Our itinerary was 2 weeks in Italy then a hop over to the Baltic countries before ending our trip back in Milan. So for the first two weeks we were shoulder to shoulder with the sea of tourists in Milan, Rome, Florence (Genoa was more tolerable) hence when we landed in Riga, the first experience we had was of relief. As beautiful as Riga is, there isn't an obvious tourist in sight. Wide open spaces, beautiful parks and attractions where you can run around, breathe and not be surrounded by foreigners weaving around trying to snap their photos. Here you can actually sit and stare at the beauty and really take it in.
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| You must always go on night walks in Europe |
The old town is obviously the main attraction and the city park was gorgeous. But even when we took the time to venture out a little, other parks were also thoughtfully designed for a very laid back, relaxed lifestyle. I did a bit of research on the cost of living and income levels only to find out on average a doctor makes about €2700 a month in Latvia compared to €6000 in Tallinn (4 hours away by bus) or €14000 in Helsinki (6 hours away by bus and ferry). So when I found a decent €5/€5 and €5/€10 game at the casino I was quite surprised. You can comfortably grind €5/€5 here and live better than a doctor's salary. Although I just played on two nights, once on Saturday, which was pumping but the Sunday game was "meh".
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| One W one L for a small profit in Riga |
Games are held at the Olympic Voodoo Casino, behind the Radisson Blu hotel. You can go to https://lv.olympic-poker.com/galvena for information and register for the waitlist. Entry is free, no obvious dress code, rake is 5% capped at 3bb, free water but other drinks are not. Dealers and most players speak fluent English and are reasonably friendly. As far as I know the casino doesn't have a closing time like some European casinos and the tables can run until pretty late.
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| Inside the Central Market |
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| Just another cafe |
During the day we got to explore the city. I quite enjoyed the central market, known to be the biggest market in Europe with produce from all over the world other than their own it seems but still at very reasonable prices. There is also a flower market that is just beautiful. The local cuisine to me wasn't too exciting but I tried a couple of local beers that were really tasty. English is well spoken throughout and most locals are quite nice although I did get scammed by a taxi driver. But if you use their taxi app you'll be fine. I also like to travel around on a scooter, especially late at night when the streets are clear.
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| Colors in nature |
Riga is easily accessible. Our taxi in Rome to the airport (€31) cost more than our flight ticket from Rome to Riga (before luggage add ons and taxes), and was 5x the price of our bus from Riga to Tallinn. From what I've heard, the poker scene isn't as it used to be pre-Covid, but I would still recommend it for a 2-3 day stopover. I hope I will get to visit again and this time I want to rent a car to explore the surrounding small towns and rich nature that is in Latvia.
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