Exploring Riga in Two Days

The Latvian capital of Riga was our introduction to the Baltic States. Riga has become a popular city break destination thanks to its charming Old Town and stunning architecture. In fact, it has the world’s largest collection of Art Nouveau buildings and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It’s little wonder that author Graham Greene dubbed it the “Paris of the North”. But I didn’t know “that” much about Riga, or Latvia in general. Yet after our first evening strolling around the city I was captivated.

We spent three nights/two full days in Riga. This was sufficient time to see the Old Town and the Art Nouveau District, take a food tour of the Central Market, and take in panoramic views from up above. Riga has a thriving culture and nightlife, and a buzzing creative scene. It has leafy parks and waterways winding through the centre. Riga is cosmopolitan and historical. And it’s positively brimming with things to do, see and eat. Let me share with you the best way to explore Riga in two days. Or in our case, two and a half days!

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Tell me more about Riga!

Riga lies on the shores of the Gulf of Riga, where the Baltic Sea meets the Daugava River. Latvia has a turbulent history, having being occupied by Germany, Poland, Sweden and Russia before finally gaining independence in 1991. We took this free walking tour on our first afternoon. It was the perfect way to learn more about the Soviet and Nazi occupation, and how Riga regained its Latvian identity. Riga has progressed significantly since Latvia gained independence, and was voted European Capital of Culture in 2014.

Did you know? In 1989, a momentous event unfolded that would leave its mark on history. Approximately 2 million people joined hands, creating an unbroken human chain that spanned over 600 kilometres and linked the capital cities of Vilnius in Lithuania, Tallinn in Estonia, and Riga in Latvia. This was named “The Baltic Way”. You can find out more about this event in the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia.

Arrival Day in Riga

Our flight lands mid-afternoon which gives us a bonus few hours in Riga. It’s easy to get to the Old Town from the airport on Bus No 22 and we managed to negotiate our way around the ticket machine in the arrivals hall. Our stop is 11.Novembra Krastmala (Grēcinieku iela) which is the first stop after the river. A quick check on Google Maps and we’re trotting past Rātslaukums (Town Hall Square) and peeling off down Mazā Jauniela. I recognise the scene in front of me well; after all, I’ve seen many Instagrammers standing in this very spot. Turns out it’s right next to our hotel.

We check into our hotel in Riga’s Old Town, stopping for a quick freshen up after our travels. I’m already making plans to spend time in that bath. We have some time before our evening walking tour so we head out to do a little exploring of our own. I have Riga’s “most romantic cafe” in mind.

Parunasim Kafe’teeka‘s specialty is homemade cakes so we order a coffee and a large slice of coconut and white chocolate cake to share. We sit outside under the twinkling courtyard lights but there are plenty of candlelit cosy corners inside to hide away. In case we forget, there are plenty of signs reminding us that they are “the most romantic cafe in Old Town Riga”

A Guruwalk free walking tour

We nip back to the hotel to pop on another layer of clothing in advance of our walking tour. October evenings are chilly, even when the sun shines during the day! We’re meeting our tour group at 6pm at the famous Cat House. Our tour guide Rita (yes, Rita from Riga!) gives our small group a perfect introduction to the city. There’s a lot of info covered, from the tumultuous historical backdrop of occupation to what it’s like living in an independent Latvia.

We used Guruwalk to find the perfect free walking tour for our Riga visit. I picked this particular one with Free Tours Riga as they run a late afternoon tour which was perfect to fill our first evening. There are plenty of other options available too:

As always with “free” walking tours, make sure you tip generously at the end! A good guide will gently encourage you to donate what you feel the tour may be worth, without putting on any pressure. “Free” tour guides are often freelance and tips could be their sole income – which means they often work harder to give you the best experience possible!

A traditional Latvian eating experience

Post walking tour, a rumble in the tummy reminds me that we haven’t eaten since sharing that slab of cake at Parunāsim Kafe’teeka earlier. It’s almost 9pm so we want something relatively quick and easy. Which is how we find ourselves at Lido Alus Seta. This traditional Latvian canteen is self-service in terms of drinks and cold food, with a stern-looking dinner lady type to serve hot grub. We point at various food and hope for the best.

