Will my bank card work in Riga

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Clarkey

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Few of us going to Riga at weekend for a stag. I have a laser card with Maestro and Cirrus on it. Can this be used in Riga or will I have to bring cash?
 
Remember there will probably be a charge for using Cirrus as you will be in a different currency zone.
Why not get some cash before you go ? Lat's are generally available if you pre-order -might be too late for that though. It would probably work out cheaper. You could get some at the airport but the rates are always a bit worse than at a your normal bank.
Your card should work though.
Have a great time ...I believe Riga is a lovely city & I'm sure the beer is a hell of a lot cheaper than here.
 
Whatever about the standard of my english on this boards ...I taught english in Riga recently one year . Im sure your bank card will work. All my pieces of plastic worked fine there.



A bit of advice is ...

Be aware of being overcharged in bars and clubs. Riga is full of con artists trying to get you to pay their bills.

There are beautiful women hanging around the bars and clubs there paid to dance and pretending to appear 'available' but they are working on commission for every drink they can get you to buy them. They will want you to buy them a drink and every drink you buy them is charged at Irish rates and they get what is for them a hefty commission out of that. Some will even hook up with you and want you to bring them to a club where they get a cut of the entrance fee.
So wise up to this. No authentic latvian girl will want you to buy her a drink. She will have too much self respect.
It took longer than you will spend there to find out where the 'real' latvians hung out. Before this I ended up in respectable looking and normal looking night clubs in the basements of hotels such as Voodoo lounge full of women all trying to part you with the price of a drink. Dont do it !
Remember ...they are secretly working on commission and wont admit it.

Also a good percentage of the population are Russian and there is a lot of tension between latvians and Russians.

You really have to keep your wits about you there.
But mainly watch what you spend . I was surprised at how expensive it can be there. Before I went I thought the further east the cheaper everything got.And this is true about some things but the language is so different that its easy to get stung which is why its good if you have actual real latvian contacts like I did going over.
 
Sorry for piggybacking - Sign, would you recommend it for a stag nonetheless?
 
I was in Riga with 8 other women last year for a weekend, we had no hassle whatsoever and we even found a real latvian pub (in a cellar). It was brilliant craic and we met some French, Latvian, Scottish and Irish there!

Other than the pubs we found that the people weren't overly friendly but the cheap yummy beer and lovely food we had more than made up for it!
 

Cheers Sign. Can anyone recommend any decent clubs or pubs in Riga? Wouldn't mind seeing the Arsenal game on Sunday if possible
 
watch the premiership in this boozer

http://www.dickens.lv/

Riga good laugh just watch out for dodgy taxi drivers maybe we were unlucky

Withdrew money from ATM no probs just take the usual precautions. With Everything so cheap esp Beer your Euro goes a long way

I will be at the Arsenal match so will give you a wave
 
Getting to talk to beautiful Latvian women for the price of a drink in Ireland, how bad, I did that for years here in Ireland. There was a night club in Riga I visited in 1999 where the dance floor raised up into the air, still to this day it's the best club I've ever been to. Someone here might be able to put a name on it, come to think of it I paid the entrance for some girls that night, but so what, it was only a couple of £'s.
 
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