Riga

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Latvia is the small, flat and largely boggy meat in the sandwich between its Baltic neighbours. It packs a lot in though: start with Rīga, its vibrant coastal capital, and move on to photogenic castles, music festivals and scenic river valleys.

Unwary travellers lured into Rīga's winding cobbled streets are transfixed by swirling Art Nouveau architecture and warm bars with candles flickering in the windows. Just as you can't take the Old Town's beauty any longer, you look up to a bewitching skyline of castle turrets and church steeples.