Reeling in Riga

You can get there with Ryanair from Bremen, Bristol, Brussels, Dublin, Dusseldorf, East Midlands, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Milan, Stockholm and Tempere from upwards of 20 quid.

Now, the important question is, why would you want to go there?

Then you could chow down at The Kabuki in Marta street. Surprisingly good and cheap sushi. If you insist on seeking out local specialities, try Lido, a chain of bizarre national folk fast-food restaurants.

But most importantly you will be suppin on Rigas Balzaams, the sinister-looking, dark brown national drink. It's an acquired taste, but the locals will admire you for keeping it down. Start by cutting it with grape juice or tea.

And once the hooch kicks in then for funky tunes and a party atmosphere, go to Pulkveidis (Peldu 26/28; www.pulkvedis.lv), or for Moscow-style Russian trash-gangster chic, go to Nautilus (Kungu 8; www.nautilus.lv).

And I suppose I should, mention the other people that can fly you there, but really, they’ll find it hard to beat Ryanair. Flights from £106 return from Heathrow with Air Baltic (087 0774 5458; www.airbaltic.com). BA (087 0850 9850; www.ba.com) has flights to Riga from Heathrow from £148.90 return including taxes