Latvia Riga

Riga is the capital and the largest city of Latvia. With 641,007 inhabitants, Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga, at the mouth of the Daugava. Riga was founded in 1201 and is a former Hanseatic League member. Riga's historical center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture.[7] Riga was the European Capital of Culture during 2014, along with Umea in Sweden. Some of its many attractions include Art Nouveau Museum, St. Peter's Church, Latvian National History Museum, Riga Cathedral, Mentzendorff House, and more.

Jurmala is a city in Latvia sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River. It has a 33km stretch of white-sand beach, and a population of 55,580, making it the fifth largest city in Latvia. While Latvia was part of the Soviet Union, Jurmala was a favorite holiday-resort and tourist destination for high-level Communist Party officials, particularly Leonid Brezhnev and Nikita Khrushchev. Jurmala remains a tourist attraction with long beaches facing the gulf and romantic wooden houses in the Art Nouveau style. Although it's main attraction is the beautiful sandy beach, other sights include Dzintari Forest Park, Livu Aquaparks, ‪Dubulti Lutheran Church‬, Open-Air Museum, and more.