Latvia

Latvia is a Baltic country in northern Europe. It borders Estonia, Russia, Belarus and Lithuania, covers 64,589 km² and has 1,872,500 inhabitants. Its capital is Riga and the official language is Latvian, one of the Baltic languages. The currency has been the euro since 1 January 2014.

More than a quarter of Latvia’s borders are coastline, with vast sandy beaches. About half the coast faces the open Baltic and the rest the Gulf of Riga, where the capital and main port, Riga, lies. The landscape is like a rolling plain of flat lowlands alternating with hills, the highest in the east reaching just 311 metres. Latvia has many rivers flowing into the Baltic and countless unspoilt lakes among green wooded hills, perfect for nature lovers who want to relax. Forests cover more than a third of the country!

Latvia’s weather is mostly cloudy and humid, with about 30 to 40 fully sunny days a year, which often makes summers cool and rainy. The average June temperature is around 17 °C, occasionally reaching 34 °C. Winter arrives late and lasts from mid-December to mid-March, with average January temperatures from -2 °C on the coast to -7 °C in the east. If you are tired of 200+ sunny days a year in Greece and would like a more atmospheric trip, Latvia may be the destination you are looking for!