Riga
Not in the story-mood? Scroll down for the Quick Budget Fact Overview: an itemized information summary of Riga! ↓
Riga, or as the locals pronounce it: “Riiiiiiga” (thanks to the “ī”), steadily creeped up to one of the go-to citytrip destinations of Europe. Rather than the chewed out classics such as Paris, London or Prague, Riga seems to tickle that feeling of freshness and pioneering that simply sounds better in any travel recount. Yet, with the tourist numbers spiking up to 1.2 million the last year, we can hardly speak of a revolutionary and unique travel experience to be obtained here. A weekend break in Riga comprises a nigh shoulder-to-shoulder walk through the tiny downtown area, while you’ll be challenged to mentally process your observations with the constant loud chatter of tourist guides filling up all background noise. A popularity that’s understandable with the Old Town area having a UNESCO qualification in the pocket, but one that simultaneously takes away a bit from the magic (the good ol’ worthiness-to-mass-tourism-equilibrium). Another factor to keep in mind is that the UNESCO points purely come from their 1900s Art Nouveau and Jugendstil movement, not from the “ancient architecture” of the tiny Old Centre… of which the majority is inauthentic and fully rebuilt after WWII bombing wiped almost the entire city out. A sad story, but personally I prefer it when a city has the balls to count its losses and accept that what’s gone is gone, to subsequently grab the opportunity to turn into another direction, architecture-wise… rather than frantically recreating a counterfeit version of the foregone splendor, which by default always feels rather kitsch.
Yes, I’m not being too subtle about it: Riga didn’t knock my socks off. Someone has to be honest, instead of automatically liking every single travel experience just because it’s a holiday and that’s by all means better than your time at work. Sorry (not sorry), but after (back-then) 9 years of full-time traveling and 80+ countries down the line I have some comparison material. Its close competitor Tallinn made a much more profound impact on me. That said, I wasn’t walking around crying either. It was fine, there’s plenty to do, I met some kind people (quite into the Latvians!) and as a consolation prize: I arrived right at the city’s anniversary celebrations.
Yes, I’m not being too subtle about it: Riga didn’t knock my socks off. Someone has to be honest, instead of automatically liking every single travel experience just because it’s a holiday and that’s by all means better than your time at work. Sorry (not sorry), but after (back-then) 9 years of full-time traveling and 80+ countries down the line I have some comparison material. Its close competitor Tallinn made a much more profound impact on me. That said, I wasn’t walking around crying either. It was fine, there’s plenty to do, I met some kind people (quite into the Latvians!) and as a consolation prize: I arrived right at the city’s anniversary celebrations.
‘round Riiiiiiga
Whereas the capital Riga is not only the largest city of the country (containing a third of Latvia’s total population), but also of all the Baltic States, the Historic Centre where all tourism activities and sights are concentrated is one of the smallest I can readily remember. If you just have a mere afternoon on your hands, you’re still on the safe side: you still have time to walk around the entire centre about 4-5 times (museum-time not included). Under the flag “if you can’t beat them, join them” I also opted to march behind one of those tour guides, choosing one of those “free-tour-that-definitely-aren’t-free-concepts” spreading out rapidly over entire Europe. It was decent. I enjoyed obtaining some live background information and anecdotes while staring at the buildings being discussed, and the guide was likeable and witty. Yet, I found it rather incomplete. Therefore, I present here my own recommendation:
Whereas the capital Riga is not only the largest city of the country (containing a third of Latvia’s total population), but also of all the Baltic States, the Historic Centre where all tourism activities and sights are concentrated is one of the smallest I can readily remember. If you just have a mere afternoon on your hands, you’re still on the safe side: you still have time to walk around the entire centre about 4-5 times (museum-time not included). Under the flag “if you can’t beat them, join them” I also opted to march behind one of those tour guides, choosing one of those “free-tour-that-definitely-aren’t-free-concepts” spreading out rapidly over entire Europe. It was decent. I enjoyed obtaining some live background information and anecdotes while staring at the buildings being discussed, and the guide was likeable and witty. Yet, I found it rather incomplete. Therefore, I present here my own recommendation:
It makes sense to start off at the National History Museum, to allow yourself a deeper understanding of the place you spent time and money on to visit. You’ll learn that the Daugava river, cutting straight through the city, has formed a perfect trade route since antiquity. It is in fact believed that the name of the city is deriving from a former tributary loop of this river called Riege, which was however purposely closed as it was used as a garbage canal causing epidemics and contamination of drinking water. Riege, which translates as “loop of the river”, had its loop right where Kalku Iela and Riharda Vagnera Iela cross, at the current New Yorker store (the next marked stop on the map). Standing on Livu Square, now the city’s pumping heart, it’s hard to imagine this was once under water.
