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WIZZ MAGAZINE
PHOTO ALAMY
Riga, Latvia
TOUCH DOWN
The coldest months of the
year are behind us, and though
snow is still a possibility in April,
Riga’s tourist season officially
begins now! Being full of parks,
you should check out Esplanade,
with its Orthodox Cathedral,
the smaller Vermanes garden
or the National Opera garden
and Bastion Hill park. Note that
Latvia’s Independence Day is
celebrated on 4 May.
GET OUT
English singer-songwriter
Ellie
Goulding
comes to Riga for
the first time on 17 April. Prince
William and Kate’s Wedding
Singer plays the Palladium.
palladium.lv. Visit the museums
for free during the
Night of the
Museums
on 18 May –there'll
be special exhibitions, too.
Riga is known for art nouveau
architecture, so why not visit
the
Art Nouveau Museum
,
in
a 1903 apartment on Alberta
Street? Closed Mondays.
EAT WELL
With French, Asian, Latvian
and Russian dishes, the modern
and stylish
International SV
at
1
Hospitalu, near Riga Arena,
lives up to its name. Burgundy
snails, (€3.50) (
pictured right,
also smoked quail with pineapple
chutney and portwine sauce,
tomato and basil soup with
oranges and shrimps, and
eggplant terrine with mushrooms).
DRINK UP
Now the days are extending,
the nicest bar is
Skyline
on the
Varna, Bulgaria
TOUCH DOWN
The third largest city in Bulgaria,
Varna is the cultural capital and
has much to offer during spring.
GET OUT
Spring in Varna brings both
locals and visitors out in force,
with many heading for the
Sea Garden
(
pictured below
),
the city’s largest park and
one of its main landmarks.
Located directly above the
Black Sea, besides offering
a whole host of activities –
including an open air theatre
–
the park also offers some
magnificent views of Varna’s
beaches. Pop fans should note
that from 17 to 19 May the city
hosts the
Varna International
Pop Music Festival
,
a kind of
Eurovision-lite.
EAT OUT
You are never too far
from a decent place to
eat in Varna, but a restaurant
slightly off the beaten track
and worth seeking out is
Pri
Monahinite
(‘
At the Nuns’)
(
bul. Primorski 47, +359 52 611
830
),
located in what was the
city’s first hospital (which was
run by nuns) and well known
for top Bulgarian food. A little
more down to earth is the
Varna branch of the Bulgarian
chain,
Happy
(
bul. Slivnica 22,
+359 888 18 1063, happy.
bg
)
where women in nifty little
uniforms serve good local food
at decent prices.
DRINK UP
While many of Varna’s top night
spots are open only during
high season,
Club Horizont
(
in the Sea Garden;
+359
52 389 141,
horizont.bg
)
is a
popular, year-round party venue
that regularly brings over top
international DJs.
GETTING TO THE CENTRE
See page 101 for details.
Words by
freevarnatour.com
THINGS TO SEE AT
THE SEA GARDEN
●
Natural Science Museum
●
Zoo
●
Dolphinarium
●
Planetarium
●
Children’s playground
RIGA’S ART NOUVEAU
As much as 40% of Riga
central is art nouveau
architecture – that’s some
800
buildings. See them at
Alberta Street, Elizabetes
Street and in Old Riga.
26
th floor of the Radisson Blu
Hotel on Elizabetes Street. Views
are worth the 2 lats (€3) entry fee.
GETTING TO THE CENTRE
See page 104 for details.
Words by Clive Morris
S P R I NG T I M E GU I D E S
