Riga Packages/Deals & Travel Agents Near Me

24-night Baltic & Iceland Discovery Voyage

Price: $9,199 - # of Days: 24 days

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10-night Regal Baltic Shores Voyage

Price: $3,499 - # of Days: 10 days

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17-night Scandinavian Cruise

Price: Please call for rates - # of Days: 17 days

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7-night Baltic Cruise

Price: $4,900 - # of Days: 7 days

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Overview

Introduction

Dangriga, Belize, is a jumping-off point for the cayes and nearby inland reserves. There is no real beach to speak of, but a thin strip of sand can be found in places and is sometimes cleaned along the frontage of the few small hotels. The quiet town comes to life 17-19 November for the Garifuna Settlement Day celebration. Parades, dancing and wild drumming celebrate the Garinagu's arrival in Belize in 1823 and their eventual inclusion in governmental affairs.

Located 50 mi/80 km south of Belize City, Dangriga has the country's largest population of Garifuna, the people descended from the unions of Arawak Indians and escaped African slaves in the 1600s on the eastern Caribbean island of San Vicente. The mixed-race people were subsequently forcibly relocated by the British to Roatan in Honduras, from where they spread throughout the Central American coast.

There are a variety of food specialties unique to Dangriga, including cashew wine, coconut fish dishes and cassava bread, all of which are worth sampling. It is also the birthplace of punta rock music, a fusion of acoustic Garifuna music with electric instruments.

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary, home to the region's last surviving jaguars, is just southwest of Dangriga.

Overview

Introduction

Must See or Do

Sights—The statute of the Goddess of Liberty on Freedom Monument; stunning architecture at St. Peter's Church; picturesque views of Riga Cathedral; a glimpse of the Swedish Gate.

Museums—Soviet exhibits at the Occupation Museum; old and modern ship models at the Riga History and Navigation Museum; traditional Latvian homes at the Ethnography Museum.

Memorable Meals—Marinated herring with sour cream at Muusu; soups of the day at Restorans 3.

Late Night—Numerous clubs at La Rocca; trendy cocktails at Krogs Aptieka; live music at American-themed Moonshine.

Walks—A nature hike at Gauja National Park; a stroll through Bastejkalns Park; a walk down Jurmala beaches.

Especially for Kids—A visit to Riga Castle; antique vehicles at Riga Motor Museum; the observation platform at Television Tower.

Potpourri

Some of the streets in Riga are named for the occupations of former residents. For example, artisans and beer makers lived on Audeju Street (where several famous Jugendstil buildings are situated), and blacksmiths lived on Kaleju Street.

Ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov and film director Sergei Eisenstein were born in Riga.

In the past, Riga regularly suffered from floodwaters of the Daugava River. To repair the damage caused to the streets, citizens used gravel to lift their level; as a result, the floor level of the old buildings is much lower than the ground level of the streets.

In the Soviet era, the Old Town in Riga was the place for the shooting of all the cinema scenes that were to take place in the West, as there were almost no other European-looking places in the U.S.S.R., and shooting abroad was not accessible. Thus, Riga played the role of many German cities, London, Paris and even New York (in the 1980 Soviet version of The Brothers Rico).

Location