Is Riga Worth Visiting in 2026? – Yes Absolutely and Here’s Why

Last updated on January 1st, 2026 at 01:16 pm

I’m lucky enough to have visited Riga a couple of times.

The first time I visited I was taking a group on a tour through the Baltic States. We stayed for 2 nights in Riga. I was able to explore the city and knew it wouldn’t be too long before I was back.

I went back for a short trip on my own and in January 2023 took my nephew for his first overseas trip there.

Read on for everything you need to know about whether Riga is worth visiting 👇

Is Riga Worth Visiting?

On my first trip to Riga, I was lucky enough to have a couple of days exploring the city and what a city it is.

Riga is quite small as cities go, which makes exploring the city easy. There is a lovely old town, located beside the river. Think cobbled streets, pretty buildings and lots of lovely cafes with outside dining areas.

The city centre has some lovely green areas to enjoy, including a lovely park around the river area. You can take boat trips in small wooden boots, squeezing around some of the buildings in the city including the market halls. It’s a wonderful way to see the city from a different perspective.

In the centre of the city is the Freedom Monument. The art deco-style monument is striking – a strong female figure facing the river. Freedom is important to Riga. They’ve been invaded multiple times and many still have family memories of the Russian occupation during World War 2.

They are understandably nervous about the war in Ukraine but reassured by the fact that Latvia is a member of NATO. The war underlined the importance of that membership given how small Latvia is, geographically and in terms of population compared to Russia.

There are reminders of Russia throughout Latvia. There is a Museum of Occupation which tells vividly of this time. A sister museum is the KGB Museum, located in a building previously used to interrogate and imprison Latvians before shipping them off to Siberia.

Locals were unaware of what happened to their family members until people started reappearing in Latvia some 10 years or more later, having walked back home.

Riga Motor Museum also has a display of Russian vehicles. The Latvian museum had made their feelings about Russia known. Each Russian vehicle was marked with a sticker showing support for Ukraine. A small but powerful act.

There are also reminders of Russia when people speak. Around 30% of the population speak or understand Russian.

Is Riga Worth Visiting?

Getting to Riga

Riga is relatively easy to reach from the UK.

There are direct flights to Riga from;

• London
• Leeds
• Manchester
• Nottingham

You can also take a train or bus to Riga – it’s a great overland journey.

You can read all the details in my How to Get to Riga from the UK post

You can also check for flights to Riga right here 👇

You can also check bus and train options here 👇

Is Riga Worth Visiting?

When to Visit Riga

I have visited Riga in the autumn and also in the winter months including when there was quite a lot of snow on the ground.

May to September are busier times because the weather is warmer.

Here’s the yearly averages for Riga for the year.

Is Riga Worth Visiting?

Getting Around Riga

Getting from the airport to Riga centre is easy. There is a public bus that runs from outside the building with a ticket machine at the bus stop.

The bus runs right to the city centre.

Small tobacco and convenience stores sell transport tickets. These allow the use of all the public transport in Riga for one price.

Trams run around the city centre, with buses and trains going further afield.

It’s easy to use public transport and it’s very popular and well used by locals too.

The bus from the airport was 6 Euros and unlimited travel in Riga was 5 Euros, which included going right out to the motor museum

If you don’t fancy taking the bus you could always book your own transfer from the airport 👇

Is Riga Worth Visiting?

Is Riga Safe?

Riga is the only place I’ve been to where I have had someone try to pickpocket by handbag. However, I was walking through a very dodgy underpass and struggling upstairs with quite a large case at the time. That said as soon as I shouted at the man he walked off so it wasn’t too serious.

That said Riga felt like a very safe place. I felt safe walking around Riga on my own. My nephew and I felt safe going everywhere including out in the suburbs on the public bus.

Everyone we met was friendly and helpful when we needed anything or bought anything.

Crime is low in Riga compared to other cities such as London.

For more detailed information check out my post ‘Is Riga Safe?

Is Riga Worth Visiting?

Is Riga Expensive?

Riga is good value compared to many other European cities.

When I visited as a solo traveller my hotel cost £38 including breakfast for one night.

When I visited with my nephew a 3 night stay for the 2 of us in a 4 star hotel with breakfast every day was £225 including flights.

