The best things to do in Riga

We visited Riga as a group of four in mid-July 2024. We drove down to the city from Tallinn in Estonia, and were able to stop at a few sights in rural Latvia along the way. As an old Soviet state, Riga has some amazing history in Riga and the surrounding areas that give context to the city’s past and present which I’m really glad we experienced alongside the more contemporary side of Latvia.

These were our favourite places to visit in Riga.

The Corner House, KGB Headquarters 

Probably the most interesting place we visited during our time in Riga was The Corner House, an old KGB Headquarters in the middle of town. We paid for the guided tour which was so interesting and informative. Our guide walked us around the rooms of the old building, explaining what would have happened in each one. The history was bleak and moving, but fascinating as I didn’t know much at all about Latvia’s Soviet history.

The tour takes about 1.5-2 hours and costs about €15. We got to see offices, jail cells, a kitchen, outdoor areas, the gates that prisoners would be brought in through, and much more of the building. The guide really gave us a feeling of what it would be like to be stuck here, and the terror that the KGB inflicted on Latvians during this time.

Explore the Old Town

One of my favourite things to do in old European cities is wander the streets of the Old Town. In Riga, this area is fairly large and is full of modern restaurants, bars, and shops so you could easily spend your whole trip in this area. Doma laukums, The House of the Blackheads, and the medieval Three Brothers buildings are all in Riga’s Old Town. 

We also took the 30 minute Rigas Turists tour, which cost €10 per person and has an informative guided audio tour about the history of the buildings and streets.

Bastejkalna Park

This peaceful city centre park is a great place to stop and rest just on the border of the old town and the newer city. Nearby is the impressive Freedom Monument and the beautiful facade of the Riga Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral,

Day trip to Cesis or Sigulda

We drove to Riga from Estonia, so we stopped at a couple of towns along the way. First was Cesis, which is a small historic town that has an incredible medieval castle with beautiful grounds. We also drove to Sigulda, which is dubbed the Switzerland of Latvia. The sleepy village was beautiful and green, with a really relaxing feel to it. There are lots of great hikes and viewpoints in this area, and it’s also where the old Soviet bobsleigh track is which we had wanted to visit as part of a guided tour. But since we were on limited time, we settled for just seeing this beautiful area from the window of our hire car!

Galeria Riga

We weren’t in Riga to go shopping, but found lots of great stores in Galeria Riga. We actually came here to visit the rooftop, which has amazing views across the city as well as some great bars and restaurants. We stopped at Herbarijs for lunch and cocktails and it turned out to be one of our favourite places to eat and drink in the city. 

Find our favourite places to eat and drink in Riga in our blog here.