A big boom in the already flourishing trade, causing Riga to eventually turn into an established city in 1201, was caused by the influx of German traders visiting Riga*. This turned into a membership of the Hanseatic League, a commercial network of merchant guilds and towns within Central and Northern Europe. A concrete reminder of this time is the Great and Small Guild Halls buildings (next stop), hosting the merchants and artisans. The Cat House (built much later in 1909), where the route just guided you passed, is said to be built by someone who was denied access to the Great Guild, which is why he placed two cats on the roof with their anuses pointed to the Great Guild Hall. The House of the Blackheads, which was entirely destroyed in WWII and has been rebuilt from scratch, served as the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, the guild of unmarried merchants, foreigners and shipowners (rather random). The “blackhead” refers to their beloved patron saint, the Egyptian St. Maurice (positive racism, I guess). The City Hall, another noteworthy building, is just across the square.
* Interesting for me as a Dutchie: the Netherlands became good trading partners of the Germans, which is why there’s still one Dutch street in the Old Town: Marstalu Iela. Frustratingly enough, it contains a Belgian beer bar ; )
** Another gimmicky German-themed spot: the Town Musicians of Bremen statue. It has nothing to do with the German history in Riga, it was just a gift from their current partner city Bremen, which was the scene of this famous Grimm fairytale. For some inexplicable reason, tourists touch the faces of the animals for good luck (bring hand sanitizer).
* Interesting for me as a Dutchie: the Netherlands became good trading partners of the Germans, which is why there’s still one Dutch street in the Old Town: Marstalu Iela. Frustratingly enough, it contains a Belgian beer bar ; )
** Another gimmicky German-themed spot: the Town Musicians of Bremen statue. It has nothing to do with the German history in Riga, it was just a gift from their current partner city Bremen, which was the scene of this famous Grimm fairytale. For some inexplicable reason, tourists touch the faces of the animals for good luck (bring hand sanitizer).
Ze Zjermans brought along their reli-fanatics, who converted the Livonian pagans with their earth religions into proper god-fearing Christians. Riga still has plenty of churches open for visitation to show for it, but due to their entrance prices I didn’t include them in the walk (don’t they get enough in tax money and begged-for donations?). Unable to separate religion from politics, a catholic military order was established, heroically named the “Order of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword.” Looking for some foreign aid to support their military and political agenda, they also brought in the Danes. Once the Livonian Order vanished, the land which we now call Latvia subsequently formed a part of the Roman Empire, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Swedish crown and eventually… the Russian Empire *low-tuned evil tadadaaaam tune* … and they came down to fck shit up.
The 20th century was one of war, misery but also freedom. They kicked off afresh with WWI and the effects of the Russian Revolution, leaving Latvia to be juggled among the Russian and German influences, to eventually seize the opportunity to claim independence. A short-lived victory, as Russia, now transformed into the communist Soviet Union, came back quicker than it left to morph Latvia into its unity. Their reign was so brutal and suffocating, that when the Nazis marched in to occupy the land from 1941-1944, many Latvuabs joined them to fight out the Russians and their regime of terror. As my Riga Couchsurf-host said when holding up a photo of his grandfather in a swastika-embellished uniform: “The enemy of our enemy was our friend.” While the Germans systemically murdered out the local Jewish population, the Soviets introduced their mass deportations of anti-communist Latvians or “unwanted elements” into uninhabitable areas of Siberia. They operated out of their KGB Headquarters, or the “Corner House”, which we’ll visit later on the walk as it’s a bit outside of the centre. However, you are currently standing next to the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, elaborating on this exact tragic episode of history. Later in the tour I’ll guide you passed the Riga Ghetto and Latvian Holocaust Museum (donation-based), created on the exact spot of the former ghetto where the local Jewish population was forced into… before having them deported to the local concentration camps or systematically killed off during the Rumbula Massacre (a short train ride can drop you off at the Rumbula Holocaust Memorial).
