I was astonished to know today, that the "Lonely Planet" (which, statistically, is
the largest travel guide book publisher in the world!) claimed
Riga as #4 in their Top 10 for
Best Cities to travel in 2014.
This is mostly because Riga will officially appear as the "Europe’s culture capital" in 2014, and with no doubt it is now
"the cosmopolitan cornerstone of the Baltic" like they propose.
Here is to add, that Riga is followed after Paris (France), Trinidad (Cuba) and Cape Town (South Africa), but followed before such giants like Zürich, Shanghai, Vancouver, Chicago, Adelaide, Auckland.
The full quote as follows:
Sitting at the crossroads of the great empires that wrote the pages of Europe’s elaborate history, Rīga was – for centuries – a strategic linchpin in the annexation of important lands, until it was smothered into obscurity when the Iron Curtain fell. Today, with two decades of freedom (and a renewed status as Latvia’s capital) under its belt, the city is reclaiming its rightful title as the cosmopolitan cornerstone of the Baltic. Over the past few years hipster-chic cafes have spread like wildfire throughout the city centre, sweaty pork-and-potato dinners have been swapped for savvy new-Nordic-inspired dishes, and hundreds of crumbling facades are being restored to their brilliant, art nouveau lustre – all in time for Rīga to earn the long-deserved honour of being named the European Capital of Culture.
The Original Travel & TipsProud to live here - thanks to
Lovely Planet of this choice!
Made with Love.
