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I fell in love with Latvia in the 1990s, shortly after I found out it existed. To be fair it hadn’t existed for long: although deep roots underpin Latvia, it only declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. In those early days travel to Latvia wasn’t easy, but battling to Riga on a ramshackle sleeper train from Warsaw and struggling to get a passable hotel was worth it to witness a country feeling its way into the world and exploring Latvian national identity.

There was a pioneering spirit about the country as it emerged from cultural hibernation — note hibernation, not extinction — while drinking in the influence of unbridled capitalism and Scandinavian cool from its Baltic neighbours. Mercifully, throughout this sometimes traumatic birth, Latvia did not shed an ounce of its dignity and has emerged as one of the most thrilling and rewarding destinations anywhere in the old Soviet bloc. Since that first visit I’ve visited bordering Estonia and Lithuania, but it is Latvia that I’m always most compelled to return to.

Riga, the capital, is easily the most cosmopolitan and effervescent city in the Baltic region, but there are also other sides of Latvia. I’m thinking of spirit-soaring strolls on a stark white Baltic Sea beach with only towering pines for company; cosying up in a forest cabin in a wildscape alive with bears and wolves; creaking across the floorboards of a mansion fashioned by the architect behind St Petersburg’s Winter Palace; savouring a spa treatment with sea salt in the air; and tucking into superb local food and drink. There are many ways of living in Latvia, all in a country roughly the size of the Republic of Ireland.

Main photo: Riga’s Old Town (Getty Images)

Riga is easily the most cosmopolitan and effervescent city in the Baltic region

A trip to Latvia is unthinkable without a visit to its thrilling, irrepressible capital, Riga — home to about a third of the population. Graham Greene’s “Paris of the North” is full of restaurants and watering holes, and not just in the gleaming new glass-and-steel buildings that have sprung up since Latvia joined the European Union. The Unesco world heritage-listed old town* is fairytale-pretty, spreading its historic tentacles across cobbled streets, sweeping squares and vaulting church domes and spires. The “new town” lies across the green lung of Bastejkalns Park, home to some of the finest Jugendstil art nouveau you’ll find anywhere. Boat trips on the Daugava River bring the striking skyline into view, while the former face of Riga lingers at the Central Market, housed in old Zeppelin hangers — shop for bric-a-brac and Soviet-era souvenirs.

Prefer to just relax? Retreat to Jurmala*, just outside Riga, a necklace of settlements that form the pine-fringed, white-sand Baltic Beach spa resort. Jurmala has been a spa escape for over a century and Russian Tsar Nicholas II sought rejuvenation there, with old-school treatment centres joined now by swish new wellness hotels. The new spas and old sanatoriums will have you soothed, pummelled and refreshed in no time. Hiking and cycling your way back to better health in Jurmala is a joy too.

The Baltic hinterland is home to a sprinkling of tempting cities and towns. Cesis, which emerged during the days of the Hanseatic League, is the star attraction: Disney would be jealous of its cobbled streets, manicured gardens and the 800-year-old castle. It has the oldest brewery in the country (Cesu Alus) too. In the west, Kuldiga tells its story through glorious wooden buildings, its waterways earning it the ambitious nickname of the “Latvian Venice”.

South of Riga, Jelgava is the modest capital of the Zemgale Region and a great base for visiting a trio of remarkable palaces — Jelgava, Mezotne and 18th-century Rundale*, the masterpiece of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the Italian architect behind St Petersburg’s Winter Palace. Few tourists visit the second-largest city of Daugavpils, though this scruffy industrial hub has made efforts to polish itself up lately.

For a relatively small country, Latvia has a lot of unspoilt countryside, with around 260 managed nature reserves and a quartet of national parks. We’re talking gently rolling hills and sweeping forests (over half of Latvia is shrouded in trees), especially in the east towards the Russian border, protected in Raza National Park. The Kemeri National Park*’s bog and forest are an ornithologist’s dream, with everything from rare waders through to eagles and ospreys. Latvia is also home to Europe’s widest waterfall, Venta, vaulting 250m across the eponymous river.

All this green space is perfect for cycling and hiking, with horse riding popular too. In winter there is even skiing in the east at a sprinkling of mini resorts — Riekstu Kalns is the best bet. Cross-country skiing is also popular. The Latvians have a passion for the outdoors that never wanes, no matter the season.

Latvia has a lot of unspoilt countryside, with around 260 managed nature reserves and a quartet of national parks

I’ve watched as Latvia’s hotel scene has transformed since independence in 1991, a process accelerated when Latvia became one of the EU countries in 2004. In the early 1990s, an inefficient crumble of hotels struggled to offer decent accommodation, but it was often sterile and business-focused. Travellers often ended up making do with small B&Bs and hostels, with demand outstripping supply.

