RIGA, LATVIA away from the tourists - Central Market & City Centre
Hi everyone! This is episode six of my Baltics plus Finland series in which I travel to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. In this vlog, I explore more of Riga, the capital of Latvia, away from the Old Town to see what the rest of the city has to offer.
We start our tour at the impressive Central Market, a World Heritage Site and reportedly the biggest bazaar in Europe. The design of the market is striking - old Zeppelin hangars were used in the construction thereof - and the variety on offer is extraordinary. Note that this was filmed on a Monday, so the market is not at its absolute busiest, but that is perhaps a blessing in disguise as we have more space to browse and explore!
After visiting several parts of the market, indulging in some Latvian snacks and a bizarre interaction with a person in a car trying to sell me an extraordinary deal, I head to explore more of the city itself. I decide to walk to the Freedom Monument, an iconic and important site in the city - along the way, I see Riga covered in a beautiful winter blanket of snow! Next to the Freedom Monument I also talk about the Laima Clock Tower and give more information about some famous Latvians.
I then walk towards the Cathedral of the Nativity of Christ, an orthodox cathedral in the city, before stopping for another coffee and snack at a local coffee shop. Before heading to the Art Nouveau hotspot of the city, namely Albert Street (or Alberta Iela; named after Bishop Albert who founded the city of Riga in 1201), I spot another church on the map that I decide to visit, namely St Gertrude Old Church. Along the way, I see more incredible architecture, interesting art and get a real feel for the city centre of Riga.
Finally, after getting lost and walking in several circles, I make it to Albert Street, which is also where this vlog ends.
I hope you enjoy this vlog and that it gives you an idea of what Riga is like away from the Old Town and its tourists! If you haven't done it yet, I would really appreciate it if you could give this video a LIKE and SUBSCRIBE to the channel. These FREE actions really help me out on the platform and exposes my content to more viewers, which in turn helps me to create more free content for you to watch :)
Happy exploring! And stay warm
Willie
Пікірлер: 61
Hey Willie i really appreciate your videos they are amazing. Your channel is underrated. Ive been watching since Greenland vlog :) Greetings from Türkiye
@willieexplore
5 ай бұрын
Thanks for the nice message my friend, I appreciate it! That Greenland trip was very special and I'm glad you enjoy the videos :)
I lived in Tartu during the first half of 2018 and I visited Riga many times back then. I absolutely love Riga and to me, it's the best city in terms of architecture after Vienna. What I love more is the people and festivals of Riga. Make sure to come back during the folklore festival at the beginning of summer. It's such an amazing experience!
@willieexplore
5 ай бұрын
Hi Ali, thank you so much for your comment and for watching my video! It is great that you managed to experience so much of Riga and wider Latvia by the sounds of it. It is definitely an architecture lover's dream city this! I've heard good things about the festivals and would certainly love another summer visit in this part of the world. So much to experience!
You deserve many more subscribers.Keep doing what you are doing..
@willieexplore
5 ай бұрын
Wonderful comment to receive, thank you! Appreciate the support!
Thank you for this fresh-perspective and open-hearted exploration video from Rīga! I also enjoyed your outgoing videos from Tallinn very much. Funnily, I used to study at the University on Alberta Street, and grew up in Rīga otherwise. Now, it is nice to see it through visitors' eyes here on KZread while I live elsewhere.
@willieexplore
4 ай бұрын
Hi there! Thank you so much for your kind words and for your engagement here on my channel. Really pleased to hear that you enjoy my content. I had a great experience in your beautiful city!
11:47 the pavillion that you didn't go to is the food court. There are restaurant kiosks and seating areas there for things like soup, burgers, noodles etc.
@willieexplore
19 күн бұрын
Cheers Dave, you just solved that mystery for me :)
Hey Willie you killed it again my friend, Riga is awesome, I loved the central market both churches were awesome overall Riga is a nice clean, safe and a walkable city with a mix of historic and modern architecture ,keep it up man 🔥🔥👊
@willieexplore
5 ай бұрын
Thanks as always, my friend! Yes it certainly is a very nice place to explore. Lots of gems off the beaten track including nice architecture!
Riga is so beautiful! Thank you a million for showing this great city to the world. You're a true hero!
@willieexplore
3 ай бұрын
For sure it's a great city! Appreciate your engagement and encouragement, thank you!
That market is some size! You would probably need a few days to see it all. The carrot cake was an absolute bargain. As for driving in the snow, I can tell you it is pretty terrifying and I have driven in much worse snow than that 😂 An interesting look round the local area of Riga, thanks Willie👍
@willieexplore
5 ай бұрын
Incredible floorspace there, Sheila! And lots to see as you rightly point out. Impossible to do justice in a short vlog but I was very happy with my "quiet" Monday experience! The local areas away from the main tourist spots never disappoint! Thanks as always for watching and commenting, it is much appreciated!
Brilliant video Willie thanks for showing I like the restaurant and big indoor market the atmosphere efficient looks good on scenery there plus is expensive in main shops than off market as could offer counterfeit goods anyway thanks for contributing to this and wait for next installment excitement journey on this topical video!
