Great Riga history, art, food and ethnography tour

This tour combines a walking tour in Riga's old town and the central market, plus a visit to the Open-air ethnographic museum of Latvia.This 6-hours tour starts near Liberty Monument. After a short introduction about Latvian history and culture, you will walk into the Old town. There you will see all major sightseeing attractions: the Dom cathedral, the Powder tower, the Swedish gates, the Three brothers (traditional Middle age buildings,), St. Jacob's church, Riga castle, the Black cat house, the Reutern house and much more. During the tour you will also taste two kinds of Riga black balsam, the legendary bitter drink with good medicinal qualities first mentioned in 1752.Then you will leave the old town for the central market, one of greatest food markets in Europe. Cheese and smoked fish, rye peasants bread and milk products, all very interesting and tasty even to see.After the visit at the Central market the guide will bring you by regular bus to the Ethnographic Open-air museum of Latvia. You will stroll around 1,5 hours through a nice pine forest on the majestic shores of a lake, looking at farms, churches, barns, craftsmen's workshops, school, mills and other traditional buildings, all dated 1680-1930. The surface of this Museum is 87 hectars, there are 121 old buildings which have been moved to the Museum starting from 1924 from all regions of Latvia: Livonia (Vidzeme), Kurland and Latgale. Almost all sections of populations and ethnic groups as well as their social and material culture are represented there. Like for example the households of Livi fishermen and Ruissian old-orthodox, craftsmen workshops of wood workers and smithies, catholic Latgale potters, Vidzeme weavers.In the Museum you can have lunch in national Latvian style in an old inn or buy quality souvenirs made by master-craftsmen. Then by regular bus you will return to Riga center with your guide.