My pork skewers come with potato which is just on the right side of puree, and a mountain of sauerkraut which suggests they have a large vat of the stuff out back that they’re trying to get rid of before closing time. Mr Fletche has chicken with a decidedly strange texture (which we find out on our food tour the next day is actually quite typical as the meat is smoked). The highlight though is the local dark beer, which Mr Fletche pours with aplomb. He’s learned a lot since the infamous foaming self-pour beer in Mexico.

Sunday nights in Riga’s old town are quite sleepy, and many of the bars are shutting up shop. We just manage to get into craft beer bar Kakis Maisa before they close their doors for the night. Unsurprisingly we are the only customers in there. We have a quick pint from local brewers Teika before heading back to our hotel for the night. It’s day one and we’ve already got 17,000 steps under our belt.

Day 1 in Riga

After breakfast we spend our first morning strolling around Riga’s beautiful Old Town. We pose for photos at Rātslaukums with the Riga sign, climb St Peter’s Tower for panoramic views over the city and pat the Town Musicians of Bremen statue outside for luck. In fact there’s so much to mention about the Old Town that I popped it in its own blog post!

Time for lunch at Riga Central Market

We have a lunchtime date with Guna, our guide for a food tour of Riga Central Market. We make our way over to the market, just on the fringes of the Old Town. Mr Fletche has the confirmation email for this:

Me: “Where’s the meeting point?”

Mr Fletche: “Must be around here somewhere”

Me: “Have you checked the confirmation email?”

Mr Fletche: “No, hang on”

Turns out our meeting point is not at the Central Market. In fact, it is just around the corner from our hotel. A 10 minute walk back the way we just came. Only to meet up with Guna and our fellow food tour peeps and retrace our steps once more. I’m definitely ready for some lunch now.

If you’re interested in taking a Riga Central Market Food Tour, visiting the market, or our experiences with Latvian cuisine, I wrote a separate blog post all about it here!

Tummies full, and after sinking a drink at Labietis we leave the Central Market behind. After all the frivolity of the food tour, it’s time to gorge ourselves on something a little more sobering.

A peek into Latvian history

The Museum of Riga Ghetto and Holocaust is a 10 minute walk from the market. It tells the story of Jewish people in Latvia during World War II and is located close to the site of the former Jewish ghetto. It’s largely an exhibition space, with a replica of a typical ghetto house and a train carriage used to transport Jews to concentration camps such as Kaiserwald. One of the most thought-provoking rooms was made up of hanging paper lanterns, emblazoned with letters and documents pertaining to the Jewish community. The museum is free to enter but donations are appreciated.

Hearts a little heavy, we stroll back over to the Old Town. Our spirits are lifted somewhat by a quick drink at Clayton McNamaras Drinking Emporium. It’s a perfect drinking spot for geeks and nerds (like us) with video games and superheroes and film posters (oh my).

Eating & drinking around Riga

We head back to the hotel for a bit of relaxation time. A quick change of clothes and the first stop of the evening is Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs. This was somewhere that had been recommended time and time again by travel bloggers, and I didn’t want to miss out on all the fun.

Narrow brick corridors eventually opened out into a maze of seating areas. I was starting to regret my decision not to book when a high table for two opened up right beside the bar. Perfect timing! Sadly there’s no entertainment on this evening – the bar is well known for its raucous Latvian folk evenings. The menu is very tempting but Mr Fletche insists he’s still full after our food tour. So we order a beer platter with traditional dark rye garlic bread, local cheese and smoked meats, vegetables and pickles. A side order of fried potatoes makes it the equivalent of a full meal.

After all that food we take a stroll through the town, in search of our next drink. We had a taster of Riga’s local liqueur on our food tour but we’re keen to try a little more of this divisive drink. By day, Black Magic is a café specialising in coffee, cake and chocolates. By night, it’s the perfect place to experience Black Balsam in a cocktail.

We peruse the cocktail menu and take a seat at the rear of the bar. I have a “Balsam Spritz” whilst Mr Fletche opts for the “Black Island Long Tea” – twists on the original classic recipes. The area is lit solely by candles. It’s all very romantic. Until a small child keeps running round blowing out the candles like it’s his own private birthday party. Followed by a very apologetic mother. I can confirm that the addition of other alcohol and mixers definitely improves the taste of Black Balsam.

