DAY TWO CASCADES & CUISINE

MORNING

The best way to enjoy the diverse landscape of western Latvia is by car. From Kukšas, the road unfurls past windmills, stone farmhouses, waterfalls and former train depots where children play among the poplars. Hints of civilisation appear here and there, in the neighbouring villages of Vāne, with its white stucco church, and Kabile, where an elegantly peeling manor is home to a boutique winery. The road here is usually almost empty, and without much warning, the town of Kuldiga appears before you on the Venta River. Look to your left as you cross the red-brick bridge and you’ll see the Venta Rapid waterfall. It’s around 7ft at its highest point but over 200 metres wide — making it the widest waterfall in Europe.

AFTERNOON

In spring and autumn, Latvia’s Baltic salmon seem to defy gravity attempting to clear Venta’s rapids. The spectacle musters quite a crowd on Kuldīga’s waterside cafe terraces, and some people even climb down and walk along the waterfall ridge — a slippery endeavour. Next, head to the old timber village up on the bank, once a key Hanseatic trading port. Centuries ago, when this land was part of the Duchy of Courland, the people of Kuldīga (a town in the west) colonised Tobago in the Caribbean, and spent their newly acquired riches building sprawling villas and red-roofed townhouses, now magnificently restored. Spot the finest around the main drag, then stop for a wood-fired pizza at the Goldingen Room.

EVENING

Back in Riga, the place to stay is the Dome Hotel, a former merchant’s house in the old town. Expect sumptuous bed linen, a traditional sauna where staff swat you with branches, and a toprated restaurant run by a veteran of Copenhagen’s Noma. Another dining option, set in a former barracks, is 3 Pavāru Restorāns (‘three-chef restaurant’). It’s named for the trio of Latvian chefs who do magical things here with all manner of ingredients, such as ostrich, smoked catfish and octopus. Dinner starts with your server literally painting the tabletop à la Jackson Pollock with five different dipping sauces for your bread, and ends with dessert wine that arrives in a cloud of dry ice.

LEFT: Goldingen Room, a restaurant in Kuldiga that serves wood-fired pizza PREVIOUS PAGES FROM LEFT: Cathedral Square and St Peter’s Church in Riga’s medieval old town; walkers explore Kemeri National Park