The Latvian capital of Riga isn’t likely to be overrun by U.S. travelers anytime soon, despite having plenty of features similar to more popular European cities — cultural attractions, a range of nightlife, architecture from Soviet blocky to nouveau bizarro, and a cobblestoned medieval historical center. (Think Prague, but with fewer drunken American backpackers.)

Like the rest of the country, Riga has been conquered and ruled by a host of its neighbors, from Germany to Sweden to France, but the city is also more than the sum of those influences. What remains are Soviet-era landmarks finding new life as museums and hotels, local hangouts you don’t have to hunt for, boat rides on a peaceful tree-shaded canal carved by the Swedes, and ancient neighborhoods with streets that, predictably, have no right angles.

History buffs will want to spend a week, but most of the best experiences can be had in a well-planned day. Here’s one way.

— Spud Hilton, shilton@sfchronicle.com

If you go

Lido Alus Seta: Tirgonu 6, +371 67 222431, www.lido.lv. Seriously traditional Latvian food (think pork, gray peas, sauerkraut, dill and sour cream) in the heart of Old Town. Entrees: $6-$11.

Folk Club Ala: Peldu 19, +371 27796914, www.folkklubs.lv. Cavern-style tavern with local live folk music most days of the week.

Skyline Bar: Elizabetes 55 (Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija, 26th floor), +371 67772282, www.skylinebar.lv. Nightclub popular with tourist and convention crowd, but has best elevated view in Riga.

Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation: Palasta Street 4 (next to the Dome Cathedral); +371 67211358; www.rigamuz.lv.

Riga by Canal: Maskavas Street 6; +371 25911523; www.kmk.lv.

Riga tourist office: www.liveriga.com/en.

Exploring Riga

Morning

Most hotels offer breakfast, or you can head out for coffee and bacon buns at the pre-Soviet Central Market, four massive former zeppelin hangars jammed wall to wall with hundreds of merchants and stalls. There aren’t many signs in English, so it’s best to just explore. (If all else fails, follow the signs for “Alkoholiskie” and pick up a bottle of lethal-looking local favorite Black Balzam.)

Work your way back to Old Town and explore Dome Square, the largest of three traditional European plazas, before it gets too busy with tourists on bus tours and passengers from the occasional cruise ship. The Dome Cathedral that towers over the square is part of the same complex that houses the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation, which tells the city’s history through fine art and artifacts from medieval times forward. The museum holds 500,000 items in 80 collections.

Midday

Amble across the canal to Elizabetes and Alberta streets, a district with at least a dozen eye-catching (and often head-scratching) Art Nouveau buildings of the early 20th century, most designed by architect Mikhail Eisenstein. Spend 30 minutes looking up at what is said to be one of the most concentrated collection of buildings in the style anywhere, albeit with Eisenstein’s decidedly baroque twist.

Most restaurants here cover other cuisines, so for actual Latvian fare, settle in at one of the Lido chain of cafes — heavy on the stuffed pork, smoked fish, gray peas, sauerkraut, dill and sour cream, all washed down with an Uzavas alus (beer). (Tip: At Lido Alus Seta in Old Town, protect your plate from the seriously aggressive pigeons.)

Afternoon

If you’re already in Old Town, walk to Town Hall Square (Ratslaukums), home to 13th century St. Peter’s Church and the 14th century Dutch Renaissance style House of the Blackheads. Neither fared well through World War II and decades of Soviet occupation and both had to be rebuilt, but the restoration is impressive. Before moving on, find the statue next to St. Peter’s of a rooster atop a cat atop a dog atop a donkey, a representation of the Brothers Grimm tale “The Town Musicians of Bremen.” Rub their noses for good luck.

Make your way back toward the Freedom Monument (Latvian War of Independence memorial), keeping an eye peeled for the changing of the guard, then go down to the canal to catch one of the water-taxi-style boats there. The 2-mile canal, which had been defensive moats under Swedish rule, is open to the River Daugava at both ends of Old Town, and the boat tours make a loop that offers plenty of postcard-worthy views of the city and the parks.

Evening

If you’re willing to endure tourist prices and American pop tunes sung with a Russian accent, the best spot for dusk is the Skyline Bar on the 26th floor of the Radisson Blu Hotel Latvija. At night, most of the plazas in Old Town fill with bistro tables and chairs for dinner and drinks. Wander a bit and survey the crowd at each before picking (Riga is popular with hen and stag parties on package tours from Germany and the U.K.).

While there are plenty of tourists at Folk Club Ala (Folkklubs ALA pagrabs), a cavern-style tavern with stone arches, locals are the majority here, especially when the stage is jumping with Latvian folk and rock bands. Settle in at the bar with some Uzavas and some smoked meats and garlic bread, and soak up the city.