Our final stop is Piana Vyshnia. It’s heaving with people every time we pass, yet is only sells one kind of drink – a Ukrainian sour cherry liqueur. It’s very similar to the ginjinha of Lisbon. There’s a very precise way of serving it; the barman fills a fancy crystal glass to the brim and then gets us to slurp some of the liquid out so that cherries can be added in. If this is just for tourists, I love it. (We later try the Piana Vyshnia bar in Gdansk. They simply pour the drink in a paper cup. No ceremony. The Riga bar was much better 😉)

Day 2 in Riga

After the heady mix of beer, Black Balsam and cherry liqueur there’s a slight brain fog as we head down to breakfast. But there’s no time to waste on a hangover. It’s our final full day in Riga. Today we’re leaving the Old Town behind to visit some of Riga’s famous Art Nouveau buildings. During our walking tour Rita had introduced us to some of the architectural features to look out for, including keyhole shaped windows and horizontal lines which draw the eyes upwards.

A third of all buildings in Riga have been constructed in this style, but the highest concentration are in a neighbourhood just north of the Old Town. We stroll through Bastejkalna & Kronvelda Parks, alongside the canal, soaking up the autumn colours and October sunshine. Riga is putting on a spectacular display.

Riga’s Art Nouveau District

As is typical for us, we don’t take the straighforward route when we leave the park. Which means we take a slightly circuitous route before we find the streets that we are actually searching for at the heart of the Art Nouveau District: Alberta iela, Elizabetes iela and Strēlnieku iela. A little gift shop called “Art Nouveau Rīga” suggests we’ve finally found what we were looking for.

Alberta Street is the jewel in the crown of the neighbourhood, with magnificent buildings lining this charming thoroughfare. It’s a residential area, and sadly with that comes a plethora of cars; it slightly mars the effects of this grand architecture.

We decided to stroll around the neighbourhood at our leisure, but there are plenty of guided tours if you’d like to find out more. This 2 hour Art Nouveau walking tour delves into the history of the landmark buildings and the architects who designed them. Or you could take this free walking tour with Free Tours Riga.

A break for coffee and cake

More than a cafe, Art Cafe Sienna feels like an art gallery in someone’s lounge. It’s stuffed with chintz and table lamps and design books. Mr Fletche and I share a beautiful lemon and blackberry tart, sitting at a window-seat watching students from the Riga Graduate School of Law on a seemingly never-ending smoking/vaping break. We’re even in charge for a short time whilst the owner nips out to run a quick errand. If you visit, make sure you check out the art in the toilet too 😉

We stroll back to the old town, along the linden tree-lined boulevard. On the way, we pass the spectacular Riga Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral and the Freedom Monument. The monument represents the city’s independence. Locals continued to lay garlands here through Soviet occupation – even when they were banned from doing just that.

Latvian Culture: Libraries & Museums

In a not-very-well-thought-out trip, we walk into the Old Town and out the other side, crossing the River Daugava at Akmens Tilts to visit the striking National Library of Latvia. Nicknamed “The Castle of Light” and resembling a ski slope, it’s a striking piece of modern architecture, very different from anything else we have seen in Riga. Founded in 1919. it is home to over 4 million books. We primarily came to the library though for the viewing deck. Which was closed. Make sure you check opening times before you visit.

Not fancying hanging round for two hours until the observation deck opens we retrace our steps. We grab a casual lunch in a Latvian/Irish style pub which I never noted the name of. The only time we get hassled on the whole trip is by an aggressive beggar outside this pub who pulls the same story two days on the trot about needing money to go and see his sick mother. When we politely refuse he spews out a torrent of abuse – apparently he knows quite a few English swear words.

Our next step is the excellent Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. Entrance tickets are €8 and it is well worth the cost. It covers the history of Latvia’s occupation between 1940 and 1991, by Nazi and Soviet regimes. It’s an extensive and well thought-out museum which will take a good 60-90 minutes to make your way around. Museums are also perfect rainy day activities if you’re not as lucky with the weather as we were!

Final night cocktails and beers

For our final evening, we’re on another mission to drink our way around Riga. Not too much though, as we have a 10am bus to Tallinn to catch tomorrow. We retrace our steps beyond the Freedom Monument once more. This time we headed to the Skyline Bar on the 26th floor of the Radisson Blu hotel. I always feel a bit anxious about entering hotels to use their bar when I’m not staying there but this one welcomes non-residents. The separate Skyline Bar lift is well signposted.

