FeuilladeTravel: 3 reasons why Latvia is the best of the Baltic states

3 reasons why Latvia is the best Baltic state
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01. Trip report introduction
02. Norwegian 737-800 economy class, Stockholm to Vilnius
03. Which Baltic state is the best?
04. SAS/Cityjet CRJ900 economy class, Vilnius to Stockholm
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Wait a minute! I thought you visited Lithuania? That's right! And since my wife and I visited Latvia and Estonia in October/November last year, I have now visited all three of the Baltic states. In this post, I'll tell you which of the Baltic states I prefer. As you can see in the title of the post, Lithuania did not take the cake. But let's start from the back, before I give three reasons why Latvia is the best Baltic state.

3. Estonia
Estonia is the northernmost of the Baltic states, just south of Finland. And the main problem with Tallinn for me was that it could just as well have been Helsinki I visited. Tallinn didn't really have a personality, and didn't stand out in any way. Except when it came to drunkards. There were a few of them in Tallinn...

It is still quite picturesque in the Old Town, and the onion domed Aleksander Nevski cathedral is well worth a visit. I think I would like Tallinn better in the summer, but I'm in no hurry to get back. Tallinn is also a lot more pricey than its Baltic neighbours.

Aleksander Nevski Katedraal (Alexander Nevsky Cathedral)

In the Old Town of Tallinn

Early winter morning in Toompea, Tallinn

Lookout in Toompea, overlooking the Old Town

Tallinn Old Town

2. Lithuania
Lithuania is the southernmost of the Baltic states, and its capital Vilnius is only a few miles from the Belarusian border. This city has a more unique style than Tallinn, and feels more "continental European" than both Tallinn and Riga. A lot of buildings in the Old Town are renovated, and the pastel coloured churches and houses kind of reminded me of Prague. However, every once in a while a junkie would stumble across the street, screaming. Despite being here on a beautiful spring Sunday, in the middle of the day, I didn't feel completely safe walking around with my cameras. I never had those feelings in Riga.

They also have more work to do with the facades in Vilnius. Gorgeous buildings stand side by side with dilapidated houses (even in the Old Town), adding to the feeling that this city isn't entirely safe. However, the hills and the river gives me a hunch that Vilnius will be super cute in the summer. Will I return? Maybe, but I still feel like there are other places I'd like to see before returning here.

The Catholic "Church of All Saints"

Church of St. Casimir

Town Hall Square

Russian Orthodox Church of St. Constantine and St. Michael

Dilapidated buildings in the middle of the Old Town

In Vilnius Old Town

The Bell Tower outside Vilniaus katedra (Vilnius Cathedral)

The view from "The Hill of Three Crosses"

1. Latvia
In all three countries, I've only visited the capitals, so my research is by no means exhaustive, but still... Riga is a wonderful city! I would love to return, and I therefore pronounce Latvia to be the best of the Baltic states. I'll show some pictures from Riga as well, but let's start with the three reasons mentioned in the title of this post:

1) The cuisine
Have you ever heard about Latvian food and drink? I hadn't before coming here. But then the Latvian cuisine is extremely underrated. Every meal was delicious, including the dishes that don't look very appealing. Grey peas and speck, dumplings with sour cream, beef tongue, the wonderful dessert maizes zupa (bread soup), and to drink: kefir, kvass and the strong "black balsam" Rīgas balzams.

2) The architecture
Riga is allegedly the city with the highest concentration of Art Nouveau buildings in the world. But there are also medieval churches, orthodox churches and stalinist buildings, including the skyscraper colloquially called "Stalin's Birthday Cake". There is a lot of architecture to look at in Riga!

3) The affordability
Accommodation, restaurants, spa treatments. It is all very affordable with western European standards. And I felt like there were more things to do in Riga than in Tallinn or Vilnius. When you have looked at the architecture, eaten delicious food and received a relaxing massage, they have a well renowned opera house and a team in KHL, which is the best ice hockey league in the world after the NHL. And, you guessed it, tickets are super cheap.