Things to do · Riga · Latvia
19 best things to do in Riga
19 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Riga are Old Riga walk, House of the Blackheads and St Peter's Church. Of the 19 picks below, 10 are free, 6 work on a rainy day and 4 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Old Riga walk
- Free sights
- 10
- Good on a rainy day
- Riga Cathedral
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Riga walk | Old Riga | Half a day | Free |
| House of the Blackheads | Old Riga | 30–60 minutes | Low cost |
| St Peter's Church | Old Riga | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Riga Cathedral | Old Riga | 45 minutes, longer with a concert | Low cost |
| Alberta iela and the Art Nouveau district | Quiet Centre | 2 hours | Free |
| Riga Central Market | Moscow Suburb | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| Freedom Monument | City Centre | 20 minutes | Free |
| Three Brothers | Old Riga | 20–30 minutes | Free |
| City canal and Bastejkalns park | City Centre | 1 hour | Free |
| Latvian National Museum of Art | City Centre | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Nativity of Christ Cathedral | City Centre | 20–30 minutes | Free |
| Latvian Academy of Sciences viewpoint | Moscow Suburb | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| National Library of Latvia | Pārdaugava | 1 hour | Free |
| Spīķeri quarter | Moscow Suburb | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Kalnciema Quarter | Pārdaugava | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Art Museum Riga Bourse | Old Riga | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Mežaparks and Riga Zoo | Mežaparks | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum | Jugla | 3 hours | Low cost |
| Riga Motor Museum | Mežciems | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
The 19 best things to do
Neighbourhood · Old Riga
1.Old Riga walk
The UNESCO-listed medieval core packs guild halls, churches and merchants' houses into narrow lanes between the Daugava and the city canal. A loop from Town Hall Square takes in Līvu laukums with the Great and Small Guild halls, the Cat House with its arched-back cats on the turrets, the Swedish Gate of 1698 and the long yellow Jacob's Barracks on Torņa iela, ending at the Powder Tower.
Walk early in the morning or in the evening, and follow Jēkaba iela and Mazā Pils iela for quieter lanes.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Architecture · Old Riga
2.House of the Blackheads
First mentioned in 1334 as a hall for merchants' guilds, the House of the Blackheads was named after the brotherhood of unmarried foreign merchants who rented it. Bombed in 1941 and cleared under Soviet rule, it was rebuilt in its Dutch Renaissance form by 1999 and is again the showpiece of Town Hall Square, beside a statue of Roland.
Look for the plaque in the square marking the spot where Riga claims the first decorated Christmas tree stood in 1510.
- Time needed
- 30–60 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Architecture
- History
- Photo spot
Religious site · Old Riga
3.St Peter's Church
First mentioned in 1209, St Peter's is a Gothic brick church whose tall wooden spire has been rebuilt several times, most recently after a 1941 fire. A lift climbs the tower to a viewing platform at about 72 metres, giving the best panorama over the Old Town roofs, the Daugava and the Art Nouveau district.
Check that the tower platform is open before you go, and choose a clear day.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- History
- Architecture
- Iconic
Religious site · Old Riga
4.Riga Cathedral
Founded in 1211, the Dom is the largest medieval church in the Baltic states, mixing Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque elements around a peaceful cloister. Its organ, built by E. F. Walcker in 1884 with 6,718 pipes, was once the largest in the world, and short organ concerts are held regularly.
Time your visit for an organ concert; the instrument is the reason to go inside.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes, longer with a concert
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Street · Quiet Centre
5.Alberta iela and the Art Nouveau district
Built in a burst of prosperity around 1900, the streets north of the Esplanāde are lined with Art Nouveau apartment blocks. Alberta iela is the showpiece, with Mikhail Eisenstein's facades of screaming masks, sphinxes and peacocks; Elizabetes iela and Strēlnieku iela continue the display. The Riga Art Nouveau Museum at Alberta iela 12 recreates the apartment of architect Konstantīns Pēkšēns with original furniture and a painted spiral staircase.
Bring binoculars or zoom in with your phone; the best details are high on the upper storeys.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- Art
- Photo spot
Market · Moscow Suburb
6.Riga Central Market
Opened in 1930, Riga's Central Market occupies five enormous pavilions built from German zeppelin hangars of the First World War, each devoted to meat, fish, dairy, vegetables or gastronomy, with outdoor stalls of flowers, berries and mushrooms around them. It is one of the largest markets in Europe and a good place to taste smoked fish and rye bread.
Visit in the morning, try the smoked fish in the fish pavilion and keep valuables zipped away in the crowds.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Food
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
Landmark · City Centre
7.Freedom Monument
Unveiled in 1935, Kārlis Zāle's granite and copper monument rises 42 metres on Brīvības bulvāris, topped by a female figure, Milda, holding up three gold stars for Latvia's historic regions. It survived the Soviet era and became a rallying point for the independence movement; an honour guard stands at its base.
Combine it with a stroll through the Bastejkalns park and along the city canal beside it.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- History
Architecture · Old Riga
8.Three Brothers
Three adjoining houses on Mazā Pils iela trace Riga's domestic architecture over three centuries, the oldest dating from the 15th century with a stepped Gothic gable and tiny windows. Together they house the Latvian Museum of Architecture.
Continue along Mazā Pils iela to Riga Castle, the President's residence, and the riverside.
- Time needed
- 20–30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Photo spot
Park · City Centre
1.City canal and Bastejkalns park
The curving city canal follows the line of the old fortifications between Old Riga and the boulevard district, edged by a chain of parks with footbridges, fountains and the small hill of Bastejkalns. Small boats run canal-and-river cruises in the warmer months, and couples hang padlocks on the bridges.