Riga has always been the epicentre of the Latvian hotel boom, and fittingly is home to the perfect symbol of the seismic change — the Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija*. This faceless Soviet-era monster has been reborn and topped with a glitzy Skybar, which peers over a city now replete with similar tower hotels with views: slick, modern hotels oozing a Scandinavian design edge; hip boutiques; and resurrected grande dames, such as the palatial, incomparable Grand Palace* in the old town. Rixwell Konventa Seta* is very Riga — a former convent in the old town now reborn as a design hotel. There are plenty of apartments scattered throughout the old and new town, many set within historical buildings — beware though that large stag groups tend to use these. Even if you’re planning to explore further afield, most of Latvia can be reached on day trips from Riga.

Pushing beyond Riga, the country’s other cities and larger towns are increasingly home to top-end hotels, though they are often geared more towards business travellers. Jurmala*, with its dedicated spa and wellness hotels of all shapes and sizes, is the notable exception. Otherwise guest houses and B&B-style informal accommodation come into their own. Staying in a guest house that offers breakfast is a handy way to get more of a feel for how local people live, and the chance to meet Latvians in their homes. Even if you’re not writing a Latvia travel guide, like I was, it can open up that often elusive authentic local experience. Agrotourism on family-run farms is also growing.

Out in the countryside, log cabins and dacha-style retreats immerse you in nature as you enjoy the sort of escapes Riga citizens savour on weekends and in summer. If you snare one in or around a nature reserve — the greatest density of them in the Latgale region — all the better. Some of my most rewarding nights in Latvia have been spent tucked in thick forest in a cabin warming up in a sauna after a dip in the lake.

Water temperatures don’t match the Med, but don’t write off Latvia’s remarkable 500km Baltic Sea coastline. Much of it is pristine, with just you, the white-sand beaches and a backbone of tall trees. The Vidzeme and Kurzeme regions also have swathes of coastline, and the highlight is windswept, wild and truly wonderful Cape Kolka. The peninsula was off limits for military use during Soviet times, so it missed out on decades of development, and now offers white sand set against cobalt sky and sea. The Slitere National Park slips its protective arms around Kolka on the nature trails, where you’ll often be the only soul.

The Baltic coast also harbours two twinkling urban stars that are far less visited than Riga. Liepaja is Latvia’s third-largest city, an ice-free port that has turned its attention in recent years to tourism. The building blocks are solid — a sweep of 18th and 19th-century architecture sprinkled around an easily walkable old town, plus one of the country’s best beaches, recognised by an EU blue flag. Fellow port city Ventspils has its dynamic local authorities to thank for its tourism push — it’s easy to see why it’s popular as a day trip for Rigans, with the revamped, strollable old town, a cleaned-up beach and a new array of striking public sculptures. Take a boat cruise and you’ll appreciate the size of the port as well as the efforts to spruce up Ventspils.

If you visit one national park in Latvia, make it Gauja National Park*. “Latvia’s Switzerland” comprises almost 1,000 sq km of forest that cloak the banks of the Gauja River, best explored with boots on or on a bike, or get on the river canoeing and rafting. If you want to really get a feel for Gauja, stay in Sigulda, itself a beguiling historical town with a brace of castles. For a more natural experience, brave the wild campsites that line the river banks.

The most sobering site in Latvia is Salaspils, southeast of Riga. Few Latvians in my experience are keen to discuss the baleful days of the Second World War, when some Latvians served with the Germans, and the concentration camp here decimated the country’s vibrant Jewish population. Jolting, hulking sculptures commemorate the dead, but it is the smaller details — such as the toys that are the only remnants of lost children — that cut deepest. A sign here reads: “Behind this gate the earth groans.” It truly does.

The summer months are the most popular time to visit Latvia, with long days and soaring temperatures; May is a superb month as the snow is gone and the mercury rises as Latvia emerges from winter slumber. September is also ideal as crowds ease, along with the excessive heat; winter is cosy with festive markets and Christmas card snowy scenes.

Is Latvia safe for tourists?
Latvia is generally a safe country to visit, although it’s best to take all the usual big-city precautions in Riga to stay safe, especially at weekends when stag groups and hard-partying locals create a hedonistic party vibe. The Foreign Office advises you to be wary of pickpockets in Riga’s old town, the Central Market, and around public transportation. Always make sure you have adequate travel insurance.

How expensive is Latvia?
Latvia was never as cheap as some fellow former Soviet Union countries, such as Poland and Slovakia. Saying that, Latvia still offers very good value for money, and you’ll find it considerably cheaper than France or even Spain — especially outside the tourist honeypot of Riga. Top-end hotels are an exception as they can be expensive throughout the country, with limited supply in peak seasons and strong business demand, so book ahead.

What is the most beautiful city in Latvia?
Riga is easily the most beautiful of the cities in Latvia. Proud Latvians insist Riga is the only real city in the Baltics, but I’ve never met anyone unmoved by Riga’s riot of art nouveau, baroque and gothic, all set gazing over the Daugava.

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Inspired to visit Latvia but yet to book your trip? Here are the best hotels from Expedia* and Kayak*.

• Discover holidays to Latvia*
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