The 20th century was one of war, misery but also freedom. They kicked off afresh with WWI and the effects of the Russian Revolution, leaving Latvia to be juggled among the Russian and German influences, to eventually seize the opportunity to claim independence. A short-lived victory, as Russia, now transformed into the communist Soviet Union, came back quicker than it left to morph Latvia into its unity. Their reign was so brutal and suffocating, that when the Nazis marched in to occupy the land from 1941-1944, many Latvuabs joined them to fight out the Russians and their regime of terror. As my Riga Couchsurf-host said when holding up a photo of his grandfather in a swastika-embellished uniform: “The enemy of our enemy was our friend.” While the Germans systemically murdered out the local Jewish population, the Soviets introduced their mass deportations of anti-communist Latvians or “unwanted elements” into uninhabitable areas of Siberia. They operated out of their KGB Headquarters, or the “Corner House”, which we’ll visit later on the walk as it’s a bit outside of the centre. However, you are currently standing next to the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, elaborating on this exact tragic episode of history. Later in the tour I’ll guide you passed the Riga Ghetto and Latvian Holocaust Museum (donation-based), created on the exact spot of the former ghetto where the local Jewish population was forced into… before having them deported to the local concentration camps or systematically killed off during the Rumbula Massacre (a short train ride can drop you off at the Rumbula Holocaust Memorial).
The end of WWII didn’t remove the Red Army out of Latvian territory. Oh no, they were staying put until 1991, during which a massive influx from Russia and its Soviet Republics was set in motion (nowadays there are still big population groups of Russian-speaking inhabitants refusing to adopt the Latvian language, creating considerable friction among the two population groups). WWII did destroy almost the entire historical centre of Riga due to the heavy bombing, which as such had to be almost entirely rebuilt. This included the houses nicknamed The Three Brothers, which are marked to be the oldest buildings in town (15th-17th century, if you ignore the renovations). The Stock Exchange building around the corner, on the other hand, received its damage from a fire in 1979 and was only recently renovated to host the Art Museum Riga Bourse. An alternative is the Latvian National Museum of Art slightly outside of the downtown area (included later in the itinerary). Another building which was heavily damaged by a fire (later in 2013) is the Riga Castle, an ancient restored structure which since 1922 serves as the actual residence of the Latvian president in office. A republic with monarchy traits?
We turn to the riverside of the Daugava, the lifeline of Riga and source of many a legend. One of them of Lielais Kristaps, or Big Christopher in English, the friendly giant living in a cave on the river bench. Helpful as he was, he would carry travellers across the waters. One day he took along a little boy, who inexplicably turned heavier and heavier by each step, causing the giant to struggle despite his size and strength. At the end of the crossing, the boy revealed himself as Jesus Christ, explaining that Christopher has been carrying the sins of the world on his shoulders. The giant got baptized and rewarded with a pile of gold, used to found the city of Riga. You’ll pass by a replica of Christopher’s statue on the riverside walk, where locals lay down flowers in his honor (the original is in the Museum of Riga).
Follow the pedestrian and cyclist-friendly shoreline until just before the 1905 Fighters Monument, and bend into the Marstula Iela, the earlier mentioned Dutch street. Around the corner you’ll find the Peitav Shul Synagogue. It’s not an incredibly interesting building on its own, but it happens to be the only Jewish building that the Nazis kept intact during wartime. Not out of generosity, but because destroying it would create an access to a strong wind that could wipe away the entire city in case of a fire. Which is something they didn’t want at that point, as they considered building one of their head offices in Riga. Nevertheless, you’re still looking at a replica, as the USSR blew the place up in their aim to wipe out religion. Talking about whom: If you want to learn more about the liberation from Soviet Russia and the final route to Latvian independence obtained in 1991, you’re standing right next to the Museum of the Popular Front of Latvia.
Follow the pedestrian and cyclist-friendly shoreline until just before the 1905 Fighters Monument, and bend into the Marstula Iela, the earlier mentioned Dutch street. Around the corner you’ll find the Peitav Shul Synagogue. It’s not an incredibly interesting building on its own, but it happens to be the only Jewish building that the Nazis kept intact during wartime. Not out of generosity, but because destroying it would create an access to a strong wind that could wipe away the entire city in case of a fire. Which is something they didn’t want at that point, as they considered building one of their head offices in Riga. Nevertheless, you’re still looking at a replica, as the USSR blew the place up in their aim to wipe out religion. Talking about whom: If you want to learn more about the liberation from Soviet Russia and the final route to Latvian independence obtained in 1991, you’re standing right next to the Museum of the Popular Front of Latvia.
