Quick Overview:
Featuring what is widely regarded as the best nightlife in the Baltics, Riga is rapidly becoming the one of the most popular destinations for hen weekends in all of Eastern Europe. Whether you want a day of high adrenaline activities and a blistering night on the town or prefer to take it easy and relax in one of Riga's trendy bars, the options for visitors are endless.
In a Nutshell:
- With a population of over 800,000, Riga is the largest city in the Baltics.
- The population of Riga is predominantly Russian.
- The official language is Latvian. Russian is the second language, but English and German are becoming more widely spoken.
- Like most Eastern European countries, Riga is exceptionally cheap when it comes to food and alcohol.
- Latvia features a Midsummer festival in June that holds all-night bonfire parties and specially made beers and cheeses.
- The Latvian national liqueur is Rigas Melnais Balzams (Riga Black Balsam), which is dark and gooey, roughly the texture of motor oil. While some turn their noses up at it, others love it. It is made from dozens of ingredients, some of which you'd probably rather not know about!
Out on the Town:
Riga's Old Town is definitely where the party is at: featuring lounge clubs, trendy bars, old fashioned pubs, restaurants, lively nightclubs and everything in between, this is justifiably regarded as the party hotspot of the Baltic region. As far as beer is concerned, the most widely drunk local brew is Aldaris. Considering the large number of Russians found in Riga, it's not much of a surprise to discover that vodka is also a very popular tipple for the locals. Summer finds the locals partying out on the streets; winter finds them indoors getting stuck into all manner of strong booze. Simply put, whichever season you visit you can't go wrong!
Daytime Activities:
Besides a plethora of brilliant night time activities, Riga is positively bursting at the seams with excellent day time activities to suit all tastes. Besides the usual suspects (paintball, karting, clay pigeon shooting, quad biking etc.), Riga offers some truly unique experiences: try soaring like a bird on a Freefall Simulator, shooting some Soviet guns during a KGB shooting session, diving in the ocean to explore old ship wrecks, hurtling down a treacherous bobsled course or going on an icy snowmobile safari. Whatever your tastes, Chillisauce can find something to make your Riga stag weekend an exceptional one!
Weather:
Summers are usually warm, around 22C, with long hours of daylight; winters are cold and often snowy with temperatures around -5C.
Currency:
The national currency is the Latvian Lats (LVL). £1 = 0.97LVL (approximate).
Transport:
As a general rule, the quickest way to catch a cab is to flag one down. Also, avoid taxi stands in front of major hotels as they tend to charge more than average. In all taxis, always make sure the meter is actually running. Otherwise the driver will just approximate, inevitably in his own favour. The tariff is 0.35-0.40 lats during the day and 0.40-0.60 lats at night from 22.00 to 06.00. More and more taxis accept credit cards; look for your card's sticker in the window.
What Do Chillisauce Do For You?
Essentially we provide a one stop shop for sorting out everything for your Riga stag weekend. We live, eat and breathe stag do's and after years of fine tuning, we know how to make the perfect stag weekend. Obviously you could have a crack at organising it yourself, however that does have its risks. As with all former Eastern Block countries there are still a few 'rogue elements' who will be happy to relieve tourists from their hard earned cash! By booking with Chillisauce you rule out having to worry about these sorts of things. So have a look through the enclosed ideas and give us a call - we're more than happy to answer any of your questions and look forward to organising you a top weekend!