Riga, Latvia

Riga is the capital of Latvia and, with around 630,000 residents, the largest city in the Baltic states. Founded in 1201 on the Daugava River, its Old Town contains the 13th-century Saint Peter's Church, whose 123-metre tower overlooks a row of medieval dwellings known as the Three Brothers. Beyond the medieval core, Riga holds the world's highest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture, covering roughly a third of the central district along streets like Alberta iela. The Central Market occupies five converted First World War Zeppelin hangars, and the city served as a European Capital of Culture in 2014. What to see inside that skyline comes next.