Attitude city guide: Riga, Latvia

Eastern Europe may not be the first place you think of as a gay travel destination, and I felt the same when I was invited to visit Riga. Although Latvia has been in the European Union since 2004, its history as part of the Soviet Union and its shared border with Russia means gay people can still view this part of the world as being a bit dubious – or associate it purely with stag parties, which locals are now discouraging on account of disruptive behaviour which, on many occasions, culminated in English lads pissing on their Freedom Monument. Cheers guys!

Thankfully, Riga’s tourism industry is slowly understanding that gay travellers are much less hassle and Latvia became the first Baltic state to successfully host Euro Pride this June.
To get an unrivalled introduction to the city, take The Riga Culture Free Tour which departs from the Rainis Monument every day at 12 noon, and be guided around by Agrita Elijase – Riga resident and Attitude reader, if you don’t mind. This is the best way to get your teeth into a bit of the history, as well as cultural traditions and practises. A nation of singers, who proudly hosted the 2014 Capital of Culture, it’s estimated that the average Latvian goes to the theatre once a month. They’re also famed for their architecture – including 800 Art Nouveau buildings – which you’ll see on the tour.

All that walking is hungry work, so for a day of eating in Riga, start with brunch at Garage, a wine bar in the stylish Berga Bazars area, where all the food is prepared in front of you. For lunch, there’s the fantastic English owned Stock Pot which serves up diverse ethnic curries, soups and chillies as hot as you can handle. In the evening, the absolute place to be is Osiris, a small, unassuming restaurant that’s very gay friendly and is frequented by Latvian celebrities, politicians and actors from the local theatre, who can eat modern twists on Latvian classics like herring and pork, without being bothered by other diners. Even the prime minister has a regular spot by the bar.

What I found in Riga was a country of two peoples; a country in transition. There is an older generation who remain conservative, religious and set in their Soviet ways (38% of Latvians identify as ethnically Russian), with a mild suspicion of strangers. For a taste of this, visit the Riga Central Market, a must-try food experience where you can taste Latvian rye bread, fresh fish, and pickled anything – all served up by some very retro looking local women. To get some context on Latvia’s experience under the Soviet regime, you must visit the recently opened Corner House, which was the KGB’s Riga headquarters, where, between 1944 and 1991, tens of thousands of Latvians were interrogated and tortured as perceived enemies of the state. It almost always ended with a life of hard labour in Siberia, or brutal execution.

On the other hand, there are generations of young people brought up after the collapse of the Soviet Union, or during its final days (most Latvians didn’t know Madonna until she released Rain in 1992!), who are as modern and forward thinking as they come; whose fashions and recreational habits wouldn’t look out of place in Berlin. I live in Hoxton, but didn’t feel nearly cool enough for Aristids, a former brewery transformed into a hipster bar and club, or Vest, a casual bar which also served coffee and also has a barber shop attached. There’s a curious attitude to drinking here, and most people enjoy alcohol in fair proportions. They still play music and have sport on TV, but no one is lairy or loud – they may as well be in an afternoon cafe. Not your thing perhaps, but if you like peace and quiet like me, it’s a great place to enjoy some wine, by the glass (or the bottle). This new generation of Latvians are very much Europeans as well as nationalists, and as much as they are embracing Latvia’s relatively recent independence, they remain fearful of Russia, who are so easily violating the sovereignty of their Ukrainian neighbours.

It’s true that gay rights are not as advanced in Latvia as in western countries, and public opinion still trails behind EU required equality laws. However, any homophobia remains largely rhetorical, from some of the more hard line politicians, or tucked away in more regional, traditional pockets. There are usually sizeable, non-violent protests against any Pride marches, but local gay rights activist Kaspars Zalitis assured me that the risk of any kind of homophobic provocation is only as high as it is in London, and once I’d spent some time there myself, I’d be inclined to agree.

XXL is the main gay club in Riga but be warned, it has a reputation for grossly overcharging tourists. Instead, visit the smaller Golden club, where the bartenders are some of Latvia’s hottest gay men. Latvians don’t head out until nearly midnight, so you’ll be fairly lonely if you show up any earlier. If you’d rather not go gay clubbing, and you like your experiences classy, one of the top must-do things in Riga is having a drink at the Skyline Bar, a modern lounge style affair with beautiful views around the city from one of its highest points. From there, you can see what Latvia is all about. There’s the magnificent gold topped Nativity of Christ Cathedral, used as a planetarium under the atheist Soviet Union; there’s a huge stone status in the main square – not of a politician or military leader – but of national poet Janis Rainis, a testament to their love of culture; and of course there’s the Freedom Monument, which marks the short lived first Republic of Latvia, declared in 1918, but which now stands as the centre point of the new Republic, declared in 1991, and very much alive in 2015.

airBaltic flies to Riga daily from London Gatwick, and you can get a weekend return fare in the autumn for about 150 Euro per person. There are four Radisson Blu hotels in Riga city centre, with nightly rates starting at 55 Euro. liveriga.com/en