Pre-paid calling cards are used for public phones and are available for sale at many locations. Most mobile phones will work with the Latvian mobile communications system. If calling from an analog system to a phone on a digital system, dial 1, wait for a beep and then dial the number. Language L atvian is the official language of Latvia. More and more Latvians are learning to speak English, but it hasn t been mastered by everyone in the service industry.
Older people are often more comfortable using German.
Most Latvians are comfortable speaking Russian, but since it was the official language under the occupation of the Soviet Union, it is not favored by many Latvians. Winter time is in effect until about the beginning of April.