Food is reasonable – whether buying groceries or eating in restaurants.

The Motor Museum, which is fantastic, was 2 Euros to enter!

You can read details of the all the costs in my ‘Is Riga Expensive?’ post

Is Riga Worth Visiting

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Is It Worth Visiting Riga?

Staying in Riga

I’ve stayed in 3 different hotels during my visits to Riga.

The Radisson Blu is a large corporate hotel in a great location. It has a great leisure centre that I didn’t get time to check out. Rooms are a little small but the location makes up for it.

Check out my detailed review of the Radisson Blu Hotel in Riga

Bellevue Park is a short tram ride away from the city centre (or a reasonable walk if you prefer). It’s an older style hotel that offers great value and is located in the park.

Check out my detailed review of the Bellevue Park Riga

The Hotel Opera is no longer trading.

You can search for hotels in Riga using the search box below 👇

You can also search accommodation in Riga using this map search 👇

Is Riga Worth Visiting?

Things to Do in Riga

The Food Market – You Have to Visit This!

In the city centre are five huge pavilions. Riga is home to the largest food market in Europe and it’s an absolute must if you want to see local life and find great Latvian produce.

Each of the halls has different things inside. One of the halls is all fruit and vegetables, one is meat etc. There are also stalls outside. Also dotted through the food market are stalls selling snacks and food for visitors. We enjoyed a lovely morning breakfast in the market, watching locals go about their daily business.

We couldn’t resist some of the amazing fresh fruit and ate the best strawberries we had ever tasted at the market.

These huge pavillions have some interesting history too. Whilst now they are full of people, goods and chatter, they were previously Zepellin airship hangars. Germany built a base here to fly the airships over the Gulf of Latvia in 1916 and keep an eye on Russian activity.

Why not take a Latvian food tasting tour in the central market? 👇

Is Riga Worth Visiting?

KGB Museum

We visited the KGB Museum which is where Latvians were interrogated before most of them were sent to Siberia.

It’s a pretty grim place, especially given the war in Ukraine.

You can visit the displays in the main part of this building for free.

However, I would strongly recommend taking a tour with a guide to learn everything about this building and what happened.

I visited on my own and then took my nephew. It was a powerful history lesson that led to lots of discussions about Russia and their invasion of Ukraine afterwards.

This museum is called The Corner House/The Museum of Occupation

Is Riga Worth Visiting?

Riga Motor Museum

My nephew and I visited this museum and we absolutely loved it. We took the public bus, which took a little finding but we managed it.

Once there we paid the astonishingly low 2 Euros entry free and explored two floors of great cars including lots of Russian ones.

There were cars I had never seen or heard of before. All the Russian cars has a Ukrainian sticker on them which was nice.

We stayed for lunch in the cafe before getting the bus back to town

The Riga Motor Museum was one of the highlights of our trip.

You can read more details in my Things to Do in Riga post

You can find lots of activities to do in Riga on Get Your Guide 👇

You can find more activities in Riga on Viator 👇

Riga Surprises

The main surprise I had in Riga was someone trying to pick my pocket while I was lugging a large case up a flight of stairs. I was using an underpass at the same time.

It was easy to notice so I shouted at the guy and he walked off. I didn’t feel particularly unsafe or threatened.

When I said to the hotel reception they advised it was pretty common. I stuck to travelling overland and had no more problems.

Is Riga Worth Visiting? – Conclusion

• If you are looking for a great value city break that’s easily accessible from the UK then you should consider Riga.
• It’s a great option if you have people with different interests, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
• Don’t miss visiting the food market and ideally try out some of the food stalls. You can also get guided tours if you want to dive deeper into Latvian food.
• The KGB Museum is very interesting, moving and disturbing. It provoked lots of discussion with my teenage nephew as a result of our visit.
• Riga has a fantastic Christmas market in the old town and it’s supposed to be the first place that a Christmas tree was decorated!

You Might Also Like

If you have found my ‘Is Riga Worth Visiting? article useful you might also like;

• How to Get to Riga from the UK
• Is Riga Safe?
• Is Riga Expensive?
• Radisson Blu Riga Review
• Where to Stay in Riga
• Bellevue Park Hotel Review
• Things to Do in Riga

For everything you need to plan your visit check out my Riga City Break review

Further Reading