local pubs, funky bar lounges, and medieval style taverns. Latvia's capital is also home to one of Europe's most dynamic theatre and classical music scenes. There are several productions every day of the year, and local people young and old have made attending the opera, ballet or symphony a regular part of their life.

The city's biggest attraction is free and can be seen simply by strolling the city streets. The city has the best surviving collection of German Art Nouveau buildings, over 700 in total, although the best examples are conveniently situated on Albert St. The style is playful, romantic and far truer to Riga's essential character than the occasional horrific buildings erected by the unimaginative Soviets.

Apart from this, Riga does not have the big crowd-pulling attractions of other European capitals - perhaps the reason why it has been spared the mixed blessings of mass tourism. There is still plenty to see of course: enormous Riga Dom Cathedral, and ill-fated St Stephens Church; the fantastic Motor Museum, and the colourful Central Market. The locals' museums are a must as they give a crucial insight into Latvia's collective history. The Occupation Museum tells a particularly compelling story, one which you must listen to before you can begin to understand Riga.