We’re about to leave the mini downtown area of Riga to visit the earlier described Riga Ghetto and Latvian Holocaust Museum, which leads you straight passed the Central Market housed into former German zeppelin hangars. It’s a place you’ll probably end up visiting anyway, as it’s right next to the bus and train station. The building is unusual and historically relevant, but I’d rate the area as properly run down and dodgy. Not a place you’ll want to hang out for shits and giggles after the sun has set. From here, plenty of buses head to the KGB Corner House and the Latvian National Museum of Art (scroll up), which is otherwise a 30-min and not-too-strenuous 2km walk. Personally, I’d recommend (also) going into the Riga Art Nouveau Center, which is the whole focus of Riga’s UNESCO World Heritage status. Art Nouveau (Jugendstil in German) is an art, architecture and decoration style characterized by its flowing lines and sinuous curves of plants and flowers, inspired by natural forms. In the early 1900s, Riga developed itself as the capital of this movement, with hundreds of Art Nouveau buildings offering the highest concentration of the sorts in Europe.
For a goofy side-stop, jump into the World of Hat Museum, from where you can take tram #5 to the National Library… gloriously nicknamed the “Palace of Light”, as you have to “go through the darkness to find wisdom.” That shit’s deep bro. Admitted, it truly is something. For the mere function of housing a bunch of books and offering a place for reading and studying, it truly has outdone itself. A building of national stature and a key element of new Latvian modernism (instead of inauthentic restoration). For a rather non-touristy drinking experience to top off the day, grab a cold one in the Kalnciema Quarter, which isn’t too far away from here (alternatives include the Briana Quarter, Talinnas Quarter, Alojas Quarter, Andrejosta Quarter, Sporta 2 Quarter, or my favorite: the Labietis Kulturkrogs).
For a goofy side-stop, jump into the World of Hat Museum, from where you can take tram #5 to the National Library… gloriously nicknamed the “Palace of Light”, as you have to “go through the darkness to find wisdom.” That shit’s deep bro. Admitted, it truly is something. For the mere function of housing a bunch of books and offering a place for reading and studying, it truly has outdone itself. A building of national stature and a key element of new Latvian modernism (instead of inauthentic restoration). For a rather non-touristy drinking experience to top off the day, grab a cold one in the Kalnciema Quarter, which isn’t too far away from here (alternatives include the Briana Quarter, Talinnas Quarter, Alojas Quarter, Andrejosta Quarter, Sporta 2 Quarter, or my favorite: the Labietis Kulturkrogs).
Daytrip Options: Sabile & Kuldiga
For my first visit to Riga I allocated 4 full days. I know right, what was I thinking? I had no clue how small the area worth visiting actually was (and believe me, I truly can confirm the outskirts are not: I hiked all the way through it the second time I was in Riga as part of the 1000km Baltic Camino trail I was completing – this was the most miserable section of entire Latvia). So when my host invited me to join him and his partner on a daytrip to his countryside cottage, I was more than ready. Especially when I learned it was next to the Sabile Wine Hill, the most northern open-air vineyard worldwide, as mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records. Call me a wino on tour, it’s a title I wear with pride. It turned out to be a nice sight to check off the list, but honesty forces me to share that Latvian wine is not in my top-3… unless it’s the top-3 of the worst wines I’ve ever tasted in my life, then yes (a questionable honor shared with neighbor Estonia – although Bolivian and Brazilian wine also made me lose faith in humanity). As the owners of the local vineyards were incredibly friendly and treated me on a full-on tour and tasting, I bought a bottle as a gift. Not out of plain generosity, but mainly because that meant I didn’t have to endure drinking 750cl of that acid berry-based misery on my own.
I had a better time in Kuldiga, a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site for very obvious reasons. It’s also the location of the Ventas Rumba, with 249m the widest waterfall in Europe (be it only 1.80-2.20m high). It’s a natural, cultural and historical heritage site you can just plunge inside of, a refreshing experience!
For my first visit to Riga I allocated 4 full days. I know right, what was I thinking? I had no clue how small the area worth visiting actually was (and believe me, I truly can confirm the outskirts are not: I hiked all the way through it the second time I was in Riga as part of the 1000km Baltic Camino trail I was completing – this was the most miserable section of entire Latvia). So when my host invited me to join him and his partner on a daytrip to his countryside cottage, I was more than ready. Especially when I learned it was next to the Sabile Wine Hill, the most northern open-air vineyard worldwide, as mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records. Call me a wino on tour, it’s a title I wear with pride. It turned out to be a nice sight to check off the list, but honesty forces me to share that Latvian wine is not in my top-3… unless it’s the top-3 of the worst wines I’ve ever tasted in my life, then yes (a questionable honor shared with neighbor Estonia – although Bolivian and Brazilian wine also made me lose faith in humanity). As the owners of the local vineyards were incredibly friendly and treated me on a full-on tour and tasting, I bought a bottle as a gift. Not out of plain generosity, but mainly because that meant I didn’t have to endure drinking 750cl of that acid berry-based misery on my own.
