Wander Riga's Art Nouveau district on Alberta iela
Ornate early-20th-century facades with sculpted faces, floral motifs, and dramatic ironwork line a single dense residential street.
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Baltic States
Things to do in Latvia
Riga's Art Nouveau architecture density unmatched almost anywhere in Europe, a wild Baltic coastline of dunes and pine forest, and a folk song tradition central to national identity.
Explore Latvia on the map →Budget$
Best for4-6 days
CapitalRiga
VisaSchengen visa-free up to 90 days in any 180-day period for US/UK/Canada/Australia passport holders; ETIAS pre-registration is expected for visa-exempt visitors but was not yet live as of mid-2026.
CurrencyEuro (EUR)
LanguagesLatvian (Russian and English also widely spoken)
InternetExcellent
Typical lodging$20–$50/night
Driving sideRight
Power & voltage230V / 50Hz (Type C/F plug)
Time zoneUTC+2
Emergency number112
Dialing code+371
★★★★★ Culture★★★★★ Photography★★★★★ Nightlife
Visa rules and emergency numbers can change without notice. Confirm the specifics for your nationality and dates before you travel.
Travel smart
Tap water is safe to drink. Not expected. Rounding up or 5–10% at restaurants is generous.
Riga holds one of the largest concentrations of Art Nouveau buildings in the world, roughly a third of the city center's architecture, a legacy of a late-19th and early-20th century construction boom. Latvia's song and dance festival tradition, held roughly every five years and gathering tens of thousands of performers, is recognized by UNESCO and was central to the peaceful 'Singing Revolution' that helped end Soviet rule.
When to go
SpringApril–May
Mild and green, with Riga's parks and outdoor cafés reawakening before the summer rush.
SummerJune–August
The best window: warm, long days, and the season for Baltic coast beach towns like Jūrmala.
AutumnSeptember–October
Cooling and colorful, with foraging season in Latvia's extensive forests.
WinterNovember–March
Cold, dark, and often snowy, Riga's Christmas market and Art Nouveau streets lit up are a genuine highlight.
20 things to do
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Culture & history
11Explore Riga's medieval Old Town
A UNESCO-listed core of guild halls, spired churches, and cobblestone squares, compact enough to walk fully in a few hours.
Climb St. Peter's Church tower in Riga
An elevator ride up one of the tallest wooden-spired churches in Europe, with a panoramic view over the Old Town's red rooftops.
Visit the KGB House museum in Riga
The former Soviet secret police headquarters, preserved with original cells and interrogation rooms documenting Latvia's occupation history.
Explore Turaida Museum Reserve near Sigulda
A red-brick medieval castle set in a landscape of legend, folklore sculptures, and forested hills above the Gauja Valley.
Attend or learn about Latvia's Song and Dance Festival tradition
A UNESCO-recognized choral and folk-dance tradition held roughly every five years, gathering tens of thousands of performers in Riga's festival grounds.
Explore Cēsis, one of Latvia's oldest towns
A well-preserved medieval castle and cobbled old town in the Vidzeme region, quieter and less touristed than Riga or Sigulda.
Visit the Freedom Monument and changing of the guard
Riga's central symbol of Latvian independence, with a formal changing of the guard ceremony held regularly at the monument's base.
Explore Rundāle Palace, Latvia's baroque masterpiece
An 18th-century palace designed by the same architect behind St. Petersburg's Winter Palace, with formal gardens and richly decorated interiors.
Wander Riga's Art Nouveau Museum apartment
A restored early-20th-century apartment showing how a wealthy Riga family would have lived, furnished authentically down to the wallpaper.
Visit the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum
Historic wooden farmsteads and churches relocated from across the country, offering a living picture of pre-industrial rural Latvian life.
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Adventure & outdoors
3Hike or canoe in Gauja National Park
Latvia's largest national park, with sandstone cliffs, medieval castle ruins, and canoeing routes along the Gauja River near Sigulda.
Bobsled or luge on Sigulda's Olympic track
A former Soviet-era bobsled track still operating for public rides, offering a genuine adrenaline add-on to a Gauja Valley day trip.
Kayak the Salaca River through Latvian countryside
A calm river route popular for multi-hour or full-day paddling trips through farmland and forest north of Riga.
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Beaches
1Relax at Jūrmala's Baltic Sea beach resort
A 33-kilometre stretch of white sand pine-backed coastline just outside Riga, historically a favored Soviet-era resort town.
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Food & drink
3Visit Riga Central Market inside former zeppelin hangars
One of the largest and oldest markets in Europe, housed in five repurposed WWI-era airship hangars, selling everything from smoked fish to fresh produce.
Eat rye bread and grey peas with bacon
Dense sourdough rye and a hearty peas-and-bacon dish are Latvian staples, considered comfort food across the country regardless of season.
Try black balsam, Latvia's traditional herbal liqueur
A bitter, dark herbal spirit made to a centuries-old secret recipe, traditionally drunk straight or mixed with black currant juice.
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Nature & scenery
1Forage for mushrooms and berries in Latvia's forests
Forests cover roughly half the country, and 'everyman's right' allows public foraging, a genuine autumn tradition for many Latvian families.
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Nightlife
1Sample Riga's craft beer and cocktail bar scene
A growing independent bar culture has developed in Riga's Old Town and nearby districts, blending Latvian ingredients into modern cocktails.
Common questions
▾Do I need a visa for Latvia?
US, UK, Canadian, and Australian passport holders can enter visa-free for up to 90 days within any 180-day period under Schengen rules.
▾How many days does Riga need?
2-3 days covers the Old Town and Art Nouveau district well; add a day trip to the beach town of Jūrmala or Gauja National Park for a fuller picture beyond the capital.
▾Is Latvia easy to combine with Estonia and Lithuania?
Yes. The three Baltic states are well connected by bus and each has a compact, walkable capital, making a combined 10-14 day trip across all three a common and manageable itinerary.
▾Is Latvia affordable?
Yes, among the more budget-friendly EU destinations, with Riga offering strong value for food, transit, and accommodation compared to Western European capitals.
▾What's distinctive about Latvia's Art Nouveau architecture?
Riga's Alberta iela street and surrounding blocks hold an unusually dense concentration of ornate facades from a single early-20th-century building boom, largely designed by architect Mikhail Eisenstein.
▾How much does it cost to visit Riga's main sights?
Riga's Old Town is free to explore, and most individual museum fees are modest, typically €5-8, including sites like the House of Blackheads. It's one of the more affordable capital cities in the Baltics for sightseeing.