Things to do in Riga
Old Town, canal kayaking, Art Nouveau, and Latvian food worth crossing a continent for.
This is Riga for someone who wants to eat and drink well without performing tourism: market breakfasts, acclaimed lunches, one serious dinner per night, and enough culture to feel the city's weight. The plan covers the Old Town and Central District first, then fans out to the Quiet Centre, keeping distances short and leaving room to wander.
Day 1: Central District, canal to table
Start inside the Zeppelin-hangar market, climb St Peter's tower for the lay of the land, drift the canals by wooden boat, then step up to modern Latvian cooking at its most ambitious.
- 9:30 AM
Central Market Food Stalls
Hot Uzbek flatbreads and market stalls, the local way to start the day inside the iconic Zeppelin hangars.
Map - 10:30 AM
St Peter's Church
Ride the lift to Riga's best panoramic viewpoint, sweeping rooftop and Daugava river views from a medieval tower.
Map - 12:30 PM
Milda
Latvian home cooking in the Old Town; order grey peas with bacon and the layered rye bread dessert.
Map - 2:30 PM
Canal and Daugava Boat Tour
One-hour wooden boat ride through the canal ring and Daugava, the easiest and most scenic orientation tour of Riga.
Map - 7:30 PM
3 Pavāru Restorāns
Acclaimed modern Latvian with art-on-the-plate ambition by Jacob's Barracks, the one memorable dinner of the trip.
Map - 9:30 PM
Latvian National Opera
Walk past the floodlit 1863 opera house and along the canal park after dinner; book a show on another night.
Map
Day 2: Dome Cathedral and Old Town depth
The occupation museum and the cathedral give the day real ballast before a fish dinner at Le Dome, capped by lit-canal kayaking after dark.
- 9:30 AM
Café Mimosa
All-day brunch including stracciatella-and-truffle omelette, Strēlnieku iela location.
Map - 10:30 AM
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
Newly renovated, sober and essential, the occupation museum covers Latvia's 1940 to 91 Soviet/Nazi history unflinchingly.
Map - 12:30 PM
Neiburgs
Acclaimed traditional Latvian cooking in a handsome Old Town building, solid casual lunch.
Map - 2:00 PM
Dome Cathedral
Founded 1211, the largest medieval cathedral in the Baltics, worth every minute for the organ and vaulted nave.
Map - 7:30 PM
Le Dome
Baltic fish and seafood in a quiet room beside the cathedral; order whatever came in from the Gulf that day.
Map - 9:30 PM
Riga Canal Kayaking by Night
Lit canal kayaking after dark, a proper Riga-only evening adventure; ~2 to 3 hrs, back well before 23:30.
Map
Day 3: Art Nouveau, Nordic lunch, proper cocktails
Alberta iela interiors over facades, a great-value open-sandwich lunch at SMOR, the national art museum in a restored 1905 building, and Tails for seafood and serious cocktail craft to close.
- 10:30 AM
Art Nouveau District (Alberta iela
Step inside the museum apartment on Alberta iela to see actual Art Nouveau period interiors, not just the famous facades.
Map - 12:30 PM
SMOR Bistro
Nordic open sandwiches on dense rye; order three to share, the herring and the smoked fish first.
Map - 2:30 PM
Latvian National Museum of Art
The best survey of Latvian art inside a beautifully restored 1905 purpose-built museum, a genuine highlight.
Map - 7:30 PM
Tails
Acclaimed Tails does serious cocktail craft alongside seafood, the one splurge dinner of the trip in the Quiet Centre.
Map
Where to stay
Dome Hotel & Spa
Mid-range price, Old Town location puts every day-one and day-two stop within walking distance, and the building has real character.
Grand Poet Hotel and SPA by Semarah
Sits between the Old Town and the Art Nouveau district, so day three runs on foot, and the price-to-comfort ratio is strong for what you get.
Make Riga your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- The Corner House: a few days ahead
- Latvian National Opera and Ballet: a few days ahead
- Žanis Lipke Memorial: a few days ahead
- Sigulda Bobsleigh and Luge Track: a few days ahead
- Max Cekot Kitchen: weeks ahead
- JOHN Chef's Hall: weeks ahead
Skip these
- Old Town trap restaurants on Kalku and Livu: picture menu plus a tout outside means walk, a menu in Latvian first is a good sign.
- Amber shops on every Old Town corner, the same goods are 30 percent plus cheaper at Central Market and much tourist amber is not amber.
- Large Daugava only river cruises over the smaller canal boats, and do not pay for both St Peter's and the Academy of Sciences viewing platform.
- Rozengrals medieval cellar is fun theatre, but locals rate the food below Milda and Ala at similar spend.
The full Riga travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around