Things to do in Riga
Riga rewards curious visitors with medieval history, remarkable architecture and a lively food and music scene.
Explore the Old Town
Start at the Town Hall Square with the House of the Blackheads, built in 1334 for a guild of unmarried merchants, destroyed during the Second World War, demolished by the Soviets and rebuilt in 1999. Walk past the Three Brothers, the oldest group of residential houses in Riga, the Swedish Gate, the Powder Tower and the Cat House, whose rooftop cats were said to point their backsides at the Great Guild that refused the owner membership.
St Peter's Church and Riga Cathedral
St Peter's Church has a 123-metre spire with a lift to a viewing platform 72 metres up, offering the best view of the Old Town's rooftops. Riga Cathedral (Doms), founded in 1211, is the largest medieval church in the Baltic states and houses one of the world's largest pipe organs, built in 1884. Attend an organ concert if you can.
Art Nouveau architecture
Walk along Alberta iela and Elizabetes iela to see facades with grimacing masks, sphinxes and peacocks. Visit the Riga Art Nouveau Museum at Alberta iela 12, the former apartment of architect Konstantīns Pēkšēns, for a glimpse of how people lived in these buildings around 1900.
The Freedom Monument
Unveiled in 1935, the Freedom Monument depicts Liberty holding three stars, representing Latvia's historic regions. It was a symbol of national identity during Soviet times; the honour guard changes on the hour during the day.
Riga Central Market
One of Europe's largest markets, it occupies four huge pavilions built from German Zeppelin hangars and opened in 1930. Sample smoked fish, rye bread, sauerkraut, honey and seasonal berries. It's part of the UNESCO site.
Museums
The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, in a newly renovated building by the Town Hall Square, describes the Soviet and Nazi occupations from 1940 to 1991. The Latvian National Museum of Art has a beautiful nineteenth-century building and Latvian modern art. The Corner House (Stūra māja), the former KGB headquarters, offers guided tours of its cells. Riga Motor Museum includes Soviet leaders' limousines.
Views and the Academy of Sciences
For panoramas, climb to the observation deck of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, a Stalinist building nicknamed "Stalin's birthday cake". The rooftop bars at the Radisson Blu Latvija hotel offer drinks with a view.
Food and drink
Try grey peas with bacon (pelēkie zirņi ar speķi), rye bread soup (maizes zupa), smoked fish and black balsam, the traditional herbal liqueur, often mixed with blackcurrant juice. Latvians love craft beer, and Riga has a growing new Nordic-influenced food scene. Lido restaurants offer affordable Latvian buffets.
Music and festivals
Latvia is a nation of choirs. The Latvian National Opera stages excellent opera and ballet at accessible prices. Midsummer (Jāņi) is the biggest celebration, with wreaths, bonfires, caraway cheese and beer. The Riga Christmas market in Doma laukums and the Staro Rīga festival of light in November are also popular; Riga claims to have had the first decorated Christmas tree in 1510.
Parks and riverside
Bastejkalns park with its canal, Esplanāde and Kronvalda park form a green ring around the Old Town. Take a canal boat trip in summer, or stroll along the Daugava embankment.
Kalnciema Quarter
In Pārdaugava, the Kalnciema Quarter is a group of restored wooden buildings where a Saturday market sells local crafts and food. Summer evenings bring concerts in the courtyard. It is a pleasant contrast to the Old Town.
The Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum
On the shores of Lake Jugla, this museum, founded in 1924, displays more than 100 historic buildings from all regions of Latvia, including farmsteads, windmills and churches. The annual crafts fair in early June is one of the most popular events.
Riga Motor Museum and the Zoo
In Mežciems, the Riga Motor Museum displays classic cars including Soviet leaders' limousines. The Riga Zoo in Mežaparks, founded in 1912, is one of the oldest in the region and a good family outing, combined with a walk in the forest park.
Christmas in Riga
Riga claims the first decorated Christmas tree, in 1510, marked by a plaque in Town Hall Square. Christmas markets are held in the Dome Square and Esplanāde from late November, with crafts, hot wine and gingerbread.
Riga Bourse
The Art Museum Riga Bourse, in a restored nineteenth-century stock exchange in the Old Town, displays European and Asian art.
Day trips
Jūrmala, Latvia's seaside resort, has wooden villas and a long sandy beach. Sigulda, in the Gauja National Park, has medieval castles, Turaida Castle and Gutmanis Cave, and is about an hour away by train. Rundāle Palace, a baroque palace designed by Rastrelli, the architect of the Winter Palace in St Petersburg, is about 80 kilometres south. Ķemeri National Park has a popular bog boardwalk.
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