Stag-Do City Guides: Riga

Riga is the capital of Latvia on the Baltic Sea coast. Medieval architecture, boisterous pubs and nightclubs, pretty girls and plenty of activities like paintballing and quad-biking make Riga a popular stag haunt. There are plenty of horror stories of druggery and robbery, particularly in clubs and strip joints so take care. If in a large group it is advisable to go on an organised tour. Stag parties aren’t welcomed everywhere in Riga and the bouncers especially have a reputation for not standing for any shenanigans, so it might be a good idea to leave the T-shirts and fancy dress out.

NIGHT CLUBS

Voodoo: A lively African-themed club in the basement of Hotel Latvia. Free entry. +371 737 8990

Club Essential: Ibiza-style club with big DJ’s playing mostly trance, techno, house. www.essential.lv Skolas Street 2,Riga,, LV1010 Entry around Lvs 5 (GBP 5)

LaRocca - Bar and elite club Studio 69  playing commercial electro house, as well as casino. Brivibas 96 http://info.larocca.lv Entry: 3Ls – 5Ls

Martini Bar: James Bond-style cocktail bar and club with erotic dancers and disco-house, r’n’b, hip-hop, euro-pop. +371 7220577 12/14 Kalku iela

Space Dog: Cute bar staff, live music, local beer, and a Jägermeister shot machine. Admission: free. Vecpilsētas 19 (+371) 67 49 10 39

DECENT PLACES FOR A BEER

Paddy Whelan’s: Irish pub in Old Town with live sports and an Indian menu. www.pub.lv Grēcinieku Street 4, Old Riga (+371) 67210150

De Laceys: Irish pub owned by an Irishman, sports, snacks and meals, attracts expats and stag parties. (Skunu 4, Riga)

Dickens: Popular English pub with an impressive array of beers on tap, dart board and fish & chips on the menu.

The Skyline Bar: Unbeatable panoramic views from the top of Hotel Riga – expensive cocktails. Reval Hotel, 55 Elizabetes iela (+371) 7772222 www.hotelriga.lv

STARS pub: Belgian style sports pub in Old Riga.

Belgian Beer Cafe (Bon Vivant): Great selection of Belgian beers on tap, mussels, fries and steaks. Special group discounts. tel. 6722 65 85 (8 Marstalu iela, Riga (J-2))

Leningrad: Retro Soviet bar with assorted communist relics and even period furniture. www.leningrad.lv

Pulkvedis: A trendy place popular with a younger crowd and dancers, 3 Lats entry fee, Pop/dance occasional rock music and techno downstairs.

Melnais Kakis (Black Cat): Good beer, pool, darts and a jukebox open 24 hours a day. 6721 10 21 (10/12 Meistaru iela, Old Riga (I-2))

Café Cuban: Dimly lit Popular Cuban-themed bar with expensive cocktails and a pool table in the cellar. 15 Jauniela, Riga, +371 67 22 43 62

Bites Blues Club: Live acts on weekend nights, great Užavas beer on draught. Admission: Fri, Sat 5 – 15Ls. www.bluesclub.lv/eng/club/

STRIP CLUBS

Warning: Take care not to accept flyers offering ‘first free beer’ or any clubs with blacked out windows. Security will escort you to the nearest ATM if you can’t pay the inevitable bill of hundreds of pounds. Two relatively safe bets are:

Molly’s Chamber: Upstairs at weekends at Paddy Whelan’s you can watch a pole dance for free or lap dances 20Ls. Free entry. Contact the management first at the bar, by e-mail or by phone. Grēcinieku 4 (+371) 67 21 01 50 www.pub.lv

Sin City: (Dzirnavu 87/89) Recommended as expensive but no unexpected charges (check the menu!) www.sincity.lv

DECENT RESTAURANTS

Charlestons: Latvian and international cuisine, good service, warm and friendly. www.charlestons.lv – +371 777 0572

Sue’s Indian Raja - Old Town Indian that has large rooms for parties that want a private space. www.indianraja.lv 7221617

Rozengrāls: Authentic medieval restaurant with candlelit cellar, serving feasts of pork, wild game and local fish with the beer of nobles and peasants. www.rozengrals.lv +371 722 4748 Rozena iela. Rīga, 1050, Latvia

Wok Café: Meat, noodles, spring rolls, spicy salads and a good selection of sushi. Dzirnavu 60 tel. (+371) 67 28 28 78

T.G.I. Friday’s: (I-2) Kalku 6, tel. 722-9070; TGIFridays@rostikrestaurants.lv. Open:12-01. Say what you will about American restaurant chains, but this one will fill the bill for diners looking for a hamburger fix in Europe.

ALL NIGHT FOOD:

Chili Pica: 50 types of pizzas till 6am on Saturdays. www.cili.lv/ +371 800 3355

Pitta Inn - Lebanese kebabs, salads and pizzas, 24 hours a day. Jekaba 20/22, Riga, LV-1050

Anspeteri - in Riga’s centre set on 2 levels a little pricier. Rigas Rajons, LV 2154, Latvia +371 923 8868

Lulû serves some of the best pizza in Riga 24-hours a day with free de­liv­ery. Phone at 800-5858

TRAVEL

Taxis:

Rigas Taksometru Parks Taxis: Red Renault taxis TOLLFREE 800 01313

Smile Taxis: Yellow Fords tel 22 330 330, most accept Visa, Mastercard and Amex, and cost 20% less than the red ones.

Avoiss: White Fords tel 255 44 555. 30% cheaper than yellow ones, always put meter on, but don’t accept credit cards nor speak any English.

Best Airport transfer route:

Bus no 22 and 22a (express) leaves every 10 – 30 minutes for the city centre, the journey between the airport and the centre normally takes circa 30 minutes and costs circa 0.40 Ls. (20 mins – 0.50 Ls for the express bus)

Bus: www.rigassatiksme.lv

Airport: http://www.riga-airport.com/ Telephone: 00 371 7207009

Riga Tourist information: www.rigatourism.lv Phone +371 67037900

Hotline Tourists – +371 22033000

Police 02

Ambulance 03

Accident 112

Train station: www.ldz.lv/ (+371) 1181

Riga Bus station: www.autoosta.lv 67226658

ESSENTIAL VOCAB

Es nesaprotu – I don’t understand

Vai Jus runajat angliski? – Do you speak English?

Vienu alu, ludzu – One beer, please

Jūs esat brīnisķīgs dejotājs! – You’re wonderful at dancing!

Cik tas maksa – How much does it cost?

Ludzu, rekinu – The bill please

ESSENTIAL TRIVIA

Riga Castle was constructed for the Livonian Order of Knights in 1330. The Castle is the official home of the President of Latvia.

The Red Bull Flugtag competition was held in Riga in 2008, where folk try to defy gravity and fly over the river. One dickhead rose to the occasion and launched into the river standing on a giant penis.

Old Riga and various architectural monuments in other parts of the city were added to UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997.

If you want to guarantee VIP entry to the clubs and pubs, Last Night of Freedom can take care of the arrangements for your Riga stag weekends – prices from £69pp for 2 nights.