Riga, Latvia, is another beautiful capital in the Baltics. Many people visit the capital for one day while on a Baltic cruise. We arrived by train in the city centre from Vilnius. Lithuania. We spent four days exploring the city, and we learned a bit about its history and traditions. Although Latvia is often grouped with the other Baltic nations, Lithuania and Estonia, it has a unique language and cultural differences. Did you know that Lithuanian is more similar to Hungarian than Latvian? The city of Riga was greatly influenced by its Swedish, German, and Russian occupiers. Today, it’s an independent nation and a thriving member of the EU.

Where Did We Stay?

We booked a 4-day stay at the Bearsley Downtown Apartments. It was an old building, but it was comfortable and quiet. This was the perfect place to catch up on laundry and make some meals at home. There were several nearby stores to obtain groceries. We were about a 15-minute walk from the Old Town historic district.

What did we do in Riga?

We enjoyed exploring the different neighbourhoods of Riga and took part in several low-cost and free activities. We also spent a day outside of the city. We took the short train ride to the seaside town of Jurmala to see the Baltic coast.

Old Town Walking Tour

We used our favourite app, GuruWalk, to book a walking tour. The tour was well paced, and I appreciated how our guide, Tom, organized his talk chronologically. This made the historical facts and stories easier to remember. Tom’s had a great sense of humour. We also received a curated list of suggested activities and places to eat from Tom, which we used.
The description of the tour we took is at this link:
https://www.guruwalk.com/walks/35782-old-riga-free-walking-tour?ref=b0daqs9t53by2ul34xjt

We learned about the Swedish and German influences in the city’s early development. Many of the wealthy merchants were German, so there are many German-speaking Latvians. Schools teach Latvian, English, German, and Russian to their students because of their political history. Russian is being removed from the school curriculum this year due to current political tensions.

Many parts of the old town were bombed in 1941, and so much time, effort, and expense have gone into restorations such as the famous House of the Blackheads.

Latvians are also very proud of their accomplishments. The cat that sits above the old merchant’s building has become a symbol of the Academy Award-winning movie called Flow.

Architecture Self-GuidedTour

During our walking tour, we learned a bit about the beautifully preserved examples of Art Nouveau architecture seen in Riga. The Art Nouveau style was the prominent style in the city in the early 1900s. We saw a few examples on our tour with Tom. Later that night, we walked to the best examples of Art Nouveau in the city on Albert Street (Alberta iela). Many of the buildings on the street were designed by architect Mikhail Eisenstein between 1901 and 1908. The ornate display of florals, mythological creatures, and dramatic faces are some of the signature elements in his designs.

KGB Presence in Riga

A short walk from our apartment sits the Corner House- KGB Museum. We paid for the guided tour, which was worth it. Formerly an attractive apartment, this building was occupied by the KGB in 1940-1941, the Nazis in 1941-1944, and then returned to the KGB from 1945-1991. It was the place where Latvians were taken to be interrogated by the KGB. Many Latvians were brought here and never returned to their lives. Up to 700 people were held here in the overcrowded basement cells at one time. If the KGB interrogation tactics convinced you to confess to crimes you may or may not have committed, then you were sent to work camps in Siberia. Some were executed in this building. The university student who delivered the tour provided many details and helped us imagine the conditions and the moment in history.

Visit the National Library

On one of our self-exploration days, we walked across the bridge to the Latvian National Library. This impressive 13-storey building has amazing views of the city and an interesting history. We love visiting libraries when we travel to new places. Libraries are considered third spaces, which means all are welcome there.

This new National Library was opened in 2014. One of the interesting facts we learned about the opening was the unique way that some of the collection was transferred to the new stacks. Certain selected items were carried from the old to the new building by a human chain on January 18, 2014. This ensured the safe passage of some fragile manuscripts and was a symbolic gesture for all Latvians.

Take a Boat Tour

Since the weather cooperated with blue skies, we opted to take a 50-minute historic boat tour of the canal and into the Daugava River. It was called the Historic Canal Boat Tour and Audio tour.

We were able to buy our tickets directly from the captain and pick up the boat at the pier in Kronvalda Park. (If we had bought them earlier online, we would have been able to download the audio guide.) We still enjoyed the tour and the view of the city from the water without the English audio guide.

Day Trip to Jurmala

We decided to take a day trip by train out to the coast and visit the seaside town called Jurmala. Many families have summer homes here. We walked along the beach and enjoyed the quiet! The Baltic Sea is very cold, so we did not swim, although a few brave swimmers did! There were toilets, change areas, and paths into town every few hundred metres along the beach. There were also beachside cafes as we neared the city centre of Jurmala. Many of the homes were updated but reflected the charm of the original seaside homes’ architectural style.

Our Favourite Food Places in Riga

Riga Central Market

The huge market in Riga was bustling with tourists and locals when we visited on our last day. Had we known how much fresh food was available, we would have come earlier! The indoor part of the market is housed in 4 old hangars which were originally built to hold Zeppelin (Blimp) airships!

Latvian Cuisine

Our favourite meal was at the Latvian restaurant called Milda. We met a former colleague who now lives in Riga there for dinner one night. She wanted to share this Baltic cuisine with us. All of our choices were made with fresh ingredients, beautifully presented, and we had excellent service. It was our most expensive meal in Riga.

After dinner, we walked back through Old Town to the longest-running pharmacy called Black Magic. Inside the old stone foundations, we sampled the famous Riga black balsam drink. We tried the blackcurrant flavour. It was good, but not something I could drink a lot of! This national drink of Latvia has used the same recipe since 1752 and was first made at this apothecary. The recipe is carefully guarded. Only 3 people may know the recipe at any one time — the Head Liquor Master and 2 apprentices.

LIDO Lunches

The LIDO-branded restaurants we found in Riga were a cheap and cheerful way to eat out. They are set up in a cafeteria style and feel similar to Bar Mleczny options we found in Poland. Our favourite LIDO place was the LIDO Vermanitis, an expansive venue near downtown. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They also serve alcohol at an affordable price.

StrEAT Riga Terase

We discovered Streat Riga Terase after exploring the National Library and the nearby beautiful Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity. It was the perfect place to rest, eat, and enjoy the marina activities.

Here are the things we like the most about our 4-night stay in Riga:

• walkable city
• beautiful architecture and Old Town preservation
• felt safe as tourists and felt welcome by citizens
• loved learning the history of the city, especially how the people of Latvia worked together to secure their independence!
• lots of free/affordable activities, live music at night, library etc.

When are you planning your trip there?

Our month-long journey continues…

This post is one of a series about our month-long train journey.

If you missed the earlier destinations, feel free to access them below:

• Riga, Latvia
• Vilnius, Lithuania
• Warsaw, Poland
• Kraków and Auschwitz
• Berlin to Prague
• Train Trip Planning: Berlin to Finland