I had a better time in Kuldiga, a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site for very obvious reasons. It’s also the location of the Ventas Rumba, with 249m the widest waterfall in Europe (be it only 1.80-2.20m high). It’s a natural, cultural and historical heritage site you can just plunge inside of, a refreshing experience!
Quick Budget Fact Overview
Latvia Facts
Short History Recap
650: Curonians & Livonians. 750: Curonians fight at Swedish side in Battle of Bravellir. 800: Rebellion against Swedes → refusing to pay tribute. 850: Danish came to conquer, but got butchered and plundered. ’54: King Olaf of Sweden attacked Seeburg & Apulia, area subjected to Sweden again. ’70 & ‘90: Struggles with Danes. 925: Icelandic influence. ’50: Norse occupations. 1100s: First settlements in Courland, Semigallia, Talava, Koknese & Jersika. 1184: Missionaries & Crusades. 1201: Riga founded on site of earlier Livonian settlement. ’02: Catholic military order Livonian Brothers of the Sword founded (by Bishop Albert), fought Livonians and later Estonians. Defeated in ’36 by Samogitians & Semigallians at Battle of Saule. ’42: Alexander Nevsky defeats Livonian Order. ’82: Riga member of Hanseatic League. 1452: Archbishop of Riga & Livonian order rule Livonia together. 1558: Russian Ivan the Terrible attacks. ’61: Livonian War → Livonia now Lithuanian → in ’69: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. 1629: Peace of Altmark → Livonia/Courland become Swedish Livonia. ’89: Testaments translated in Latvian. 1700-‘21: Great Northern War between Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sweden & Russia. ’21: Part of Russian Empire (until 1918). 1841: Famine. ’87: Russification. 1914: Start WWI. ‘18: Independence proclaimed. ‘18-’20: Civil war ends in peace treaty with Soviet Russia. ’40: Soviet Union (SU) annexes Latvia / Estonia / Lithuania. Mass deportations to Siberia and Central Asia. ’41: Nazi Germany invades. 70,000 Latvian Jews killed by Nazis & Latvian paramilitary units. ’44: SU returns = more deportations and repression of resistance. ’86: Anti-Soviet demonstrations and nationalism. ’91: Referendum in favor of independence. Later on declared during anti-Gorbachev coup in Moscow. ’94: Last Russian troops leave. 2003: Referendum vote backs EU membership. ’04: Nato & EU. ’06: Citizenship requires to pass Latvian language test. ’08: International Monetary Fund (IMF) approves 1.68bn euro rescue package. ’10: Unemployment 20%, highest in EU. ’11: Pro-Russian Harmony Centre largest party in elections → coalition government excludes it. ’12: Referendum on giving Russian joint official language status rejected by large margin. ’14: Joins Eurozone. ’15: Nato reinforces its presence in Baltics. ’22: Russia invades Ukraine. Latvia declares state of emergency along Belarusian border due to illegal border-crossing attempts.
Latvia Facts
- Capital: Riga
- Language: Latvian (a minority speaks exclusively Russian)
- Population: ± 1.9 mln
- Sq km: ± 64,600
- Currency: Euro (€ - EUR)
- Electricity Outlet: F / 230 V / 50 Hz. Check here.
- Country Code Phone: +371
- Emergency Phone: 112
- Visa: Schengen visa (Latvia is part of the EU). Info here eand easy visa application here.
- Vaccinations: None, although it’s recommended to get vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease if you plan to spend a lot of time in the forests, as this is rather common in the Baltics (I personally caught Lyme disease in Estonia but detected it early, so I could get it treated with antibiotics). Healthcare is very cheap in Latvia.
