The European Best Destinations popular tourist survey ended with Rīga making the top five list behind first-place Wroclaw, and runners-up Bilbao, Colmar (France) and Hvar Island (Croatia).
"You will be dazzled by the incredible beauty of Riga. This city has always been a crossroads of different cultures. The city is also connected to nature, water and forests. You may not know that Riga has beautiful islands, beaches and hills. Its architecture is stunning too," the website announcing the results says.
Most of the votes, or 64%, were cast by foreign voters, according to Vita Jermoloviča, head of the Riga Bureau for Tourism Development, though bodies such as Riga City Council also lobbied hard for locals to vote for their own city.
"Being in the top 5 among Europe's best tourism destinations means large-scale publicity and support for popularizing Riga abroad in 2018. It's especially important this year, during the Latvian centenary," Jermoloviča told the press.
