For couples · Riga · Latvia
Romantic things to do in Riga
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Riga suits couples on a budget: candlelit Old Town restaurants, organ concerts, river views and Art Nouveau streets at golden hour cost less here than in most European capitals. Couples tend to stay in Old Riga.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 1
- Area for couples
- Old Riga
- Best months
- May and September
Romantic ideas
1.Organ concert in the Dome
Sit under the vaults of Riga Cathedral as the 1884 Walcker organ fills the nave.
2.Sunset from Ķīpsala
Cross the Vanšu Bridge and watch the sun light up the spires of Old Riga from the island's riverside.
3.Canal cruise
Glide along the tree-lined city canal and out onto the Daugava on a small boat in summer.
4.Opera night
The Latvian National Opera, beside the canal, stages opera and ballet in a gilded 19th-century hall at moderate prices.
5.Evening at Jūrmala
Take the train to Majori for dinner and a walk along the beach as the sun sets over the Gulf of Riga.
Sights couples love
Park · City Centre
City canal and Bastejkalns park
Take a one-hour canal cruise in summer for a different angle on the Old Town and the Daugava.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Kids
Where couples should stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, couples, culture and nightlife
Old Riga
Vecrīga is the walled medieval city, now without most of its walls but keeping its street plan, the Dome, St Peter's and St Jacob's churches, merchants' houses and the rebuilt House of the Blackheads on Town Hall Square. Staying here puts every historic sight within ten minutes on foot, but expect crowds on summer days and noise from bars on weekend nights.
- Good
- Historic sights on the doorstep; Atmospheric evenings; Walkable to the Central Market and station
- Watch out
- Restaurants on the main squares are pricier; Weekend noise and stag groups; Cobbles are hard work with luggage
- Nearby
- House of the Blackheads, Riga Cathedral, St Peter's Church, Three Brothers
Romantic day trips
- Jūrmala (About 30 minutes by train) — A string of resort towns along a long, white-sand beach backed by pine forest, with hundreds of carved wooden villas.
- Sigulda and the Gauja valley (About 1 hour 15 minutes by train) — Sigulda sits above the forested Gauja river valley in Gauja National Park.
- Rundāle Palace (About 1 hour 15 minutes by car) — Bartolomeo Rastrelli, architect of St Petersburg's Winter Palace, designed this baroque and rococo palace for the Duke of Courland in the 1730s.
- Kuldīga (About 2 hours by car) — A small town of wooden and timber-framed houses on the Venta river, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Grey peas with bacon and Cold beet soup. Book ahead for popular restaurants on Friday and Saturday nights.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Riga romantic?
Riga suits couples on a budget: candlelit Old Town restaurants, organ concerts, river views and Art Nouveau streets at golden hour cost less here than in most European capitals.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Riga?
Organ concert in the Dome: Sit under the vaults of Riga Cathedral as the 1884 Walcker organ fills the nave.
+Where should couples stay in Riga?
Old Riga: Medieval lanes, church spires and guild houses on the right bank of the Daugava.