Our four nights in Riga, Latvia were a blend of history and hustle. We took three essential free walking tours (Old Town, Art Nouveau, Alternative Riga), explored the famous Central Market, and learned about the city’s complex past. Plus, our review of trying to see Ed Sheeran in a crowd of 50,000!
We had four nights in Riga and, yes, I should’ve written this from a café on the Daugava instead of from the road. The Baltic storylines rhyme—centuries of occupation, fresh independence, a little friendly rivalry—yet each country keeps its own rhythm (Estonia’s tech swagger, Latvia’s Art Nouveau, Lithuania’s hoops). Riga gave us a bit of all of that—and a nudge to slow down.
Arriving & Getting Around
We rolled in from Tallinn by bus (~4 hours) and finally figured out Bolt (think Uber, but cheaper). App installed, no haggling, €4.40 for a 12-minute ride—done.
Where We Slept (and Why It Cost More)
Ed Sheeran in town = scarce rooms. We landed a guesthouse at ~CAD $120/night with breakfast—more than we’d like, but central, quiet, and fuelled us well each morning.
First Bites: Garlic For Days
Dinner at the Flying Frog Café came with a one-hour kitchen wait warning. We stayed: beers, garlic toast (mighty), ribs for me, mango chicken for Nic. Solid choices, lingering garlic.
Old Town, UNESCO & The Hanseatic Thread
Free Walking Tour #1 with Kaspars (Riga Free Tour). He’s refreshingly blunt: Old Town is gorgeous—and mostly for tourists. Still, the story sings: a Hanseatic trading hub wrapped by a moat-turned-park canal, river on one side, spires and cobbles on the other. Many façades are reconstructions; the atmosphere is very real.
Latvia in Fast-Forward
Balts settle the area (9th c.). Germans conquer and Christianize; Latvians become serfs bound to the land. Poland and Sweden swap control; Russia takes over late 18th century. Brief independence declared in 1918/recognized in 1920. WWII: USSR → Nazi Germany → USSR again. Independence was restored in 1991. Today: parliamentary republic, PM leads government, a lively multi-party scene, and an economy still catching up but moving.
Show Night: Ed Sheeran (and 50,000 of Our Closest Friends)
We walked ~6 km to the riverside park. Heard Zara Larsson’s “Lush Life” from outside, caught James Bay, then Ed. The music? Great. The view? Ed was an inch tall; Nic saw mostly the backs of heads. Standing for hours in a human ocean isn’t our future concert style. Add a 6 km walk home with the crowd surge and… good memory, new boundary.
Art Nouveau 101 (with Sub-Styles!)
Free Tour #2 dove into Riga’s Art Nouveau golden age (1897–1913): about one in three central buildings. Beyond the postcard faces and mythic creatures, Kaspars decoded northern romanticism, perpendicular functionalism, eclectic and neo-classical twists. We can now spot an Eizenshtein façade without the caption.
The “Alternative” Riga
Free Tour #3 left the tourist bubble: Central Market (zeppelin hangars reborn), the Moscow district, wooden architecture (over 2,000 buildings), and everyday Riga. Wartime scars and choices surfaced: only ~5% of buildings were destroyed in WWII (Hitler wanted a usable port); ~90% of Riga’s prewar Jewish population was murdered. Post-USSR, Latvia’s “non-citizens” (largely Russian-speaking residents without prewar roots) get a special passport and mobility; children can be registered Latvian citizens—policy still evolving.
Small Moments We Loved
- The City Canal parks: easy green loops between tours.
- The Cat House tale(s)—petty, perfect folklore.
- Manhole-cover photography (Nic’s new niche?).
- Old Town by night across the river—Riga glows.
What’s Next (and Slowing the Pace)
Three tours in three days = brain full. Ed = feet sore. Verdict: time to breathe. We booked a full week in Vilnius, then two weeks in Poland (Warsaw + Kraków day trips). After that, Skyscanner roulette sent us further afield: 19 unhurried days in Jordan, then ~10 in Malta, and onward to Budapest—all three flights under €350 total. Nic handles homes; I wrangle wheels. Teamwork.
Reflections from the Daugava
Riga taught us two things at once: how thoroughly a city can rebuild its face without losing its story, and how quickly a trip can outrun the travellers. In a place that has spent centuries reclaiming its name, language, and skyline, “slowing down” feels less like an indulgence and more like a skill. We’ll take that lesson with us—to Vilnius, to Jordan, and to every inch-tall concert we politely decline from here on out.