Initially we don’t get a window table; after all it’s a popular spot for sunset cocktails and all free tables have reserved signs on them. But when a family leaves our server kindly offers us the opportunity to move to a table with a view. Naturally cocktails with a view – at the Radisson Blu no less – come at a premium price, but I always budget for at least one over-priced cocktail experience per trip 😉 We watch as the twinkling lights come on over Riga.

We soak up the Old Town atmosphere for the final time. We’re still discovering new places to eat and drink, including a “secret” bar which is sadly not open until the day we leave. Ms & Mr Beer had been closing up the night before when we’d walked past but we finally got to grab a drink in this “man-cave” of a bar. And then we headed for the surprisingly busy Two More Beers for, well, two more beers. And a selection of what I now call “beer tapas” – olives, onion rings, pork belly scratchings and chicken wings, accompanied once more by that delicious dark rye bread.

Reflections on Riga

I fell in love with Riga, yet felt that we had seen all of its highlights in two days. However I could have easily spent another day or two stumbling around the city’s cafes and bars, taking a boat ride on the canal or even daytrips to Lithuania’s famous Hill of Crosses or the seaside resort town of Jūrmala.

Riga is an affordable city, although not as cheap as you may think. We never found the city to be crowded at all. In fact, it was a refreshing break from the hustle and bustle of other capitals. In October we experienced beautiful autumn colours and temperatures which were “just” on the comfortable side of cold. I would definitely recommend Riga for a city break. And it’s even better if you can combine your trip with cities in neighbouring Estonia or Lithuania!

Getting from Riga Airport to the Old Town

Riga International Airport is about 10km from the city centre. Getting from the airport to the city by bus was simple. We purchased single (90 minute) tickets from a machine in the arrivals hall (€1,50, payable by credit card or cash) and found the bus stop for the #22 outside the terminal to the right. The bus stop is called “Lekãpšana Embark”. It’s not a dedicated airport bus so be aware there’s limited luggage space – something to be aware of if you’re not travelling light. You’ll want the bus heading towards Abrenes iela.

Bus #22 runs every 10-20 minutes throughout the day; check up-to-date schedules on the Rigas Satiksme website. If you purchase a ticket from the machine, make sure you validate it by tapping it against the reader when you board.

It’s also possible to purchase bus tickets from the machine onboard (contactless only). Onboard tickets currently cost €1,81.

The best stop for Riga Old Town is 11.Novembra Krastmala (also known as Grēcinieku iela). It’s the first stop after the river. Bus #22 travels on to the Central Bus Station (Rīgas Autoosta) and the Central Market (Centrāltirgus). The journey takes about 30 minutes. Look out for the stunning red Holy Trinity church on your right as you come through the Āgenskalns neighbourhood, it’s blue domes peeping from between the trees.

if you prefer to arrive in a little more comfort, Bolt pick up from opposite the No 22 bus stop. This will be significantly cheaper than getting a regular taxi. Plus it’s always handy to see the price upfront.

Getting around Riga

We found Riga to be a compact city and easy to walk around. In fact, in 2024 Riga was voted the second “most walkable city in the world” (after Florence) – partly owing to the fact that the Old Town is largely car-free. From our hotel, none of the top sights were any further than a 25 minute walk. So saying, we still managed to walk 17 miles in two and a half days.

Where we stayed

We chose to stay in the heart of the Old Town at Neiburgs Hotel. It’s a stylish Art Nouveau hotel, used as a communal dwelling for 22 families during the Soviet Occupation of Latvia after WWII. It’s in a great location, close to both Rātslaukums (Town Hall Square) and Doma laukums (Dome Square) yet still peaceful at night.

Our apartment was spacious and beautifully designed with a Scandi boutique vibe. There was even a free-standing bathtub deep enough to snorkel in – great for relaxing after pounding the cobbles of the city. An excellent breakfast buffet set us up for each day. We paid £294 for three nights, which felt like a bargain for the standard of the hotel in such a perfect location. If you’re getting bus #22 from the airport, it’s a 7 minute walk from the bus stop at Grēcinieku iela.

We found the Old Town to be the perfect place to stay for a first time visitor. There’s an abundance of cool restaurants, fun bars and quirky cafés on your doorstep, and is the hub for the most popular sights and attractions.

Check out the best Riga hotel deals here!

I try my hardest to keep the information in this travel guide up to date; however if you notice anything has changed please let me know! Happy travels, Emmalene