4 day guide to explore riga, latvia
Welcome to our Riga Travel Guide, the first of the 3 Baltic capitals we visited.
Riga probably isn’t at the top of many European bucket lists, but its cobbled streets, historical buildings, romantic atmosphere and friendly locals took us completely by surprise. Nowadays, Riga is probably the largest and liveliest capital in the Baltic countries and its Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site so, as you can imagine, you won’t get bored at all!
If you have never considered visiting Riga, please keep reading this guide and allow us to change your mind!!
What to do in riga
Riga Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral
As we arrived at the city, this beautiful Orthodox Cathedral was the first building to catch our attention. Its architecture is impressive and its entrance is FREE (if you have been following us for a while, you know we are suckers for free or discounted stuff!).
The freedom Monument
The Freedom Monument represents so much to Latvians, as they fought for their independence twice against the Soviet Union. It’s meant to honour all those who fought for Latvia’s freedom, independence and sovereignty.
House of The black heads
There’s plenty of beautiful buildings in Riga, but the House of the Black Heads is certainly its most well known attraction and definitely the one we were most excited about.
Initially built for the Brotherhood of Black Heads - a guild of unmarried merchants in Riga - it is now a museum, exhibition centre and a concert hall, and it was used as the Presidential Residence from 2012 to 2016.
Riga city hall
Riga City Hall is located in the Town Hall Square and its building was destroyed during the war, being completely rebuilt afterwards. Nowadays, it’s where the Riga City Council seats. Back in the day, there was a prison in its basement and as you can imagine, it is a landmark of Latvia’s independence.
St. Peter’s Church
We highly recommend visiting this incredibly beautiful church! You can buy your ticket to visit the church and the tower for 9€. There is a lift to take you up the top of the tower, where you will be able to contemplate Riga’s beautiful skyline! Allow yourself to stop and appreciate the beauty of this small but romantic city!
Latvian War Museum
The Latvian War Museum is one of the oldest museums in Latvia and it intends to explain the complex political and military history of Latvia. The entrance is FREE (again, who doesn’t love free stuff?)
Riga Cathedral
Originally founded in 1211, Riga Cathedral is one of the most famous landmarks of the city! Its architecture is impressive and extremely beautiful! Definitely worth a visit!
Three Brothers, Latvian Museum of Architecture
The Three Brothers consists of 3 houses and together they form the oldest complex of dwelling houses in Riga! Today it houses the Latvian Museum of Architecture and it was recently awarded the European Heritage Label by the European Commission. Its uniqueness is undeniable, so make sure you include it in your itinerary!
Riga Central Market
The Central Market is probably the biggest and most diverse market in Latvia! Here, you will find something for all tastes, as well as all the traditional products you can’t miss during your stay in Riga. We bought our souvenirs there and it was the best price we could get, so definitely not one of those European Markets with super inflated prices for tourists!
Jurmala Beach
The endless Jurmala beach has more than 30km of sand. Yeah, you read it right!
Obviously, we would recommend it even more during summer, but we still had a great time. You can go for a walk, stop at one of its coffee shops or simply relax and enjoy the sound of the waves.
Turaida Castle
Less than 1 hour away from Riga, you can find the Turaida Museum Reserve which includes the Turaida Castle. This place has more than 1000 years and you can wander through its more than 40 hectares! One thing we know for sure: you will be exhausted by the end of it (for an amazing reason, obviously!).
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
If like us you like to know a bit more about the history of the countries you visit, you have come to the right place!
The whole exhibition is brilliantly designed and the environment is perfectly tailored to make you feel the heaviness of the topic! Here, you will discover how Latvia.
Where to eat in Riga
Lido
Lido was a recommendation of one of our Instagram followers and we couldn’t be happier about it! It is a buffet style restaurant where you can find traditional Latvian food for a very good price. Best piece of advice we can give you? Don’t be silly and ask for a table! Simply grab a tray, choose the food you want, pay for what you chose and find a table. The rest will be true pleasure!
You can find multiple Lido restaurants spread all over the city (yeah, we went multiple times to different ones). The food is AMAZING, there’s a million different options and you won’t need to sell any of your body parts in the black market to afford your meal.
We paid 23€ for both of us which included soup, a main dish, a dessert and a drink.
Parunasim Kaeteeka
First of all, we hope we spelled that right!
This is probably the most romantic and hard to find cafe in Riga. It is perfect for a stopover to eat one of their handmade cakes (the OREO one is AMAZING!) and to drink the traditional Riga Black Balsam (40% alcohol). Definitely a 10 out of 10! Can we also add that the staff there was the cutest and friendliest ever? (And no, we were not paid to say this… not yet anyway!)
How to get to Riga, Latvia
Riga is well connected to other major European cities and you can easily fly there using low cost airlines such as Ryanair and Wizz air. You can find cheap flights to and from Riga using Skyscanner.
Riga airport is located in the outskirts of the city, approximately 13km away from the Old Town but it can be easily reached by taxi, car or public transportation if you are looking for a cheaper way to move around the city. Bus number 22 can take you to the Old Town in under 30 minutes and it will cost you 1.50€ if you buy a 90-min ticket (please note that if you buy it from the driver, you will pay 2€ for your ticket).
Where to stay in Riga?
We stayed at Islande Hotel which is located just on the other side of the River. The Old Town is located within 15 minutes walking distance from the Hotel. Even though we rented a car, we avoided driving in the Old Town as parking spaces cost around 3€ per hour.
We paid 110€ for 3 nights with breakfast included! *chef’s kiss*
don’t forget your travel insurance
You’re probably thinking “I don’t need a travel insurance. Latvia is quite safe”. As much as the last part of that statement is true, accidents happen when we least expect and there is nothing more terrifying than getting hurt abroad, where we don’t always understand the health system neither the language. Also, there is this misconception that a travel insurance is really expensive, which couldn’t be far from the truth!
If you are looking for travel insurance for your trip to Latvia, we would recommend IATI , which is the company we use when travelling. As our reader you will get 5% off your travel insurance!
Always remember: Better Safe Than Sorry!
