Los Angeles to Riga, Latvia from $465

🌍 About riga

About a third of central Riga is built in Art Nouveau — one of the densest concentrations in Europe — and the street to walk is Alberta iela, where Mikhail Eisenstein (father of the filmmaker) loaded the façades with screaming masks, sphinxes and peacocks. Don't skip the Central Market either: five 1920s Zeppelin hangars now full of smoked fish, rye bread and pickles. The national dish is pelēkie zirņi ar speķi — grey peas with fried bacon and onion, eaten with a glass of kefir; heavier than it sounds. Wash it down with Black Balsam, a bitter 45% herbal liqueur locals cut into coffee or blackcurrant juice rather than drink straight. Come June to August for warm days and near-midnight light. Winter is dark and properly cold, but fares and crowds drop hard.