Riga
The Draw The largest, most urbane Baltic capital is hopping with development, yet it remains quaint and easy to navigate. Low-cost airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet make flying from London easy on the wallet.
Don’t Miss The stunning Art Nouveau–like Jugendstil architecture, especially in Old Town. Come sunset, the fashionable set heads to Lounge 8 (lounge8.lv) for cocktails and then to Vincents (vincents.lv) for dinner, where star chef Martins Ritins prepares traditional Latvian fare like herring and suckling pig.
When to Go May–September, when it’s light throughout the night.
Where to Stay Old Russia meets classic Europe at the Grand Palace Hotel, where rooms overlook cobblestone streets (rooms from $240; schlossle-hotels.com). Hotel Bergs has large, sleekly furnished rooms and an excellent restaurant (rooms from $240; hotelbergs.lv).
Combine With A trip to beach resort Jurmala, the former Communist playground.
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