Bunker soviétique, forteresse balnéaire + déjeuner barbecue authentique avec bière

Outstanding day! Second trip with Viesturs as the guide. Day started at the nuclear bunker and then a hike through the forest after a quick shot of black balsam, to the old Soviet storage facilities hidden there. Walked along the beach watching the incredible sunset! The meal at the end was fantastic. A small family run restaurant in an old soviet style warehouse. Lovely decoration inside. We had chicken and ribs with a Latvian beer and it was some of the best food we had on the trip! I believe Viesturs was from the area with the sites on the trip and it was great hearing his local knowledge and history of the area

Krista - the Tour Guide - was excellent, a lovely, professional, informative Guide. The Tour was interesting and informative, delving into parts of the Cold War and its' relevant aspects. Krista kept the information interesting, and, the information was also provided in a way that wasn't just rote. Lunch at a local Restaurant was also another highlight, and, was also delicious. Chatting with Krista at the Beach, you also learned about how the Cold War impacted on her and her family. A highly interesting and informative Tour.

This would be day 2 of 2, for private day tours with Latvian Gem, and Krista as our tour guide. Day 1’s tour was amazing, and guess what, day 2’s tour was equally as great. Both days we had wonderful weather. On this tour, Krista once again picked us up at our accommodation, and off we went. Our first stop was the communications bunker, in Riga. We arrived close to noon. There we were met by one of the owners/ proprietors. Her name is Victoria. She, along with Krista, would be our private tour guides. The bunker being opened up just for my wife and I, arranged through Latvian gem. first of all, Victoria was wonderful! She was a great guide. And so friendly and welcoming. They have put in a lot of work to get the bunker in this condition, and have so many fascinating displays. It is very obvious they care about what they do there. This may have been one of the smaller bunkers we visited over 3 weeks, but it was absolutely our favorite bunker visit of our trip. Between Victoria and Krista, we felt like we got the VIP treatment, and felt very lucky to be there with them. After the bunker visit we worked our way towards the gulf of Riga, and I am not exactly sure, but perhaps the Mangalsala and Vecaki areas. A whole different world than Riga city. We made several stops, walked through the woods, and visited several bunkers and other sites mostly forgotten in the woods. That too was fascinating. We finished our day with 2 different Riga Black Balsam tastings, then a stop for dinner. Both of the Black Balsam tastings were actually quite tasty. Dinner at the BBQ place was very tasty, and fun to experience. We had another great day with Krista as our guide. We are so very thankful to her for treating us so well, and making our time in Riga so very nice. If I came back to Riga, I would absolutely look up Latvian Gem for another private tour, and if we were lucky, get Krista as our guide once again.

Had such a brilliant day! If you want to experience an authentic taste of how life was before Latvian independence this will be ideal for you. The soviet bunker was so interesting and something you won’t get to do very often so I would definitely recommend it then the fortresses in the forest area are great as you realise just what it was like then. This is all within 30 minutes of the centre of Riga so no lengthy travel needed either. Kristna was a great guide who knew the answers to all my questions and nothing was too much trouble. If you are looking for a different experience than what the old town in Riga offers this tour is a must 😃👍