Good to know before you go
A few things make a stay in Riga easier:
- Everything on foot. The centre is flat and compact, most highlights are less than 20 minutes apart.
- Public transport. On buses, trams and trolleybuses you pay with the rechargeable e-talons card, from a Narvesen kiosk or a machine. Single rides cost almost nothing.
- Taxi alternative. For evenings we use Bolt, cheaper and easier than hailing a taxi on the street.
- Save at lunch. On weekdays many restaurants offer a business lunch (biznesa pusdienas), a starter and a main at a fixed price, often for little money. A great way to try smarter kitchens cheaply.
- Paying. You pay in euros, cards work almost everywhere, you barely need cash.
- Language. The official language is Latvian. Younger people speak very good English, older ones often Russian. You get by everywhere in English.
- When to come. A long weekend is plenty for the city. Summer is loveliest with its long light evenings; in December the Christmas market on Cathedral Square is worth the cold.
Our Riga on foot: the loop we walk with every guest
Riga is compact and most of it is walkable. This is the loop we do almost every time, and it fills a whole day nicely.
The Central Market and the halls
Our starting point is almost always the Central Market. You can easily spend a couple of hours in the old halls; each has its theme, from vegetables and meat to fish.
In the fish hall there is a tiny fish counter with fresh fish and a brilliant solyanka, the best cure for a hangover. Afterwards, browse the market and all the bric-a-brac around it, it is always fun to see what turns up.
The Academy of Sciences viewpoint
A few minutes on stands the Latvian Academy of Sciences. The building alone is a sight, a hulking Soviet-era wedding-cake tower. For a couple of euros you go up to what we think is the best viewing deck in the city. Best on a clear day.
The Old Town and a free tour worth taking
Next comes the Old Town. You can happily wander the lanes on your own, no guide needed. But we warmly recommend a tour from Free Riga Tours, just not the standard Old Town route (you can do that yourself): the Alternative Riga or the Soviet Riga tour are better. The tours are 'free', at the end you pay what they were worth to you.
Along the way don't miss the Riga Cathedral with one of the largest organs in Europe, the ornate House of the Blackheads on Town Hall Square, St. Peter's Church with a lift up to the viewing platform, the medieval Swedish Gate and the Orthodox Nativity Cathedral. In the green heart of the city sit the Freedom Monument, Latvia's most important landmark, and the adjoining Bastejkalns park.
The Corner House, the former KGB building
Locals simply call it the KGB museum. It is heavy going: here the Soviet secret service imprisoned, interrogated and tortured people. To see the cellar cells you have to book a tour ahead, and places fill up fast.
We still take almost every guest there, because it belongs to Latvia's history and shows how the Soviet occupation regime treated anyone who thought differently. You understand the country and the region much better afterwards. To go deeper, add the Museum of the Occupation on Town Hall Square, which covers the occupation years from 1940 to 1991.
Art Nouveau, Riga's hidden headline
What many people don't know: Riga has the world's largest concentration of Art Nouveau architecture. About a third of the buildings in the centre date from around the turn of the century, more than in Vienna, Brussels or Barcelona. Walk with open eyes and you spot playful facades with masks, mythical creatures, ornaments and expressive faces on almost every corner.
The heart of it is Alberta iela, a single street like an open-air museum. Many of the finest houses are by the architect Mikhail Eisenstein, father of the film director Sergei Eisenstein. Take your time and keep looking up, the best details sit on the upper floors.
To go deeper, visit the Riga Art Nouveau Museum at Alberta iela 12, set in a faithfully preserved 1903 apartment. Other rewarding streets are Elizabetes iela and Strēlnieku iela just around the corner. The quarter is most fun on one of the alternative free tours, where someone tells you the stories behind the facades.
Eat, drink and go out
Riga is much more than its sights. For our favourite restaurants, wine bars, cafés and where to go out at night, see our food and drinks guide. And for the best trips beyond the city, from Sigulda to the coast, see the day trips guide.
A day at the sea: Jūrmala
If the weather plays along, definitely head out to Jūrmala, about 25 km west. We are there in almost any season, even in winter, just not in the rain.
The train from the central station gets you there for around one and a half euros, and the ride alone is a small experience. Then just walk along the beach and stop for a coffee or a beer on the way, there is a bar right on the sand every kilometre or two. Plan it so there is time for a good dinner towards evening, for example at the Armenian Nojan Tapan at the end of the beach walk.
Want to venture further? Sigulda, Cēsis, the Kurzeme coast and even Vilnius and Tallinn are all easy trips, see our separate day-trips guide.
Our picks on the map
These are some of our favourite spots in Riga. Open our full curated Google Maps list to see every pin on the map and navigate straight there from your phone.
Your base in central Riga
All of our residences are a short walk from the Old Town, the Central Market and Miera iela. Furnished rooms, all bills included, for your semester or a few nights.
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