- Climate: Cold Winter Humid Continental Climate (Dfb)
- High season: July-August
Short History Recap
650: Curonians & Livonians. 750: Curonians fight at Swedish side in Battle of Bravellir. 800: Rebellion against Swedes → refusing to pay tribute. 850: Danish came to conquer, but got butchered and plundered. ’54: King Olaf of Sweden attacked Seeburg & Apulia, area subjected to Sweden again. ’70 & ‘90: Struggles with Danes. 925: Icelandic influence. ’50: Norse occupations. 1100s: First settlements in Courland, Semigallia, Talava, Koknese & Jersika. 1184: Missionaries & Crusades. 1201: Riga founded on site of earlier Livonian settlement. ’02: Catholic military order Livonian Brothers of the Sword founded (by Bishop Albert), fought Livonians and later Estonians. Defeated in ’36 by Samogitians & Semigallians at Battle of Saule. ’42: Alexander Nevsky defeats Livonian Order. ’82: Riga member of Hanseatic League. 1452: Archbishop of Riga & Livonian order rule Livonia together. 1558: Russian Ivan the Terrible attacks. ’61: Livonian War → Livonia now Lithuanian → in ’69: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. 1629: Peace of Altmark → Livonia/Courland become Swedish Livonia. ’89: Testaments translated in Latvian. 1700-‘21: Great Northern War between Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sweden & Russia. ’21: Part of Russian Empire (until 1918). 1841: Famine. ’87: Russification. 1914: Start WWI. ‘18: Independence proclaimed. ‘18-’20: Civil war ends in peace treaty with Soviet Russia. ’40: Soviet Union (SU) annexes Latvia / Estonia / Lithuania. Mass deportations to Siberia and Central Asia. ’41: Nazi Germany invades. 70,000 Latvian Jews killed by Nazis & Latvian paramilitary units. ’44: SU returns = more deportations and repression of resistance. ’86: Anti-Soviet demonstrations and nationalism. ’91: Referendum in favor of independence. Later on declared during anti-Gorbachev coup in Moscow. ’94: Last Russian troops leave. 2003: Referendum vote backs EU membership. ’04: Nato & EU. ’06: Citizenship requires to pass Latvian language test. ’08: International Monetary Fund (IMF) approves 1.68bn euro rescue package. ’10: Unemployment 20%, highest in EU. ’11: Pro-Russian Harmony Centre largest party in elections → coalition government excludes it. ’12: Referendum on giving Russian joint official language status rejected by large margin. ’14: Joins Eurozone. ’15: Nato reinforces its presence in Baltics. ’22: Russia invades Ukraine. Latvia declares state of emergency along Belarusian border due to illegal border-crossing attempts.
FREE Sights / Activities
PAID Sights / Activities
Find a full list here.
Evening Entertainment
Local Festivals
Full list here.
- Sights: Old Town, Livu Square, Riga Town Hall, Alberta Iela, Jaun Iela, Freedom Monument, Jugendstil Nami Building, National Library of Latvia / Castle of Light, Bremen Town Musicians Statue, Three Brothers Buildings, Rumbula Forest Memorial, The Ghost Sculpture, Cat House, Small Guild of Riga Building, Black Magic Bar, Great Choral Synagogue Memorial, Victory Park, Kalnciema Quarter, The Very Old Oak Tree, Black Cat of Riga, Sam Statue, Big Cristopher, Hospitalis Restaurant, Pauls Jaunzems Stone Sculpture Park (bus #36).
- Museums: Riga Ghetto and Latvian Holocaust Museum (donation based).
- Hikes / Nature: Bastejkalna Park, Vermanes Garden, Mezaparks, Smerla Mezs, Kronvalda Park, Bikernieku Mezs, Vecaki Beach.
PAID Sights / Activities
- Sights: Panorama Observation Deck, St. Peter’s Church Tower, Riga Radio and TV Tower, Riga Cathedral, House of the Black Heads.
- Museums: KGB Building / Corner House, Museum of Occupation of Latvia, Riga Motormuseum, Musee Art Nouveau, Latvian Ethnographic Open Air Museum, Latvian National Museum of Art, Latvian War Museum, Neredzama Pasaule, Pauls Stradins, Medicine History Museum, Zanis Lipke Memorial, Art Museum Riga Bourse, RSU Anatomy Museum, Museum of Riga’s History and Navigation, The World of Hat Museum, Fashion Museum, Classic Car Museum, Jewish Museum, Latvian Railway History Museum, Museum of the Popular Front Latvia, National History Museum, Pharmacy Museum, Riga Aviation Museum, Museum of Decorative Art and Design, Laima Chocolate Museum, Aldaris Beer Museum, Latvian Museum of Photography. The Night of the Museums takes place the 18th of May.
- Other: Labietis Brewpub, Old Town Archery, Riga Shooting Range, Distillers Republic, Riga Free Tour (compulsory donation), Lido Recreation Centre, Noble Wine Winery.
Find a full list here.
Evening Entertainment
- Nightlife Areas: Old Town, Briana Quarter, Talinnas Quarter, Alojas Quarter, Andrejosta Quarter, Kalnciema Quarter, Sporta 2 Quarter, Labietis Kulturkrogs.
