Three dark spires pierce the horizon well before docking: St. Peter's, the Dome and St. James's. From the Daugava, Riga announces itself as a city of steeples and merchant guilds, a former Hanseatic stronghold that became the capital of Latvia. Most ships tie up just a few hundred metres from the old town; some use a more distant terminal linked by shuttle. In the first case, ten to fifteen minutes' walk along the river is enough to plunge into eight centuries of history.

Eight centuries in a small space

The old town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is easy to explore on foot. The House of the Blackheads, rebuilt identically after the war, displays its Flemish façade on Rātslaukums, the town hall square. Close by, the Dome Cathedral, founded in 1211, preserves a cloister and a renowned great organ. Climbing the cobbled lanes, you pass the Three Brothers, a row of houses the oldest of which dates from the 15th century, then go under the Swedish Gate, the last surviving passage through the ramparts. Look up along the way: a nearby façade bristles with black cats atop its turrets, the legacy of a quarrel between a Latvian merchant and the Great Guild that has become one of the guides' favourite anecdotes.

Riga from above

To grasp Riga's geography, the elevator in St. Peter's Church leads to a platform 72 metres up. From there, the red roofs of the old centre, the ribbon of the Daugava and the steeples unfold in a single glance. You can also spot the great market halls and, to the north, the pale façades of the Art Nouveau district, the next stops on the walk.

Art Nouveau in all its glory

Riga has one of the highest concentrations of Art Nouveau architecture in Europe: nearly a third of the buildings in the centre belong to the style. Alberta Street, largely designed by Mikhail Eisenstein, is its showcase: sculpted faces, sphinxes, garlands and oval windows follow one another along the façades. A museum set up in a period apartment recreates a middle-class interior from the 1900s, right down to its kitchen and bathroom.

The market in the zeppelin hangars

A stone's throw from the old fortifications, the Central Market occupies five huge pavilions built around 1930 from airship hangars. Inside, the stalls overflow with rye bread, smoked fish, berries and fresh cheeses. It's the best place to observe the daily life of Riga's residents, taste a warm pastry and bring a few treats back on board. While you're there, try a sea buckthorn juice, the small orange berry Latvians adore. Between the old town and the boulevards, Bastion Hill Park and its canal then offer a green break at the foot of the Freedom Monument, more than 40 metres tall.

Practical pointers

One last look at the spires

On the way back, the evening sun catches the golden roosters perched atop the steeples, a Riga tradition meant to ward off bad luck. You re-embark with your head full of images: carved façades, food-filled market halls, lanes echoing with carillons. Riga is one of those Baltic capitals you can get to know in a single port call, but that immediately makes you want a second visit.