I visited this WHS in September 2016. Having visited all 3 Baltic state capitals I was pleasantly surprised with Riga and its magnificent Art Nouveau buildings and one of the top WHS I visited in Europe.

The historic centre is pleasant enough to warrant a visit but in my opinion the absolute highlight and source of the OUV of this WHS are the Art Nouveau buildings especially those concentrated in Elizabetes iela, Alberta iela and Strelnieku iela.

Apart from the Art Nouveau Museum of Riga which is open every day from 10:00 till 18:00 (except Mondays), my favourite facade was that of 10B Elizabetes iela (picture) with its bright blue colour and richly decorated female mascarons, stylised birds and geometric ornaments. Best time for photography is once again early morning just after sunrise and late afternoon. I'd recommend investing in a good guide book with pictures and the specific addresses so you can easily identify the ones you visit and then be able to read more on them afterwards.

The UNESCO plaque/manhole displaying Riga's inscription can be found just in front of the Evangelical Lutheran cathedral of Riga in Cathedral Square next to an excellent bar and souvenir shop named Key to Riga. Do try the local Black Balsam liquor and/or sweets as they are a delicacy.

The restored House of the Blackheads seems really out of place as you'd expect that type of building in the Netherlands or Flanders but its quite an iconic building. The wooden houses are quite a long distance away from the historic centre but well worth the effort to see yet another district of Riga which is not so touristy. The Riga by Canal 1 hour boat trip is pleasant but overpriced (18 euros). Another district worth visiting is the Spikeri quarter with its 20th century warehouses now used by creative industries and the Soviet/Stalin architecture of the Latvian Academy of Sciences.

All in all I spent 3 nights in Riga and I would have enjoyed a longer stay.