Art Nouveau boulevards and a Hanseatic old town
Riga's old town is a knot of Hanseatic merchant houses, church spires and squares, with the rebuilt House of the Blackheads its most ornate landmark. A short walk away, streets such as Alberta iela hold one of the world's greatest concentrations of Art Nouveau buildings, their facades covered in faces, flowers and mythical beasts. The Central Market fills former Zeppelin hangars with smoked fish, rye bread and pickles. Evenings bring cocktail bars serving Riga Black Balsam, the city's herbal liqueur.