Riga is one of those cities that took me by surprise. Before visiting, I did not really know anything about Latvia, so nothing prepared me for how incredibly unique and beautiful its capital city is! Perched on the Baltic sea, Latvia is nestled between Estonia and Lithuania. Riga itself is on the Daugava river, close to where it meets the sea. Riga’s picturesque old town is easy to explore on foot. Read on for how to spend 2 days in Riga, Latvia.
Remember to buy travel insurance for your trip. Receive a 5% discount on Heymondo travel insurance.
2-Day Itinerary for Riga, Latvia
Day 1 in Riga
House of the Blackheads
How to spend two days in Riga? Start in the historic centre! The world-famous House of the Blackheads is a fine example of Hanseatic architecture. It was originally built in 1334 as a public building for merchants. Its name comes from when it was used by the Brotherhood of Blackheads (a guild for merchants and shipowners) in the mid 1400s. Most of the decorative features were added later in the early 1600s. Apparently this is also where the first ever decorative Christmas tree stood! Unfortunately the House of the Blackheads was destroyed in WWII, so a lot of what you can see today had to be reconstructed.
Historic City Centre
Even older than House of the Blackheads is the historic city centre. Here you can wander along cobbled streets and marvel at impressive medieval buildings like Riga Cathedral and St Peter’s Church (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). You can climb to the top of St Peter’s church bell tower for stunning views over the city. Opening hours are 10am – 6pm.
Book a Private Old Town Walking Tour here.
Three Brothers
In the middle of the history city centre you’ll also find the “Three Brothers“. Three neighbouring buildings each showcasing a different period in Riga’s architectural history, and housing the Latvian Museum of Architecture. The white building on the right is the oldest (15th century). The yellow house dates to the mid 17th century and the green towards the end of the 17th century.
Lunch at Lido
Hands down the best place to eat in Riga is Lido (there are a few dotted around the city. Don’t come here expecting luxury, but do expect to be treated to the best of authentic Latvian cuisine, and as much of it as you want! It has a canteen vibe where you can pick what you want from a variety of different hot dishes and desserts.
Dinner
Feel like something a fancy? Try Vincents, 3 Pavaru or 1221. 1221 has a blue facade covered in bucolic artwork, making it a famous photo spot in Riga. The restaurant covers 3 floors in this pretty building right in the heart of Riga old town. There is also a roof terrace. They serve a la carte traditional Latvian food. UPDATE: 1221 has now closed and has been replaced with a new restaurant called “Dom” in the same building.
Day 2 in Riga
Marvel at Art Nouveau Buildings
Architecture buffs will have an absolute field day. Riga is home to some incredibly pretty buildings. Riga has the finest collection of art nouveau buildings in the whole of Europe – which is definitely saying something! Head to Albert Street (Alberta iela) for the most famous examples. You can book an Art Nouveau walking tour here.
Take a River Cruise
You can hire a boat with a captain to take you for a cruise down the river. It’s nice to see the city from a different perspective and to have someone to tell you about what you are seeing. Additionally, Riga is an incredibly green city and this is most obvious from the river. Book a private boat tour here.
Lunch
The food at Milda is excellent. If that’s a bit out of your price range, head back to Lido as they have something new to try every day!
Go on a Brewery Tour
There is a huge craft beer scene in Riga. There’s an entire district devoted to beer with dozens of breweries. The best way to explore is to take a guided brewery tour, or to hop on a beer bike tour!
Practical Guidance for Riga, Latvia
As well as the itinerary for how to spend two days in Riga, I’ve also included some practical guidance below:
Where to stay in Riga
There are a whole host of cute and quirky airbnbs in Riga, usually right in the city centre and for really affordable prices. Stay in this one, this one or this one with views over St Peter’s Church!
Transport in Riga
The city is easy to navigate and most of the main sights are in the historical old town area, so you can spend most of your time on foot. Public transport is cheap and plentiful, or you could rent a bike or book a cycle tour of the city.
Money in Riga (Latvia): (EUR)
Latvia is part of the Euro currency area. To get euros at the best rates, I highly recommend getting a WISE card before you go. This allows you to convert money into euros (or any other currency!) at the best rates and then spend on your Wise card as though it were a local bank card or withdraw cash in Latvia without hidden fees. Wise is a UK-based financial services company (available in most countries worldwide) and is highly regulated in the various regions it operates in (in the UK it is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority).
Get your WISE card here.
Travel Insurance
Make sure that you have travel insurance to cover you for your trip. I can highly recommend Heymondo. I use them to cover me for all my trips and their app is very easy to use.
Purchase Heymondo travel insurance with a 5% discount here.
Where next?
Hopefully you’ve found this post on how to spend two days in Riga useful. Why not combine Riga with some other cities as part of a bigger trip? It’s incredibly easy to hop on the bus to either Tallinn in Estonia or Vilnius in Lithuania, making Riga an excellent base for exploring the Baltic States. From Tallinn you can take a short 2-hour ferry to Helsinki. Loving the architecture and art history? Why not head slightly further east and explore St Petersburg in Russia?
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What a cute city. The Art Nouveau buildings are lovely. Would love to visit Riga.
Looks like an amazing place to explore. Lido sounds delicious! I love historic architecture.
I’ve heard so many good things about Riga. Your post just reinforces that this needs to be on our travel list. The architecture alone makes it worth a visit.
Wow, Riga definitely looks beautiful. I will pin this to use for a future visit.
Don’t you find that when you have no preconceived notions about a new place that it always exceeds your expectations? That’s the magical part of true, untainted discovery and the best part about travel, in my experience. 🙂