Hotel Neiburgs

Riga, Latvia’s UNESCO-listed old town isn’t where you go to find dazzling modern architecture. Here, the buildings are characteristically Art Nouveau, carefully preserved and radiating century-old romance. That doesn’t mean the city’s boutique hotels are old-fashioned, though — the family-owned Hotel Neiburgs, for example, retains its 1903 façade, but its interiors admit plenty of modern influence, from minimalist color schemes to modernist furniture and works by contemporary Latvian artists, including one member of the Neiburgs family.

The accommodations combine period details like parquet floors and original timbers and beams with modern construction and clean, geometric lines. The smallest unit is a studio apartment that makes space for a kitchenette, and from there they grow to residential proportions; many of the suites span two floors, and some can be combined with adjacent studios to create a two-bedroom orientation.

A small spa and a lovely library, lined with Ligne Roset armchairs, are available for guests’ use. Meanwhile you’ll mix with the public at Restaurant Neiburgs, which is a fixture on the local dining scene — a fine introduction to Latvian cuisine and, thanks to its streetside terrace, to the most picturesque corner of the capital city.