Riga packs a UNESCO-listed old town, the world's finest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture and a lively, affordable student life into one compact, easy city. It's home to the University of Latvia, RTU and the medicine-focused RSU, which draws a large international cohort. Young Latvians speak good English, prices are among the lowest in the EU, and the rest of the Baltics is a cheap bus ride away.

• Home to RSU, whose medical programmes pull in students from across Europe.
• The largest collection of Art Nouveau buildings in the world, centred on Alberta iela.
• Among the most affordable EU capitals, with the Baltics and beaches on the doorstep.

Nightlife clusters in and around Vecrīga, the old town, from cellar bars to clubs, while the creative crowd gravitates to Miera iela's cafés and the Kalnciema quarter market across the river. It's a small scene, which makes it friendly and easy to break into. Summer flips everything outdoors, to Jūrmala beach, park terraces and the midsummer madness of Jāņi.

• Old town bars and clubs for nights out; Miera iela for the artier café-and-craft-beer crowd.
• Catch the Saturday Kalnciema Quarter market for food, wine and live music.
• Ask the Riga group on Studcasa what's on and how to spend Jāņi (midsummer) like a local.

Riga is the cheapest base in this group, so budget around 650 to 950 euros a month all in, with rent, groceries and transport all noticeably lower than western Europe. The Central Market and Lido buffets keep food costs down, and student transport is inexpensive, leaving room for weekend travel.

• A room in a shared flat runs about 250 to 400 euros a month; a studio not much more.
• Eat cheaply at the Central Market and Lido self-service canteens; a coffee is 2 to 3 euros.
• Buy an e-talons card for cheap tram, trolleybus and bus fares across the city.

Rooms and small flats are affordable and reasonably easy to find, whether in the atmospheric centre (Centrs) near the universities or the wooden-house districts of Āgenskalns and Ķīpsala across the river. RSU and RTU offer some dormitories; otherwise use local rental sites and Facebook groups. Always view before paying and check heating costs, which spike in winter.

• Centrs keeps you near the universities and old town; Āgenskalns and Ķīpsala are cheaper and characterful.
• Check ss.lv, the main Latvian classifieds, and student Facebook groups for rooms.
• Ask the Studcasa Riga group for rooms and flatmates before term starts.

Riga is small and very walkable, and the Rīgas Satiksme network of trams, trolleybuses and buses covers the rest cheaply. A rechargeable e-talons card is all you need; a single ride is a euro or so. Cycling is pleasant in the warmer months, and the train to Jūrmala beach is a local staple.

• Get an e-talons card for trams, trolleybuses and buses; fares are among the EU's lowest.
• Central Riga is walkable end to end, so you may barely need transport day to day.
• Take the suburban train to Jūrmala in summer; it's cheap and only half an hour.

The University of Latvia is the country's largest and broadest; RTU (Riga Technical University) leads on engineering; and RSU (Rīga Stradiņš University) is the internationally focused medical school. SSE Riga is a respected regional business school. Many programmes, especially at RSU and SSE, are taught in English, and international offices are used to exchange students.

• RSU and SSE Riga run extensive English-taught programmes with big international cohorts.
• The University of Latvia's international office coordinates Erasmus placements and buddy schemes.

Latvia is an EU and Schengen member, so your paperwork depends on your passport. EU/EEA citizens can move freely and simply register for a residence certificate at the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) within the first months, receiving a personal code used for daily life.

Non-EU students, including those from the UK, US, Canada and Australia, generally need a long-stay D-visa or a temporary residence permit for study, applied for through a Latvian embassy or the PMLP. Prepare proof of funds, accommodation and health insurance in advance, and start early because it is not the fastest bureaucracy in Europe.

• EU/EEA, free movement; register for a residence certificate at PMLP
• Non-EU, long-stay D-visa or study residence permit via a Latvian embassy or PMLP
• Prepare proof of funds, housing and insurance early

Latvian food is hearty and seasonal: grey peas with bacon (pelēkie zirņi ar speķi), dark rye bread, smoked fish, and pīrāgi (bacon pastries), often washed down with the herbal Riga Black Balsam. The Central Market, set in old Zeppelin hangars, is the place to graze. Lido buffets are the cheap, cheerful introduction to it all.

• Explore the Central Market's hangars for smoked fish, cheese, berries and street eats.
• Try grey peas with bacon and a shot of Riga Black Balsam for the full local experience.
• Fill up cheaply at a Lido self-service restaurant while you find your feet.

Vecrīga, the old town, is the postcard core but touristy; the surrounding Centrs holds the Art Nouveau streets, universities and best transport. Across the Daugava, Āgenskalns and Ķīpsala offer wooden houses, a good market and lower rents. Miera iela, north of the centre, is the hipster pocket of cafés and studios.

• Centrs: Art Nouveau streets, near campus and everything; the practical student choice.
• Āgenskalns and Ķīpsala: cheaper, leafy left-bank districts with real character.
• Around Miera iela: creative, café-heavy and close to the centre.

Riga is a natural hub for the Baltics and beyond. The beach town of Jūrmala is 30 minutes by train; Sigulda, with its castles and Gauja valley trails, about an hour; and Cēsis a little further. Comfortable Lux Express buses reach Tallinn and Vilnius in around four hours each, making a Baltic capitals tour cheap and simple.

• Jūrmala (about 30 minutes by train) for the beach and wooden spa-town villas.
• Sigulda (about 1 hour) for castles, the Gauja gorge, hiking and a bobsled track.
• Tallinn or Vilnius (about 4 hours by Lux Express bus) for a weekend in another capital.

Come prepared for the dark, cold winters: good boots, a warm coat and a bit of vitamin D make January bearable, and the long summer days more than repay it. Cash is fading but keep a little for markets. Latvians can seem reserved at first but warm up fast, and a few words of Latvian go a long way.

• Kit out for winter; it's dark and freezing from December to February, so layer up.
• Time midsummer (Jāņi, 23 to 24 June) in Latvia; it's the year's biggest celebration.
• Learn paldies (thank you) and sveiki (hi); locals warm to the effort.