- Theatres: Latvian National Opera, Latvian National Theatre, Mikhail Chehov Riga Russian Theatre, Digital Art House, New Riga Theatre, Dailes Theatre, Green Theatre.
Local Festivals
- Riga Fashion Week – Apr
- Riga Opera Festival – Jun
- Positivus Festival – Jul
- Sansu Alternative Music Festival - Aug
- Riga’s Birthday Celebration – Aug17th
- International Film Festival – Oct
Full list here.
Budget Bites
Sleep Cheap
- Main Supermarket Chains Latvia: Mego, LaTS, Top!, Spar, Vesk, Sky, Elvi, Aibé, Rimi, Lidl and Maxima. Mego, Lidl and Maxima are the more budget-sensitive ones. Rimi has a cheaper selection in its Hypermarkets, and a client pass gives you some extra discounts.
- Farmers Markets: Central Market.
- Local Dishes: Bukstinbiezputra (heavy bacon porridge), Griki (buckwheat – eaten for breakfast), Rasols (vegetable potato salad with mayonnaise), Kartupeļu Pankukas (potato pancakes), Stoveti Kaposti (stewed sauerkraut), Piradzini (lard), Karbonade ar Kaulu (pork chops), Asinsdesa (blood sausage), Smoked Fish, Pelekie Zirnie Ar Speki (grey peas with lard), Silke Kazoka (herring), Sasliks (shaslik), Piradzini (meat-stuffed bread), Rupjmaize (rye bread), Maizes Zupa (rye bread soup), Aukstā Zupa (cold beet soup), Frikadeļu Zupa (meatball soup), Skābeņu Zupa (sorrel soup), Galerts (head cheese), Auksta Gala (cold meat in jelly), Biezpiena Sierins (curd snack), Rupjmaizes Kartojums (rye bread and cream dessert), Biezpiena Placenisi (cottage cheese pancakes).
- The Veg Situation: Going veg could be complicated in Latvia, as traditionally meat and fish are central in most meals. That said, most supermarkets contain veg products, be it very processed at times. Veg restaurants can be found here. Local veg dishes: Griki (generally contains butter), Rasols (with mayonnaise), Kartupelu Pankukas (generally served with sour cream), Stoveti Kaposti, Rupjmaize, Maizes Zupa, Auksta Zupa, Skabenu Zupa (soups mostly include sour cream and sometimes bacon – verify before), Sierins (dairy), Rupjmaizes Kartojums (dairy), Biezpiena Placenisi (dairy). So basically as a vegan you’re f’cked, unless you feel like surviving on rye bread. They love mushrooms too, those might save the day for you.
- National Drink: Beer (Alus in Latvian), Kvass (fermented beer-like drink, alcohol-free / same as Kali in Estonia), Medalus (honey beer), Cider, Sweet Berry-Based Wines.
Sleep Cheap
- Hostels / Hotels / Guesthouses: Of all Baltic countries, Latvia is right in the middle when it comes to costs (Lithuania is cheaper, Estonia is more expensive). The bigger cities in Latvia are however swiftly moving towards Estonian prices. Writer’s choice: I Couchsurfed.
- Couchsurfing: allows you to stay with locals. Nowadays it has a moderate sign-up cost (unless you put a third-world country as homebase), but paying extra for verification is unnecessary: Positive reviews are way more important. Once active, there are no costs for staying at someone’s house. In order to get accepted, make sure to write an elaborate request explaining why you applied to this specific profile and think you and your host are a good match (copy-pastes tend to be ignored). The Couchsurfing community in Latvia is rather big and active. In the Latvian section, I Couchsurfed on 3 occasions (and another 4 times at a later stage outside of the Camino route). I also used Warm Showers, which is in principal a bikepacking community focussing on 1-night stays. That said, long-distance hikers fit well with these type of travellers and are warmly welcomed.
- Wild Camping: is entirely legal in Latvia, with the exception of private land. You can literally spend the night anywhere you want, as long as you don’t leave a mess and treat nature with respect. There is not such an organized system as in Estonia, with free state-provided campsites all traceable in an app… but the national parks all contain plenty of free campsites, with tent shelters, picnic tables, dry toilets, a fireplace and water access. The website Mammadaba gives some coordinates of fireplace and picnic spots where you could also set up your tent, although I don’t find it very user-friendly. I walked the entire Latvian Camino section and listed the campsites available in the articles dedicated to this trail.
Mama Said
Transport
Next?
