Riga travel guide
Riga is easier than most capitals: the church towers of the Old Town, the market halls and the Art Nouveau streets all sit within one walk. This guide sorts them into two to four days and tells you what to do when it rains.
Riga in short
The centre is small enough to cover on foot. From Central Station the House of the Blackheads is about ten minutes away, the Central Market is a few minutes from the Old Town, and the Art Nouveau streets begin ten to fifteen minutes beyond it.
Trams, trolleybuses and buses fill the gaps and run every day from 5.30 am to 11.30 pm. The sea is a half-hour train ride away, and that changes how a stay here can look: three days in town plus a beach afternoon in Jūrmala works better than five days of churches.
How long to stay
- Two days: the Old Town on day one, the Art Nouveau streets and the market on day two.
- Three days: the same, plus the history museum in the castle and a day at the sea.
- Four days: Sigulda or Cēsis gets a day of its own, because the train ride alone takes well over an hour each way.
Three days in Riga
Day 1: Old Town on foot
Start on Town Hall Square when the House of the Blackheads opens at 10 am, then walk to St Peter's Church and the Cathedral on Dome Square. Keep the tower of St Peter's for a Friday or Saturday, when it stays open until 10 pm, and take the view at dusk instead of at noon.
Day 2: Art Nouveau and the market
Cross to Alberta Street and spend the morning looking up at the facades, then go inside the Art Nouveau Museum at Alberta iela 12 to see how people lived behind them. Finish at the Central Market, where you can eat your way through the five pavilions before they close at 6 pm.
Day 3: the Gulf of Riga
Take the suburban train to Jūrmala and get off at Majori or Dzintari. If the weather turns, switch to the castle museum in Riga and keep the beach for another trip.
When it rains
Rain falls on seven to twelve days a month, and most of the sights above are fine under an umbrella. Keep these for the wet hours.
- Morning: the Art Nouveau Museum, open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am, is the indoor answer to the street facades.
- Afternoon: the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia is open daily until 6 pm; its KGB Building branch at Brīvības iela 61 has its own hours, 10.30 am to 5.30 pm.
- Evening: on Fridays the castle museum stays open until 8 pm, two hours longer than on most weekdays.
- Any time: the Central Market pavilions are roofed, though they close on the first Monday of every month.
Where to stay
- Old Town
- The Blackheads, St Peter's and the Cathedral are outside the door. Menus here tend to cost more than in the streets around, so book the bed here and look for dinner a few blocks away.
- Quiet Centre
- The Art Nouveau district around Alberta Street is a 10 to 15 minute walk from the Old Town, with buses and trams stopping nearby.
- Station and Central Market
- Train station, bus station and market sit close together, so this is the practical choice if you leave early for Sigulda or Cēsis.