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Riga

Riga is a Hanseatic port on the Daugava, with a compact old town and one of Europe’s richest streets of art nouveau. Most of a first visit fits between the cathedral, the market halls, and the parks along the canal.

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Photo: Benjamin Snyder · Public domain

What to see

Riga Cathedral, Riga

Riga Cathedral

The cathedral closes the square at the heart of the old town, and its organ loft is the reason many people step inside even when they are not chasing a service. The cloister next door is one of the quietest corners in the centre.

Doma laukums 1, Rīga

Photo: Voytek S · CC BY-SA 2.5

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House of the Blackheads, Riga

House of the Blackheads

The stepped gable on Town Hall Square is the postcard of Riga, rebuilt after the war on the footprint of the merchants’ guild house. The square in front is the city’s ceremonial room, open to the river wind.

Rātslaukums 7, Rīga

Photo: Diliff · CC BY-SA 3.0

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St. Peter's Church, Riga

St. Peter's Church

St. Peter’s tower is the best public lookout in the old town, with a lift to a gallery over the red roofs. The church itself is a wide brick hall, rebuilt, and calmer than the square it watches.

Skārņu iela 19, Rīga

Photo: J. Lunau · CC BY-SA 1.0

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Freedom Monument, Riga

Freedom Monument

The monument stands where the old town gives way to the boulevard, a stone figure of Liberty held above the traffic. People still leave flowers at the base. It is a short stop, and the park behind it is the pleasanter walk.

Brīvības bulvāris, Rīga

Photo: Scotch Mist · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Alberta iela, Riga

Alberta iela

Alberta iela is a short street of art nouveau apartment houses, masks and peacocks pressed into the stucco. You do not need a ticket to see the façades. The interiors that are open sit in the museums on the same block.

Alberta iela, Rīga

Photo: Hans A. Rosbach · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Food and restaurants

Restaurants and hotels change hands. These listings were last checked on 26 October 2026.

Illustrated plate for Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs. This is not a photograph of the place.

Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs

Ala Pagrabs is a cellar on Peldu iela that has been the city’s folk-club address for years: beer, a simple kitchen, and live music on many nights. It is loud when a band is on. Come for the room, not for a quiet tasting menu.

Peldu iela 19, Rīga

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Illustrated plate for Lido. This is not a photograph of the place.

Lido

The big Lido on Krasta iela is a Latvian canteen on a theatrical scale: you point at the dishes, pay by weight or portion, and sit in a timber hall. It is a chain, and this branch is the one visitors mean. Quality is steady rather than delicate.

Krasta iela 76, Rīga

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Illustrated plate for Vincents. This is not a photograph of the place.

Vincents

Vincents, on Elizabetes iela, is the long-running fine-dining room associated with chef Mārtiņš Rītiņš. Book it when you want a composed Latvian-French menu rather than a market lunch. The address has stayed; the menu does not.

Elizabetes iela 19, Rīga

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Illustrated plate for Neiburgs. This is not a photograph of the place.

Neiburgs

Neiburgs sits in a restored old-town house on Jauniela, with a dining room that faces a small courtyard. It is a settled address for a proper dinner inside the walls. Confirm the evening’s kitchen before you treat it as a sure booking.

Jauniela 25/27, Rīga

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Illustrated plate for Kaļķu vārti. This is not a photograph of the place.

Kaļķu vārti

Kaļķu vārti is an old-town restaurant named for the lime gate that once stood on this street. The cooking is Latvian and European, aimed at a sit-down meal a few minutes from the cathedral. Hours move with the season.

Kaļķu iela 11, Rīga

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Where to stay

Restaurants and hotels change hands. These listings were last checked on 26 October 2026.

Illustrated plate for Grand Palace Hotel. This is not a photograph of the place.

Grand Palace Hotel

Grand Palace occupies a former bank on Pils iela, a short walk from the castle and the cathedral. It is one of the old-town hotels that has kept a formal lobby. Ask for a room off the street if you want the quarter without the cobbles.

Pils iela 12, Rīga

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Illustrated plate for Hotel de Rome. This is not a photograph of the place.

Hotel de Rome

Hotel de Rome is a 19th-century house on Kaļķu iela, rebuilt as a hotel and still using the old name. You are inside the pedestrian grid, which is the point and also the reason the street outside is busy until late.

Kaļķu iela 28, Rīga

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Illustrated plate for Radisson Blu Latvija. This is not a photograph of the place.

Radisson Blu Latvija

The Radisson Blu Latvija is the tall hotel on Elizabetes iela, a business tower between the art nouveau quarter and the parks. It is the practical full-service stay when you want a reliable desk more than an old-town staircase.

Elizabetes iela 55, Rīga

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Shopping

Riga Central Market, Riga

Riga Central Market

Five zeppelin hangars from the First World War hold the city’s central market, a few minutes’ walk from the station. Meat, fish, cheese, and pickles fill the halls; the streets between them sell produce. Go in the morning.

Nēģu iela 7, Rīga

Photo: ainars brūvelis · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Illustrated plate for Galerija Centrs. This is not a photograph of the place.

Galerija Centrs

Galerija Centrs is the shopping block stitched into the old town at Audēju iela, useful when the weather turns and you need ordinary shops without leaving the centre. It is a mall, not a market. The street outside is the more interesting walk.

Audēju iela 16, Rīga

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Illustrated plate for Berga Bazārs. This is not a photograph of the place.

Berga Bazārs

Berga Bazārs is a small shopping courtyard off Elizabetes iela, with independent shops in restored brick rather than a single chain hall. It is a short detour from the art nouveau streets. Opening hours belong to the individual doors.

Elizabetes iela 83, Rīga

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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How to get there

Riga Airport, Riga

Riga Airport

Riga Airport is the country’s main airfield, in Mārupe southwest of the city, with a frequent bus and a rail link into the centre. It is also the practical airport for Jūrmala. Allow time at the security hall on a Friday evening.

Lidosta „Rīga”, Mārupes novads

Photo: MOs810 · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Illustrated plate for Riga Central Station. This is not a photograph of the place.

Riga Central Station

The central station sits beside the market hangars, on the edge of the old town. Suburban trains to Jūrmala and country services leave from here. The square in front is a building site in spirit even when the cranes move on: cross it with a ticket already bought.

Stacijas laukums 2, Rīga

Illustration: Pasaulis · CC0 1.0

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Riga Coach Terminal, Riga

Riga Coach Terminal

The international coach terminal on Prāgas iela is the shed for buses to Tallinn, Vilnius, and the Baltic towns the train does not bother with. It is a short walk from the railway station and the market. Buy a seat before a Friday afternoon.

Prāgas iela 1, Rīga

Photo: Tony Webster · CC BY 2.0

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