03-05-2025
Riga is that increasing rarity in Europe – a truly great-value city break
Writer Graham Greene once hailed Riga the 'Paris of the North' and it's an epithet that has never rung truer. The Latvian capital – with its bountiful museums and galleries – is bathed in culture and history, its streets a living museum of remarkable architecture, including some of Europe's most impressive Art Nouveau buildings.
Alongside the rich heritage is the bright face of a confident, cosmopolitan European capital with a thriving foodie scene that has impressed Michelin. Riga is also that increasing rarity in Europe – a truly great value city break.
Riga, older than both St. Petersburg and Stockholm, is the grandest of the three Baltic Republic capitals, fizzing with a palpable big-city swagger.
After spending much of the 20th century being dominated by Germany, and then the Soviet Union, Latvia hasn't looked back since the early 1990s when it threw off the shackles of communism, embracing European Union membership in 2004, three years after celebrating its 800th anniversary.
Over the last decade or so, Riga has really come of age with a slew of new hotels, restaurants and bars that offer real strength in depth, fleshing out the culture and history that were already worth a visit in their own right.
What to see and do
Handily, almost all of Riga's delights lie on the east bank of the Daugava River. Its chocolate-box, World Heritage-listed Old Town is laced with a forest of church spires and sweeping squares.
Easing over the cobbles feels like sifting through the dusty pages of a historical novel, one that soars to the epic with the vaulting spires of St. Peter's Church and Riga Dome Cathedral.
The lavishly Gothic House of the Blackheads, revamped to celebrate Riga's 800th, is perhaps the most impressive building – and in Riga that is saying something.
Don't make the mistake of sticking just to the Old Town, though, as another world awaits across Bastejkalns Park (en route, check out the Freedom Monument, with its tightly-drilled guards).
This relaxing green lung is typical of the city, nearly half of which is given over to green space.
The other architectural Riga, on the far side of the park, is a new town awash with Europe's finest German Art Nouveau, or Jugenstil.
Lavish touches and extravagant motifs adorn street after street. Don't miss a stroll along Elizabetes iela and Alberta iela. Pop into the Riga Art Nouveau Centre if you crave more.
You could spend weeks exploring Riga's cultural treasures. Other highlights include The Riga Motor Museum, with its impressive collection of over 100 antique vehicles, including those belonging to Soviet heads of state.
The revamped Latvian National Museum of Arts boasts a collection spanning seven floors and myriad styles.
The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia takes a deep dive into Latvia's tumultuous history, echoing some of the dark clouds swirling around contemporary Europe.
Where to eat
The old and new sides of Riga converge at the Central Market. These old zeppelin hangers were where locals scrambled to shop during the years of Soviet privations.
Today, some parts are still a throwback, but there is also the Gastronomy Pavilion, with 300 stalls. Traditional fish and meats from the Latvian coast and hinterland appeal – try the local delicacy of rye bread with herring, traditional grey peas and potatoes for a few euros.
But there are also smash burgers, cool cocktails and delicious influences from all around the world. Europe's largest market is unmissable for foodies.
This is the modern face of Riga in a nutshell, a city that at once echoes the most charming parts of St Petersburg on one hand; Paris on the other.
Michelin have also discovered Riga, publishing their first guide to Latvia in 2024. For 2025, Michelin recommends 31 Latvian restaurants, with both starred restaurants in the capital: JOHN Chef's Hall and Max Cekot Kitchen.
The latter's 15-course tasting menu is a culinary journey through the heart of Latvia, changing with the seasons.
Where to drink
The Central Market is a great spot for an atmospheric drink. The Old Town bars also run the gamut, from traditional drinking dens through to Irish pubs and an increasing sweep of stylish haunts catering for discerning locals and savvy visitors. Dive into the lively local craft beer scene at O'Paps, or at cellar bar Distillers Republic, who also mix mean cocktails.
Clayton McNamaras Drinking Emporium, themed around sci-fi movies from the Eighties and Nineties, may just be the quirkiest bar in a city.
For a bird's-eye view of Riga, ascend the lift to the Skyline Bar, where cocktails tempt. Local liqueur Riga Black Balsam works its way into the espresso martinis.
Where to stay
Riga's hotel scene has mushroomed over the last couple of decades. The city offers great value for money, with real luxury at reasonable rates, especially out of season.
Old timer the Grand Palace Riga, with doubles from £120 per night, including breakfast, is a top option in the heart of the old town, with interiors fashioned by British designer Andrew Martin.
The Grand Hotel Kempinski Riga has doubles from £160 per night, including breakfast, and is another grand luxury abode in a central location.
The Pullman Riga Old Town has doubles from £80 per night, including breakfast, offers real value in the Old Town, and has a 19m swimming pool.
Day trips
The Baltic coast is a spectacular wildscape of white sand, emerald pine, big skies and cobalt sea, all within easy reach of Riga. The favourite Baltic escape of city dwellers is Jurmala, just a half-hour train or bus ride away.
The grand old health treatment centres sit alongside slicker boutique spas and hotels, with lashings of gorgeous old wooden buildings bringing a fairy-tale charm. The greatest therapy here, though, is a life-affirming stroll along the sands with the Baltic breeze filling your lungs.
A more sobering excursion, which weaves into Latvia's darkest days, is to Salaspils, site of a Second World War German concentration camp. Thousands of Jews, POWs and political prisoners were sent here, with around 1,000 souls perishing in its construction alone.
A massive 1960s-era Soviet memorial marks the horror, alongside one added in 2004 dedicated to the Jews murdered here. It is half an hour by bus or train from Riga.
If you arrive in Riga by cruise ship
The city has grown in popularity with cruise lines, particularly with St Petersburg now out of bounds, and there are plans for a new cruise terminal.
For now, Riga Passenger Port could scarcely be better located – on the River Daugava, less than a mile from the old town.
Facilities are limited, but it's an easy, flat walk. Taxis are available. Cruise ship tour buses leave from right next to the berth.
If you only have eight hours, climb the 217 steps for startling views from Riga Dome Cathedral ( wander through history and nature in Bastejkalns Park and savour the Art Nouveau beyond the old town.
For something different, cross the Daugava for postcard views back to the Old Town, check out the Latvian Railway History Museum and the Jana Seta Map Shop, with its Cold War-era cartography.
How to do it
Opodo offers a two-night Riga city break from £222 per person, including flights and accommodation at the Radisson Hotel Old Town Riga. British Airways flies from London Heathrow to Riga from £140 return. Grand Palace Riga has double rooms from £120 per night, including breakfast.
