Latvia · City break

Riga City Guide

A medieval Hanseatic old town and the world capital of Art Nouveau rolled into one. Playful façades, a huge market housed in old zeppelin hangars and the broad Daugava rolling past. One ready-made day route from the Central Market does the planning for you, from the compact centre up to the Art Nouveau quarter.

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Our walking tours of Riga

Ready-made routes from the station guide you through Riga, to the right spots from the very first step, with no planning needed.

Old Town & Art Nouveau

From the huge Central Market in its zeppelin hangars into the medieval heart, to the ornate House of the Blackheads, up St. Peter's tower for the best view, to the Baltics' largest cathedral, the Three Brothers and the Swedish Gate. On to the Cat House and the Freedom Monument, then up into the Art Nouveau showpiece street Alberta iela and the Latvian National Museum of Art.

Central Market (Centrāltirgus). The walk begins at the Central Market, one of Europe's largest, housed in five vast halls originally built as zeppelin hangars. Among stalls of smoked fish, berries, cheese and flowers beats the city's lively heart. A good, sensory start.
House of the Blackheads. On the Town Hall Square stands the House of the Blackheads, a magnificent guild house with a richly decorated, playful red-and-gold façade. Destroyed in the Second World War, it was faithfully rebuilt and is now the old town's postcard shot. Especially photogenic head-on from the square.
St. Peter's Church (Tower). The Gothic St. Peter's Church towers over the old town with its 120-metre spire. A lift takes you comfortably to the viewing gallery at 72 metres. From the top the whole sea of red roofs, the Daugava and the modern city beyond lie at your feet. Riga's best all-round view.
Riga Cathedral (Doms). Riga Cathedral, founded in 1211, is the Baltics' largest medieval church. A massive brick structure with a quiet cloister. It is famous for its huge organ of over 6,700 pipes, once the world's largest; regular organ concerts fill the nave with sound.
The Three Brothers. The "Three Brothers" are three adjoining dwelling houses from three eras. The oldest dates to the 15th century and is considered Riga's oldest house. Their three different gables side by side tell the city's building history in a single frame.
Swedish Gate. The Swedish Gate of 1698 is the only surviving city gate of Riga's old wall, a plain passage through a residential building. Its name recalls Swedish rule; legends surround it, and the cobbled lanes around are among the old town's most atmospheric.
Cat House & Līvu Square. The Cat House, a yellow Art Nouveau building, carries two black cats with raised tails on its turrets. Legend says the aggrieved owner once had them turned rear-end towards the neighbouring guild. A charming detail and a favourite photo motif against the sky. The square in front, Līvu laukums, is a lively spot with guild houses and cafés.
Freedom Monument. The Freedom Monument of 1935 is the heart of Latvian national pride. Atop a 19-metre travertine column, the female figure "Milda" raises three golden stars for Latvia's historic regions; with base and figure the monument reaches 42 metres. Even in Soviet times it remained a symbol of independence; a small guard change takes place on the hour. Right behind the monument begins Bastejkalns park, a green ribbon with the city canal and little bridges. Perfect for a short breather between the old and new town.
Alberta iela (Art Nouveau). Riga is regarded as the world capital of Art Nouveau, and Alberta iela is its showpiece street. Façade upon façade piles up masks, lion heads, sweeping ornaments and figures, many by architect Mikhail Eisenstein. A stroll with your gaze constantly upward; in one house a museum shows a faithfully furnished Art Nouveau apartment.
Latvian National Museum of Art. To finish, the Latvian National Museum of Art in a grand historicist building at the edge of the Esplanāde park, with five floors of the most important collection of Latvian art from the 18th century to today, plus Russian and Baltic works. A fitting finale, and the tram takes you from here back to the centre.

Planning your visit

One day is enough, two if you take the art nouveau seriously. The route from the central market runs 3.5 kilometres and leads from the House of the Blackheads past St Peter's and the cathedral to the Three Brothers and the Freedom Monument. At the end waits Alberta iela, where figures and masks crowd façade after façade. The market itself sits in old zeppelin hangars and is one of the largest in Europe. Seven evening tips are ready, and the beach at Jūrmala is half an hour away by train.

