With a population of nearly 800,000 people, Riga is one of the largest cities in northern Europe. With the quaint beauty of the Old Town, the splendid architecture, the various stretches of parkland and the nearby beach resort of Jurmala, Riga provides something for everyone. In Riga, you will find a typical European city with many cosmopolitan shops. Morever Riga is an important centre of learning demonstrated by the many cultural events, international exhibitions, scientific conferences and seminars that take place every year in this, Latvia's historic captial city.

Here in Riga you can enjoy Russian culture, go to the Russian Theatre, enjoy Russian cuisine, visit the orthodox churches and, if you come in summer time, you can experience the many Russian festivals taking place in Jurmala. Riga provides the ideal environment to learn Russian. You can stay with Russian-speaking hosts and there are many newspapers and magazines, radio and TV channels, cinemas and theatres all in Russian.