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Riga travel guide — Riga tourism and travel information

Welcome to Rīga Travel Guide, extensive source of tourist information and travel services offer related to Riga and Latvia. Book cheap hotels, cheap flights and get car rental. We also offer Riga travel guide books and maps and atlases. Please visit Latvia travel guide for more travel and tourism iformation and attractions in the Latvia.

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Riga travel guide

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about Riga

Rīga (German: Riga, Estonian: Riia, Lithuanian: Ryga), situated on the Baltic Sea coast at the mouth of the Daugava river, is the capital of Latvia and a major regional port and industrial centre. Riga is the biggest city in the Baltic States. The city's population has fallen since Latvia's independence from 910,000 (in 1991) to 747,000 (in 2003). Only 42% of Riga's inhabitants are ethnic Latvians (2003).

Riga history

In 1158 AD Baltic-German traders founded a commercial settlement at Riga in Livland or Livonia. In 1201 German Archbishop Albert of Buxhoeveden-Bremen and Riga granted Riga city rights. Riga as well as Livonia and Prussia came under the protection of the Holy Roman (German) Empire, which included archbishops among its subordinate rulers. At the time of Martin Luther Livonia and Prussia became Protestant.

A member from 1282 of the powerful Hanseatic League of northern European trading cities, Riga employed German as its official language of administration until the imposition of Russian in 1891 (all birth, marriage and death records are in German until then). In 1900 Riga's population of 282,943 was composed of rougly 50% Baltic Germans, a quarter Latvians, and a quarter Russians.

After a period as a free city (1561-1581) Riga came under the rule of first the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth and then Sweden (1621-1710) and subsequently Russia. After the region's terrible losses during the Great Northern War (1700-1721), Riga enjoyed rapid growth as a leading port and later industrial city of the rising Russian empire, its population doubling in the latter half of the 18th century and again in the first half of the 19th, and more than quadrupling in 1850-1900.

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Riga travel services

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cheap flights to Riga

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of four main cheap airline tickets and cheap flights online booking systems. We are happy to offer cheap airline tickets Riga, cheap flights Riga, also available cheap airline tickets to Latvia and to the whole world. Up to date cheap flights Riga deals also available.

cheap Riga hotels

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of main cheap hotels and accommodation online booking systems. We are happy to offer cheap hotels in Riga, Latvia hotel guide and cheap hotels and accommodation in lot of other world-wide destinations. Up to date cheap Riga hotel deals and discount accommodation tips also available.

cheap Riga vacations

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of main cheap vacations online booking systems. We are happy to offer cheap vacations in Riga, Latvia vacation rentals and cheap vacations in lot of other destinations world-wide. Up to date Riga vacation deals also available.

cheap car rentals in Riga

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of main car rentals online booking systems. We are happy to offer car rentals in Riga, car hire in Latvia and cheap car rental in lot other world-wide destinations. Up to date cheap Riga car hire deals also available.

Riga travel insurance

City Travel Guide is exclusive partner of Essential Travel Ltd., leading online travel insurance company, we can offer you health travel insurance for Riga, accident health Riga travel insurance, all using our online Riga travel insurance form. We also offer travel insurance for other cities in Latvia. This offer is available for UK residents only.

Riga real estate

City Travel Guide comes with Riga real estate guide with several tips on home valuation, realtors comparison, secrets on finding the "right" home, loans guide and other helpful real estate advices. Our partners also maintain Riga property for sale and rental listings, real estate laws and reviews. We will try to help you with buying property in Latvia, choosing real estate agents, property finders, relocation help, and information for English speakers wanting to buy real estate in Riga.

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Riga travel books

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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Riga".

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