Going out & nightlife

Rooftop bars

Skyline Bar (Radisson Blu Latvija). Bar on the 26th floor of the Hotel Latvija with all-round glazed views over the old town, the Daugava and the sea of Art Nouveau roofs. The city's highest drink.

Nightlife quarters

Līvu laukums (Altstadt). Lined with colourful houses in the heart of the old town, this square is full of terraces, bars and restaurants. Riga's liveliest going-out spot, packed into the night in summer.
Miera iela. The "Street of Peace" north of the centre is Riga's bohemian quarter, with little cafés, a chocolate workshop, vintage shops and laid-back bars. Hip and unhurried.

Food & restaurants

Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs. A rustic folk pub in a large old-town cellar, with dozens of Latvian craft beers, hearty country food and regular live folk music. Loud, cosy and gloriously Latvian.
Lido Alus Sēta. A sprawling beer hall in an old-town courtyard from the popular Lido chain, with Latvian home cooking from the buffet. Piragi, grey peas with bacon, hearty roasts. Cheap and unfussy.

Bars & clubs

Altstadt-Clubs (Kaļķu & Līvu). Late on, nightlife concentrates in the old-town clubs and bars around Kaļķu iela and Līvu laukums. Compact, easy to reach and lively until morning.

Stage & concerts

Lettische Nationaloper. The neoclassical opera house at the edge of the old town, ringed by the green city canal, stages opera and ballet at a high level. One of the Baltics' finest venues.

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Practical information for Riga

Public transport

Operator. Rīgas Satiksme (RP SIA, a municipal company) is the sole operator of trams, trolleybuses and buses in Riga, including airport line 22. A single fare system applies across all vehicle types, there are no competing private local transport providers within the city. Regional trains and long-distance buses are run by other companies.

Network. Trams, trolleybuses and buses. Tickets are cheaper from machines than from the driver.

Modes of transport. Tram · Trolleybus · Bus

Operating hours. Exact operating hours vary by line, there's no official network-wide figure. As an example, airport bus 22 runs on weekdays from 4:45am to around 12:10am, every 10 to 15 minutes during the day and every 20 to 25 minutes in the early morning and late evening. Weekends follow a slightly reduced schedule. On Friday and Saturday nights, as well as on public holidays, night buses take over from midnight and run until 5am. Real-time departure times for every individual line are available on saraksti.lv.

Night service. Lines N1, N4, N6, N7 and N10 run as loop routes departing the centre at 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4am, while lines N2 and N3 run in both directions, departing the centre at 0, 1.20 am, 2.40 am and 4am and departing the suburbs at 12.40 am, 2 and 3.20am. According to the official information, this summer timetable runs from 9 May to 27 September, though no year is given on the source page. Unlike the other night lines, line N22 to the airport runs every day of the year. All regular tickets are valid at night too, including time-based, day, multi-day and monthly passes as well as all discounts.

Buying tickets. Tickets are bought in advance as an E-Talon at kiosks (Narvesen), supermarkets (Rimi, Maxima), ticket machines or customer centres, or alternatively as a code ticket through the 'Rīgas satiksme' or 'Mobilly' apps. At the airport there's a machine right at the bus stop, plus Narvesen outlets at exit E of the arrivals hall and in the check-in hall. On trams, trolleybuses and regular buses, buying from the driver isn't possible, neither with cash nor by card. The only exception is bus 22 to the airport, where the driver sells single tickets, by bank card only.

App and payment. For code tickets, both the official 'Rīgas satiksme' app and the 'Mobilly' app are available, for Google Play, the Apple App Store and Huawei AppGallery. After topping up the account by bank card, Google Pay or Apple Pay, a QR code is scanned on boarding, or the displayed vehicle number is entered. A code ticket must be used within three months of purchase, an E-Talon ticket within twelve months. Rīgas Satiksme doesn't offer direct contactless payment with your own bank card at an on-board card reader, which sets Riga apart from cities with an open payment system.