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
Gallery · City Centre
2.Latvian National Museum of Art
The 1905 museum building on the Esplanāde reopened in 2016 after a renovation that added underground galleries and a glass rooftop terrace. Its collection covers Latvian art from the 18th century to 1945, including the landscapes of Vilhelms Purvītis and the works of Janis Rozentāls, alongside Baltic German painting.
Go up to the rooftop terrace for a view over the Esplanāde and the Nativity of Christ Cathedral.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Religious site · City Centre
3.Nativity of Christ Cathedral
Riga's main Orthodox cathedral, built between 1876 and 1884 in Neo-Byzantine style with gilded domes, stands in the Esplanāde park. Under Soviet rule it was turned into a planetarium; it has since been restored with icons and painted interiors. Entry is free.
Dress modestly; women often cover their heads, and photography is generally not allowed inside.
- Time needed
- 20–30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
Viewpoint · Moscow Suburb
4.Latvian Academy of Sciences viewpoint
Riga's Stalinist skyscraper, built between 1951 and 1961 and nicknamed 'Stalin's birthday cake', still has hammer-and-sickle motifs woven into its spire. A viewing terrace on the 17th floor, about 65 metres up, looks over the Central Market, the Old Town spires and the river.
The terrace usually operates in the warmer months; look for the side entrance and lift.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- History
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Architecture · Pārdaugava
5.National Library of Latvia
The 'Castle of Light', designed by Latvian-American architect Gunnar Birkerts and opened in 2014, rises in a glass-topped peak on the left bank of the Daugava. Visitors can enter the atrium and exhibition spaces, including a multi-storey 'people's bookshelf' of donated books, and the riverside in front gives one of the best views of the Old Town skyline.
Walk across the Akmens Bridge from Old Riga and back for skyline photos in the late afternoon.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Views
- Rainy day
Neighbourhood · Moscow Suburb
6.Spīķeri quarter
A row of 19th-century red-brick warehouses between the Central Market and the Daugava has been restored with cafés, galleries, a concert hall and the Riga Ghetto and Latvian Holocaust Museum, which documents the fate of Latvia's Jewish community. On summer evenings the riverside promenade fills with people.
Combine it with the Central Market and the Academy of Sciences viewpoint, all within a few minutes' walk.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Food
- Art
Market · Pārdaugava
7.Kalnciema Quarter
A cluster of restored 19th-century wooden houses on Kalnciema iela, across the river, hosts a Saturday market of farm produce, street food, local crafts and design, with concerts and events in summer. It is one of the best places to buy Latvian-made gifts directly from the makers.
Go on Saturday morning and take the tram across the Daugava from the Old Town.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Gallery · Old Riga
8.Art Museum Riga Bourse
The richly decorated 1850s stock exchange building on Doma laukums now displays foreign art, from Dutch and Flemish painting to Asian and Egyptian collections, in gilded halls. It is a calm, rarely crowded museum in the middle of the Old Town.
Visit when the Old Town streets are busy; the building's interiors are as much the attraction as the collection.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Zoo · Mežaparks
9.Mežaparks and Riga Zoo
Founded in 1912, Riga Zoo sits among the pines of the Mežaparks garden suburb beside Lake Ķīšezers, with a tropical house, giraffes and northern species. The surrounding forest park has walking and cycling paths, playgrounds and the huge open-air stage used for the national Song and Dance Festival.
Take tram 11 from the centre and pack a picnic for the lake shore afterwards.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Nature
Museum · Jugla
10.Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum
Founded in 1924 on the wooded shore of Lake Jugla, this is one of Europe's oldest open-air museums, with farmsteads, windmills, fishermen's houses and wooden churches moved from every region of Latvia. Craftspeople work in the buildings in summer, and its annual crafts fair is one of the biggest in the country.
Go on the first weekend of June for the crafts fair, or around Midsummer for traditional celebrations.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Architecture
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Museum · Mežciems
11.Riga Motor Museum
Reopened in 2016 in a modern building in the eastern suburbs, the museum displays cars and motorbikes from the early 1900s onwards, including vehicles used by Soviet leaders, among them a Rolls-Royce crashed by Leonid Brezhnev. Interactive displays make it popular with children.
Allow time for the Soviet-era section, which is the most unusual part of the collection.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Alberta iela and the Art Nouveau district, Latvian National Museum of Art, Spīķeri quarter and Art Museum Riga Bourse |
| History | Old Riga walk, House of the Blackheads, St Peter's Church and Riga Cathedral |
| Views | St Peter's Church, Latvian Academy of Sciences viewpoint and National Library of Latvia |
| Outdoors and nature | City canal and Bastejkalns park, Mežaparks and Riga Zoo and Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum |
| Food and markets | Riga Central Market, Spīķeri quarter and Kalnciema Quarter |
| With children | City canal and Bastejkalns park, Mežaparks and Riga Zoo, Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum and Riga Motor Museum |
| On a rainy day | Riga Cathedral, Riga Central Market, Latvian National Museum of Art and National Library of Latvia |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Riga?
Old Riga walk. The UNESCO-listed medieval core packs guild halls, churches and merchants' houses into narrow lanes between the Daugava and the city canal.
+What can you do for free in Riga?
Old Riga walk, Alberta iela and the Art Nouveau district, Riga Central Market, Freedom Monument and Three Brothers. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Riga when it rains?
Head indoors to Riga Cathedral, Riga Central Market, Latvian National Museum of Art and National Library of Latvia.