The first time I actually thought about Latvia was somewhere during the first Trump presidency, when I listened to a podcast called The Eastern Border. I was big into podcasts at that point and the host’s style was raw and distinctive. The second time I thought of Latvia was when my sister said she was going to a party in Riga. Those two sources led to my adding it to the Tijuana Eurotrip. I’m quite glad I did.
Latvia as a country has a wild history, and Riga as an official city has been around for over 800 years. This place has some stories to tell! Riga was a blast for me and a lot happened there, so I’ll try to give you the stuff you care about. All killer, no filler.
Where to stay? Check VRBO, before anything else. In recent years VRBO customer service is absolutely dominating other short term rental sites and you are far more likely to have a good experience with them over others. I like to support local businesses, especially when traveling, and renting a flat from the owner is an easy and economical way to do it while experiencing new places.
How to get around: Walk. I did a 30,000 step day here, without even realizing it. Hoofing it will quickly help you learn the layout of the old city, and you will constantly find new points of interest. Riga was continually rewarding us for exploring.
Walking Tour: YES, there are loads of walking tours here! The history of this city and the country are RICH, and you should go learn about them! I went with Riga Free Tour, and many of the walking tours meet at the Bremen Town Musician statue behind St. Peter’s church. The Bremen statue, famously sporting the characters of the Grimm tale where an Ass, Dog, Cat, and Cock team up to chase out some robbers from their house, was erected just prior to Latvia regaining independence from the USSR. This statue is quite popular and is a good meeting point.
Shopping: There are so many interesting, unique, and sometimes expensive shops in Europe that will entice Americans. Most of these shops are easily identified, or are highly specific artisans. These are often outside the scope of my writing. Please, don’t let that stop you from asking around about your interests. That said, a little shop that stood out to me in Riga was KILO MAX! It is a fun thrift store in Riga that does a monthly sale; everything in the store is 2€! If you have time to kill, go check it out. When I was there, all the fashions from the 1980s were back and it was a great place to find stuff that one would never find in the USA. It was well worth the trip.
If you are looking for a bit more expensive but still unique try out Iveta Vecmane. It’s ladies fashion, so nothing fit me, but it’s still pretty haute!
Food runs the full gambit in Riga. You can go to the Americana bar and get Ruby Tuesday’s fare, or you can go to one of the unbelievable restaurants for anything you can imagine. If you are going to spring for one nice meal in this part of the world, I would recommend Riga. We managed to get in to prix fixe or happy hour at a couple of the truly upscale restaurants in town despite our humble (grungy) appearance. Check out Pavāru or Kolonade, if you can’t make up your mind.
Just off of the old town square is a joint called “This Place Doesn’t Need a Name.” It’s pretty true, everything that we tried there was absolute top tier; visually, and gustatorialy. It was directly out our front door, so we tried it a few times.
If you are a drinker, Riga won’t bankrupt you, but it’s not the cheapest thing in the world. If you want to have a few, consider buying some bottles at the market and drinking them while hanging in the beauuuutiful parks or just walking around and taking in the old town!
If you have had all you can stand of this beautiful and fun city and want to get out of town, consider taking the train west to the beaches, or follow our lead and rent a car from EuropCar in the old town! More of car rentals in the next installment about Lithuania.
Riga was like Venice for me in some ways. There was no great attraction in Venice, other than simply BEING there. The same can be said for Riga; walk around and BE part of the place. There is no single church, or plaza or attraction in Riga that shines above simple getting lost in the city and allowing the city to absorb you and make you one of the locals. It was a delight, and I hope to be back!
Wrap Up:
- Walk. Riga will reward you.
- Spring for one nice dinner. It’s worth it.
- Buy drinks at the grocery store or 7/11 and enjoy them in the gorgeous public spaces.
- To get out of town, take the train to the beaches, or rent a car and get lost!