The name Jurmala (Seashore) encompasses a string of small towns and resorts stretching 20km (12mi) along the coast west of Riga. Tourists are attracted by the beaches, dunes and woodlands, plus museums, galleries, restaurants, pubs and inns. It has the added attraction of being rarely crowded and easy to reach (there are several trains per hour from Riga and a special Jurmala-bound taxi rank in front of Riga's railway station).

Since Latvia gained independence, there has been an air of ethnic tension, fuelled by the fact that Russians (who outnumber native Latvians in the capital city Riga) no...