Which ticket. The 90-minute ticket, valid for any combination of tram, trolleybus and bus, costs €1.50 am as a single ticket, €3 for a pack of two and €15 for a pack of ten, with no per-trip discount in any case. The day pass costs €5, the 3-day pass €8 and the 5-day pass €10, each valid for every vehicle type. A monthly pass covering all lines costs €30, equal to six day passes. Mathematically, the day pass pays off from the fourth single trip on the same day, since four single tickets at €6 would cost more than the €5 day pass. Only on bus 22 to the airport does a separate fare apply, €1.81, bought exclusively from the driver by bank card, though regular tickets bought in advance, as well as discounts, are also valid on this line.

Fare zones. Riga has no fare zones, one ticket is valid citywide for tram, trolleybus and bus alike. The only exception is bus 22 to the airport, with its own €1.81 fare bought from the driver, though regular tickets bought in advance and discounts are honoured there too.

Tip. The central market in the old airship hangars lies on the way from the station to the old town.

Getting there

Main station

Location. Centrally located, right beside the central market.

Long-distance trains. Five Latvian regional lines run from the main station, operated by the railway company Vivi, formerly Pasažieru vilciens, towards Tukums and Jūrmala, towards Skulte via Carnikava and Saulkrasti, towards Sigulda and Valga, towards Jelgava and Liepāja, and towards Aizkraukle, Daugavpils, Rēzekne and Zilupe. Since 12 January 2026, a direct daily train with no changes has also run all the way to Tartu, taking 3 hours 41 minutes, and onward to Tallinn, taking 5 hours 56 minutes, using a two-car Stadler Flirt diesel train. A ticket from Riga to Tartu costs €19 online or €22 on board, Riga to Tallinn €29 online or €32 on board, as of January 2026. There are currently no through train connections to Russia or Lithuania, international trips there run via long-distance buses from the Autoosta bus station.

Opening hours. The only international train to Tartu and Tallinn leaves Riga once daily at 7:38am. There's no single operating schedule for the five regional directions, as they vary by route.

Airports

RIX

Into the city. Bus 22 takes around 30 minutes into the centre, the line ends at, among other places, Centrālā stacija and the Central Market, departing from car park P1 between terminal exits E and C.

Frequency. Weekdays 4:45am to around 12:10am, every 10 to 15 minutes during the day, every 20 to 25 minutes in the early morning and late evening, somewhat reduced on weekends.

Local quirks

Art Nouveau block by block. Around a third of the city centre was built in Art Nouveau style. Alberta iela is the densest street.
No cash and no card payment on board. On trams, trolleybuses and regular buses, neither cash nor card payment is possible with the driver, tickets have to be bought in advance as an E-Talon, a machine ticket or a code ticket in an app. The only exception is bus 22 to the airport, where the driver sells single tickets, but only by bank card.
New direct train link to Estonia. Since 12 January 2026, a direct train has run once daily from the main station via Valmiera to Tartu and onward to Tallinn, with no changes. Departure in Riga is at 7:38am, the trip to Tartu takes 3 hours 41 minutes, to Tallinn 5 hours 56 minutes.

Good to know

Currency: EUR €
Emergency number: 112
Plug type: C · F
Time zone: Europe/Riga
Driving: right

Speed limits. built-up areas 50 km/h, outside towns 90 km/h, motorway 120 km/h, 110 km/h from December 1 to March 1

True motorways marked with sign 552 exist only on short stretches around Riga. The rest of the long-distance road network, including the Via Baltica, is a normal rural road with a 90 km/h limit. During the winter half of the year, the motorway limit drops to 110 km/h for cars and 100 km/h for trucks and buses.

Tipping. Ten percent in restaurants.

Tolls. No tolls and no vignette for cars.