Who doesn’t love a good controversy as the one about Riga: There are those who love it and declare it as their new favourite European city and those who say it’s the ugliest capital in the Baltic states, a true bachelor party hotspot where people come for cheap alcohol and dodgy strip clubs.

Keen to find out which description suits best, we visited this Baltic city in September. Unfortunately the weather forecast predicted rain for every day of our stay.

A sign of the times

We arrived in Riga late due to a delay at Ljubljana airport. As we made our way to the heart of the city, the bus passed numerous abandoned houses which showed the city's decay. Seeing so many empty and damaged buildings made me think of the owners who could no longer afford to maintain their homes and had to leave them behind. There were also multistorey houses that had been left to fall into disrepair as they were too expensive to renovate. As Riga was already the capital of empty spaces, I wondered how much more rural cities or villages in Latvia would look like where poverty might be even more prevalent.

It was already dark when we arrived at our Airbnb apartment where we had our first spooky moment: The door of the building looked like one of a cellar compartment. During our stay, I spotted a few of these doors, which, to be honest looked a bit terrifying to me, but they seemed to be quite common there.
Stepping into the hallway of this ageing building was like entering a different world. The apartment itself was beautiful as described - one you wouldn't expect after seeing the hallway.

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A new day, a fresh start

We started the next day by exploring the city in the rain, clinging to each other under an umbrella as the rain, wind and cold hit us from all sides.

As we strolled through the streets, we noticed lots of beauty salons offering Botox treatments, nail art or hair extensions. The clothing shop windows resembled those of second-hand boutiques and the grocery stores had an interesting range of products, from huge plastic bags filled with biscuits to onion wine gums and trout fish snacks which were left to sit on the shelves without refrigeration. Overall the Eastern influence was more evident than in Budapest which we explored last year.

Outside of the tourist hotspots, people seemed to be reserved, rarely responding with more than a word or two. Perhaps it was also due to the bad weather, but we hardly saw anyone smiling. I don’t want to generalise from a few single impressions, nor do I have enough knowledge to say anything about Latvian mentality or its country past, all I can say is it didn't feel as warm-hearted as in Copenhagen.

Although Riga is known for its cheap alcohol, we didn’t see any drunk people on the streets as drinking alcohol in public spaces is strictly prohibited. Since August there has been a new rule that you are not allowed to buy alcoholic beverages after 8 pm on weekdays and 6 pm on Sundays. We only saw one group celebrating an upcoming wedding, so the idea of Riga being the heartland of bachelor parties was not confirmed during our stay.

One thing I did notice, though, was that living conditions in Riga might be difficult for many inhabitants. Every day, we saw people checking the waste containers in front of our building for food or returnable bottles. Many places, such as grocery stores, buses and trams were filled with a bad smell due to the poor hygiene of some customers. A survey from 2023 also claims that Riga has Europe’s worst public toilets which was also my first impression when I had a stop at the airport many years ago.

As Riga is rather known in Europe for its cheap prices, we noticed that this does not apply to all areas. Airbnb accommodations and public transport costs were cheaper than the European standard, but food and restaurant prices were similar to those in Austria, for example.

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Always look on the bride or bright side

Our apartment was located on Avotu iela which turned out to be a paradise for brides with plenty of bridal salons next to each other. It was lovely to see all the beautiful dresses in the shop windows.

The cityscape was characterised by beautiful Jugendstil houses which were located all around the city centre, not only on the famous Alberta iela (Albert Street). There were also many wooden houses which I especially enjoyed spotting as they are my favourites. Latvia has ancient wooden architecture that decorates the country's landscape. It must be especially nice to walk alongside the Daugava River and explore the Kipsala district in summer.

Although bad weather had been forecast for our entire trip, we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of sunshine in the afternoon while exploring the Old Town, one of the most memorable places in Riga. Imagine the Old Town as a large UNESCO World Heritage site with winding alleys and centuries-old landmarks that tell the story of the city’s rich past, as well as restaurants and bars. The Old Town was buzzing with a completely different vibe to the rest of the city. It was a true gem for exploring and taking pictures.

We discovered the most important sights such as the House of the Blackheads where a cellist was playing in front of the building. We also checked out the Three Brothers, three buildings of different centuries, the Cat House and the Dom restaurant, a famous photo spot thanks to its light blue façade with hand-painted cows and flowers.

Jugendstil-houses-you-should-see-in-Riga_travel — Riga city centre, Avotu iela

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DOM restaurant, Riga Old Town, Jauniela 16

Riga_sights-you-should-see_Cat-House — Cat House, Old Town, Meistaru iela 10/12

Top-Sights-in-Riga-you-should-visit_Riga-travel-blog — House of Blackheads, Ratslaukums 7

Riga offers surprises

If we had just taken a taxi, came here in summer, visited Jurmala beach or lived or visited other districts, we might have got a totally different impression of the city. It always depends on your own choices and how you experience it. The view already can change when you walk the street up or down. The moody weather definitely had its influence about my impression of the city.

