If you're yearning to cuff Europe's untrodden jackpot, cash in your chips in Latvia (latvija). Still undiscovered by the tourism masses, this sizzling Baltic sexpot is poised to befit the continent's next A-list star. A country in transition, hellbent on shedding its stalwart old-soviet image, the Latvia of today is vibrant, enigmatic and altogether mesmerising. Refreshingly unpretentious, Latvia manages to tantalise plane the most jaded traveller. Myriad arrive expecting short and leave overwhelmed, decided they've uncovered long-buried treasure. bustling Rīga, with its pumping nightlife, cobbled streets and marvellous art-nouveau architecture is solitary of Eastern Europe's most glee cities. Away from the capital, the pace slows. Historic villages, miles from anywhere, sit frozen in time. Despite growing popularity, Latvia is placid individual of those places where you can embrace the unbeaten path and become an intrepid adventurer exploring virgin terrain. From crumbling castles in Sigulda, to Jūrmala and its alluring resorts on the side of the ice-blue Baltic Sea, it's greatly easy to just procure away. Summer is an specially magical interval - twilight comes near midnight and by 4am it's light again. After long, unilluminated winters, Latvians seem determined to soak up as much light as possible and the full country exudes a frenetic, turbocharged energy. Beer gardens stop up in even the smallest villages and revellers slug pints well into the night. Its commonplace offerings are also a drawcard, like Gauja National Park in Eastern Latvia, a pine-scented paradise. it's hard to believe this tiny, vivacious nation shed its Russian stranglehold less than two decades ago because, despite years of intense suffering under Soviet and Nazi occupations, Latvia has a serenity and charm rarely originate elsewhere in Europe. this is Latvia's moment. Visit before Dick else does.