@willieexplore
5 ай бұрын
Thank you, Simon! Always a good idea to explore off the tourist trail and get to see the "real" city. Some more special adventures in the Baltics coming very soon :) Stay safe my friend
As a person who's lived in Latvia, Estonia and Finland I find your videos excellent! It's like seeing my familiar countries with fresh eyes! Thx and keep it up! Im currently in Tallinn but miss Riga always the most.
@willieexplore
4 ай бұрын
Hi there! Thank you so much for your kind feedback, I am delighted to hear that you enjoy my videos! Enjoy Tallinn and remember Riga is only a bus journey away :)
I'm so glad I stumbled across this video, because I thought the little donut place at 2:28 closed when they were renovating the market! I remember having the absolute best donuts straight out the fryer when I was a kid there!
@willieexplore
2 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching! Glad it brought back some sweet (no pun intended) memories!
Awesome video - hope you didn't freeze to death! Keep on rocking!
@willieexplore
5 ай бұрын
Thank you, Jasper! Nothing a warm coffee or two could not sort out :)
Fantastic as always Willie! So far I’m particularly impressed with Riga! How beautiful the snow is in the dark! I forget! A glass of hot mulled wine is amazing after a day like this, not sure if they do it there! Would have loved to see these places in the summer with a bit of seaside aswell! Will definitely add Latvia to my travel plans! 🙂🎄 Can I ask, did they celebrate the 24th or 25th over there?
@willieexplore
5 ай бұрын
Thank you very much! Glad you enjoyed it and yes, Riga is special. They certainly sold mulled wine at the Christmas Market in the Old Town. The summer is a wonderful experience too but I didn't make it to the Central Market when I visited previously in 2008, so this was special. This was filmed before the 24th so couldn't tell you how they celebrated over those days. Have a good one! :)
Seems like riga latvia is home to a variety of pastry products
@willieexplore
2 ай бұрын
Absolutely. Cheers for watching, as always!
19:18 that's Riga canal, not Daugava itself. And judging by how the snow looks, it was probably just a few degrees below 0, so not recommended trying to walk on ice, it would be way too thin
@willieexplore
Ай бұрын
The canal is linked to the river. It might not be cold for the locals, but I'm used to temperatures near 40 degrees!
@118Shadow118
Ай бұрын
@@willieexplore I was thinking more in terms of how strong the ice is. When it's barely below zero, ice would be too weak to walk on. When it has been -10°C to -15°C for at least a week, then it's more safe-ish to walk on ice (it's never completely safe to walk on ice though). Btw, you just missed out on some serious cold, as early January 2024 it got down to -25°C in Riga :)
@willieexplore
Ай бұрын
@@118Shadow118 that level of temperature is just insane! Cheers for watching and the additional information, appreciate the support!
Nice place. What was the temperature ? more or less.
@willieexplore
5 ай бұрын
Cheers, it was between -2 and -5
Willie nog n goeie Video. Groete
@willieexplore
5 ай бұрын
Dankie Tosca! Bly jy geniet hulle, jou ondersteuning help my regtig baie. Groete
First one 🎉
@willieexplore
5 ай бұрын
You certainly are! Cheers for watching :)
Inflation is truly rampant in the baltics
@willieexplore
3 ай бұрын
Still managed to get some good deals! Thanks for watching!
Riga in winter?! Yea, you're away from the tourists alright. I try to avoid driving into Riga at all from about October to April every year.
@willieexplore
2 ай бұрын
Still a lot of tourists in the Old Town - I made a separate video about the Old Town too :)
I live in latvia Riga!
@willieexplore
Ай бұрын
Great stuff!
Which city has more evident soviet influence? Riga or Vilnius?
@willieexplore
2 ай бұрын
That is a tough question. Certainly both cities have an abundance of Soviet architecture. Probably more so in Vilnius if I had to guess - have you seen the silent walk I did in Gediminas Avenue in Vilnius?
Kurš vēl ir Latvietis
@willieexplore
Ай бұрын
Would love to hear from Latvians!
This is way cheaper than Canada
@willieexplore
5 ай бұрын
Certainly, but to be fair most places are! :)
@gimmelicorice
4 ай бұрын
yep, the salaries are also way lower than in Canada. If one can work remotely from Canada and live in Latvia, you'll live like royalty!
@eustacemcgoodboy9702
2 ай бұрын
@@gimmelicorice You basically cannot do this due to taxation jurisdictions etc. Most companies aren't willing to help you break the law of entire countries.
indian scammer in riga? geez u see something new everyday
@willieexplore
Ай бұрын
That was a random interaction
After watching the "sights" in the video bus at the beginning should be called "Shitseeing"
@willieexplore
5 ай бұрын
Cheers for watching Dmitry! You related to the great chess player Karpov, by any chance?
Central market is so overrated, personally I hate it and there are other much better markets in Riga
@willieexplore
3 ай бұрын
For us foreigners it is something different, I enjoyed it! Cheers for watching