Riga was founded in 1201 when Bishop Albert moved the Livonian bishopric here, joined the Hanseatic League in 1282, and is today the Baltic states' largest city, with around 589,000 residents. UNESCO calls its historic centre home to 'the finest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture in the world' — roughly 50 such buildings in the medieval core and over 300 more across the wider centre. The city sits where the Daugava River meets the Gulf of Riga, and living costs here run far below its Nordic neighbours across the sea. Riga was European Capital of Culture in 2014.
Nights sit around 10°C and afternoons around 17°C.
Riga has real seasons: summer afternoons sit around 23°C, winter ones around 0°C.
Rain is spread through the year — about 676 mm in total, from 80 mm in July down to 34 mm in March — so no single month is a washout.
Air quality is worth watching: February averages an AQI of 61, while July clears to 34.
Days stretch to about 17.5 hours of light in June and shrink to 6.5 in December — something to weigh if you work to a fixed timezone.
No month in Riga matches what you're after, so come for the place rather than the weather. Expect fast internet (289 Mbps) and a moderate cost of living (about €1450 a month).
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