- Safety: Latvia is a very safe country. No animals will kill you here. Bears are so rare that when one is spotted, it actually makes the news. Latvian people are more extraverted than Estonians, but generally they keep to themselves and besides a small chit-chat here and there they won’t bother you.
- Tap Water: is safe to drink. Latvians also love their natural water sources for water provision, but you’ll generally need a local to point those out to you as they’re not clearly signposted. I drank straight from the streams in the forest without any issues, but I used a lifestraw/filter for the water from the bigger rivers or when close to a town or farmland. However, when cooking a filter wasn’t needed, as the act of boiling already kills the bacteria.
- The best credit/debit card for traveling is Wise, as they use the live conversion rates with minimal exchange fees. Wise also has the lowest fees for sending money to foreign accounts. Revolut is comparable, but they have higher exchange fees in the weekend and less wallet-options. Also, you can only wire money to Revolut in the currency you opened the account with, whereas Wise has IBAN’s from a wide variety of currencies, so you don’t have to pay a double exchange fee. Most Latvian ATMs charge a fee for cash outs (especially when your card is in another currency than euros), but card payments are generally accepted everywhere, even in the countryside.
- Simcard: Buying a local simcard is by all means cheaper than using your international roaming option. The main providers are LTM, Zelta Zitvina / Tele2 and Bite. LTM has the biggest network coverage and the fastest connection, which makes it most attractive for a hike in the countryside. You can cheaply buy their simcard in one of their outlets, or otherwise at any gas station, kiosk or supermarket. You don’t need to bring an ID. As their packages are inconveniently weekly and not monthly, I preferred to visit an LMT outlet and pay the exact amount of credit for the number of weeks I intended to be in Latvia (at the end of the week the package automatically renews if you have enough credit). As usual, never buy a sim at the airport, where you’ll be ripped off with expensive tourist packages. In order to use your sim outside of Latvia but within Europe, you must turn roaming on… keep in mind that the amount of minutes and data you can use outside of Latvia is less. Bite has the cheapest deals, but a rather bad reputation. Tele2 is decent, but their connection is not as fast and widespread as LTM’s.
Transport
- Walking: The historical Old Town area of Riga is so ridiculously small that you can walk around it tens of times in a day. Only if you’re staying in the suburbs, alternative transportation is necessary.
- Cycling: The Old Town area is too small and too crowded with tourists to make cycling either necessary or comfortable. If you want to explore the areas outside of the centre or cycle along the river, you can use the bike sharing system called Next Bike. A map with available bicycles can be found here.
- Public Transport: Riga has a combination of city buses, trolleybuses, minibuses and trams, which operate from 5AM until midnight. It’s a rather efficient system, with timely services. Both Google Maps and Moovit work properly to plan your route. One ticket works for 90 minutes, with unlimited changes, given that you validate it upon the entry of every vehicle. Day passes and multi-day passes are available, but keep in mind that they expire at midnight (so if you buy a daypass today at 3PM, it’s not valid until tomorrow 3PM). You can buy tickets at Narvesen outlets or on the Mobily app.
- Taxi / Uber: Uber is not available in Latvia (2024), but Bolt is. Another option is Yandex.
- Intercity Buses: are very frequent in the bigger cities, but generally only go once or a few times a day in the countryside. Therefore, prior planning is key. Google Maps is in this case unreliable for bus times, as it’s not always up-to-date. Instead, use the local 1188 app or website or the (rather user-unfriendly) website Autoosta.lv.
- Train: Latvia’s train network connects Riga with certain parts of the country in a rather low-cost manner, but the lines and departure times are limited. The operating company is called PV, and you can check the routes and buy 10% discounted e-tickets on their website.
- Car Rental: is pretty cheap in Latvia. The best deals can generally be found when the car is picked up from the airport, from other locations it can be 3 or 4 times more expensive.
- Airport: Riga Airport (RIX). Bus #22 connects the airport with the centre. You can buy a multi-day ticket in the kiosk at the airport, or pay the bus driver with card for a single fare.
- Hitchhiking: is relatively safe in Latvia, but definitively not common. Not everyone is willing to invite a stranger into their car, so waiting times might be slightly longer compared to other countries. That said, I hitchhiked on plenty of occasions in Latvia and I always managed with relative ease (as a woman alone)… with the exception of some deserted roads in the south around Kraslava.
Next?
- In Latvia: Carnikava, Jurmala, Jelgava, Liepaja, Cesvaine, Gulbene.
- International Destinations Close By: Russia, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, Sweden.
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