We spent a couple of days in the Latvian capital of Riga at the start of our Baltic road trip. The cobbled streets of the old town are packed with interesting architecture and oozing with history. Take a wander through the old town on foot, cruise along the Daugava River, shop for picnic supplies in the Central Market. And when you’ve had enough of city life, the Baltic Coast is just a few miles away.
How to get to Riga
We flew to Riga International Airport from London Gatwick. Unlike in many cities, the airport is conveniently located just 7 miles west of the Old Town. We picked up a hire car at the airport. Alternatively, the No 22 bus runs up to 6 times per hour and takes around 30 minutes. Tickets cost €1.50 (when bought in advance) or €1.81 (when bought from the driver). You can also reach Riga by bus, train or ferry from destinations across Europe and beyond.
Getting around Riga
The old town is cobbled and compact and best visited on foot. If you run out of energy or are travelling further afield, Riga has an extensive network of buses and trams.
Where to stay in Riga
We stayed at the Bellevue Park Hotel; a pleasant hotel situated on the edge of Usvaras Park, just across the river from the Old Town. The price includes free parking and a very substantial breakfast buffet. There is a tram stop just outside the hotel to get you into town, although we opted for the lovely scenic walk through the park and across the bridge.
Riga in 2 Days Itinerary
| Flight to Riga Accommodation – Bellevue Park Hotel | |
| Day 1 | National Library of Latvia Museum of the Occupation of Latvia Blackheads House Riga Cathedral Three Brothers Riga Castle Powder Tower Alberta Iela Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral Freedom Monument Laima Clock St Peter’s Church Holy Trinity Church Picnic in Uzvaras Park |
| Day 2 | Daugava River Cruise TV Tower Riga Central Market Baltic Picnic |
Flight to Riga
The evening flight from London Gatwick to Riga is very empty and we end up stretching out on a full row of seats to ourselves. We land, pick up our hire car and drive the 5 miles from the airport to our hotel just across the river from Old Riga, for the first leg of our Baltic adventure.
Accommodation – Bellevue Park Hotel
We check into our hotel, Bellevue Park Hotel, which is very pleasant. As it’s late and we’ve been travelling all day, we head straight to the bar for our first Latvian beer.
Riga Day 1
National Library of Latvia
After a substantial breakfast, which included Bucks Fizz, we set off, in an almost straight line for old Riga. On the way, we pass the rather unique National Library. The library, which opened in 2014, is 68 metres high and has thirteen floors. The architect drew his inspiration from the Castle of Light and Glass Mountain from Latvian mythology.
The library opens (or partially opens) daily except Sunday. Exact times can be found here.
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia details Latvia’s Nazi and Soviet occupations between 1940 and 1991. The museum was closed when we visited, but has now reopened following a major renovation.
The museum is open daily from 10 am until 6 pm. Regular entry costs €8.
Blackheads House
The 14th Century Blackheads House was originally built for the Blackheads Guild of German Merchants. It has subsequently been rebuilt several times. Most recently, it was destroyed during WW2, but rebuilt according to the original plans in 2001 to celebrate the city’s 800th birthday. Inside, you can visit an exposition which recounts the building’s history.
Th exposition is open daily from 10 am until 5 pm. Entry costs €7. (Alternatively, you can pay €9 for entry plus coffee or €10 for entry plus sparkling wine or blackcurrant balsam).
Riga Cathedral
The enormous 13th Century Riga Cathedral is the largest medieval church in the Baltics. As well as religious services, the cathedral also holds regular classical music concerts.
The cathedral is open daily from 10 am (2pm on Sundays) until 5 pm. Adult entry costs €5.
Three Brothers
The Three Brothers is the name given to these three historical houses in Old Riga. Number 17 (on the right) was built in the 15th Century, making it the oldest dwelling in Riga. Numbers 19 and 21 date from the 17th Century.
Riga Castle
Riga Castle, standing proudly on the banks of the River Daugava, was originally built in the 14th Century as the headquarters of the Grand Master of the Livonian Order. It is now the official residence of the Latvian President.
Powder Tower
The 14th Century Powder Tower was once one of 18 towers built along the City Wall. It is now home to the Latvian War Museum.
We didn’t visit the museum, but if you wish to do so, it is open from Tuesday to Sunday between 10 am and 6 pm and is free to visit.
Alberta Iela
Riga is famous for its Art Nouveau area, focused on the stunning Alberta Iela. Many of the houses in the street were designed by Mikhail Eisenstein upon the occasion of the city’s 700th anniversary. The scale and grandeur of this row of ornate buildings make them spectacular to look at, but hard to photograph.
Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral
The Byzantine-style Orthodox Cathedral looks like it fell off a wedding cake onto the pavements of Riga.
The cathedral is open daily from 7 am until 7 pm.
Freedom Monument
The Freedom Monument was erected in 1935 to honour soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence. The 42 metre high granite monument is topped with a copper statue of a woman nicknamed Milda.
Two soldiers stand guard in front of the monument during the day. There is a Changing of the Guard Ceremony on the hour from 9 am until 6 pm.
Laima Clock
The quirky Laima Clock was erected in 1924. It served the dual purpose of advertising chocolate and reminding people not to be late for work.
Saint Peter’s Church
Hard to photograph, with its 72 metre high steeple towering above the narrow, cobbled streets, is Saint Peter’s Church. The 800 year old Gothic church is one of the oldest buildings in the Baltics. You can take a lift to a viewing platform in the tower.
The church is usually open daily from 10 am to 6 pm, although it is possible to go up the tower later at weekends. Adult entry to the church and tower costs €9 . You can visit just the church for €3.
Holy Trinity Church
One last stop on the way back to our hotel to admire my favourite of Riga’s plethora of churches; Holy Trinity Orthodox Church with its stunning blue and gold cupolas which glisten in the afternoon sun.
Picnic in Uzvaras Park
As it’s a lovely evening, we decide to have a picnic in the sprawling Uzvaras Park. Dinner consists of sandwiches and cake, sitting on a bench. It’s all glamour, this travelling malarkey!
Riga Day 2
Daugava River Cruise
We start the day off with a River Cruise. There are a number of companies along the River Daugava which offer river sightseeing trips, usually as far as the TV Tower. Boat trips take approximately one hour and cost around €12-15.
TV Tower
Situated on Zaķusala (Hare Island) in the middle of the river, the TV Tower stands 368 metres tall, making it the tallest tower in the European Union.
It is not currently possible to visit the TV Tower due to redevelopment.
Riga Central Market
I could have spent hours wandering around Riga Central Market, admiring all the goodies on sale. The bulk of the huge market is housed in a series of old WWI Zeppelin hangars. We purchase the makings of a picnic and head back to the hotel to pick up the car.
The market is open daily from 7 am until 6 pm (5 pm on Sundays).
Baltic Picnic
Just a 9 mile drive north of the city are the public beaches of Ritabullu and Vakarbullu. If yo don’t have a car, you can catch the No 30 bus to either beach. So, we round our visit to Riga off with a picnic on the beach, watching the sun set over the Baltic.
- Trip taken: September 2016
- Updated: July 2025
I hope you found the above information useful. For guides to more destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full list of Independent Travel Itineraries here.
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