There are a few places I would love to visit again, but I am quite sure that Riga is not my favourite European city. If you are planning to visit this Baltic city, I would recommend to come in spring, summer or early autumn.

This getaway definitely helped me to step outside my own bubble and appreciate small things much more.

Riga Travel Guide

How to travel from the airport to the city centre and get around Riga

Take bus no. 22 which leaves opposite the terminal entrance. There is a ticket machine outside the terminal on the left; tickets can also be purchased at the Narvessen kiosk. You can also buy a ticket from the bus driver, but this service is only offered for the airport bus; it is not available for other connections.

On the official bus website, you can find a map showing all the bus stops and the airport website is the only one offering an English translation of each stop, which is also very helpful.

We bought a time-period ticket valid for all tram, trolleybus and bus routes (€8 for three days or €10 for five days). This is a cheap way to get around Riga, although bear in mind that you won't need it to explore the Old Town or the city centre.

Another option is to take a taxi, but make sure you use a licensed (airport) taxi; otherwise, it could be an expensive journey. Several websites warn about scammers trying to rip off tourists. The easiest option is to use Bolt: you can download the app and see the prices of journeys beforehand. We used it to get back to the airport and were happy with the service. Many cheap flights depart very early in the morning, so make sure you get there in time as the airport is really crowded by 5 am.

Another licensed taxi service is Red Cap, but unfortunately the app could not be used with an Austrian telephone number.

Five places I would recommend to visit in Riga

01) The Most Romantic Café in Old Town

The Old Town is a must-see for anyone visiting Riga for the first time. As well as the sights, there are also lovely places to eat, drink and hang out; you can even take a boat ride. We enjoyed visiting Parunasim kafe'teeka which is said to be the most romantic coffee place in the Old Town. It’s beautifully decorated with vintage pieces and the chocolate cake I ate there was one of the best I have ever tasted, even though I come from a country that invented the Sacher cake. The chocolate on top was thin, melted easily and tasted delicious with the cherries inside.

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Parunasim kafe'teeka
Maza Pils iela 4, Centra rajons, Riga, LV-1050, Lettland

02) Andante Vinyl Lounge Bar

Another place with vintage charm is the Andante Vinyl Bar in the Old Town. They have an excellent selection of vinyls and cocktails. When we arrived, we could already hear Tina Turner singing. While we were ordering our drinks, we were also allowed to choose a vinyl we would like to listen to. Of course, I chose Bryan Adams. The whole bar had to listen to the whole album which was an enjoyable experience – at least for me ;-) They also offered us some free snacks with our drinks which was nice.

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Andante Vinyl Lounge Bar
Laipu iela 7, Centra rajons

03) Northern Grip

The best vintage things come in threes. Riga is also known for its cool second-hand shops. The one that appealed to me the most was Northern Grip which also sold Japanese clothing and reworked vintage pieces. The locals like to visit the Humana stores – there are at least four in the city centre. If you're lucky, you can get some great offers as they sell everything in the stores for a couple of euros from time to time.

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Northern Grip
Location 01: Galerija Centrs, Audeju iela 16
Location 02: Krisjana Barona iela 44

04) St. Peter’s Church

For a great view over the city, I would recommend visiting St Peter's Church. It costs 9 euros to use the elevator and visit the church, but the view is really impressive and gives you a good idea of how huge Riga really is. Bear in mind that you have to climb some steps beforehand, so it might not be accessible for wheelchair users. You cannot see the queue which is already waiting inside the church to use the elevator. There is only one and only a handful of passengers can use it at one time.

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St. Peter’s Church
Reformacijas Laukums 1, Old Town

05) Zuzeum

If the weather had been better, I would have loved to visit the Latvian Museum of Photography which unfortunately closes at the weekend. One cultural place we enjoyed visiting was the Zuzeum art space. From what I have seen, they always have great exhibitions; currently, there is a Bauhaus-themed exhibition. When we were there, the Austrian artist Erwin Wurm showed a great collection of his sculptures. The Zuzeum also has a nice rooftop terrace. Unfortunately, it was raining that day and it was also closed as a private event was taking place.

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Bonus tip: Enjoy the tasty food in Riga

All the food we tried was delicious. We had pancakes at This Place Doesn't Need a Name just next to our apartment on Avotu iela, tried bagels at Big Bad Bagels, had lunch in the Stockmann café and ate dinner in the Karjala Grill Bar. We avoided Lido, Riga’s most famous canteen, as I had heard reports of food poisoning and we didn't want to take the risk.