I visited Riga last days of 2022 and I stayed there for 4 days. I went there by plane from Manchester. The good thing is Riga airport was so close to the city center and I used a public bus to arrive at the center. I bought a single bus card and went to the hotel first for check-in. It was snowy in Riga those days.
After checking in and resting a bit in the hotel. I went to the city center by walking and passed the Stone Bridge over the Daugava river. I arrived at the House of the Blackheads. The square calls Ratslaukums and there was a big Christmas tree at that time. On that square, I saw the Riga City Hall. It was a nicely designed square I think and after taking some images I continue the walk to the Riga Cathedral. The Cathedral was looking good and after paying the entrance fee, I visited the Cathedral as well. It was a nice big cathedral. The building is a Gothic and Baroque style. After finishing the visit there I walked to the riverside and it was sunset hours. I took some pictures of sunset colors with the National Library of Latvia.
After that, I walked to Riga Castle. That castle was protected by soldiers and the building was looking good. Then I walked to the Three Brothers, Latvian Museum of Architecture building. There is another museum in Riga and three buildings were next to each other with different styles. St Jacob’s Catholic Cathedral of Riga was near those buildings and I visited that Cathedral too. It is a 13th-century church in Riga with a Gothic style.
I walked to the Christmas market in Riga, and it was so good atmosphere. There is most probably one of the best Christmas markets in the world. There was nice food and drink spots with souvenir shops and a huge Christmas tree. I waited there a bit and feel the atmosphere with nice music in the area. Then I walked to the Freedom monument in Bastejkalna park. That park also was full of Christmas decorations. There was nice light equipment over trees. The Latvian National Opera building was in that park as well and it was looking nice building from the outside.
After getting tired a bit I walked back to the Christmas market side and rest in a café. Then had dinner in Lido restaurant. There was nice and in the city center, I recognized many of them. There were many food options. After eating dinner head to the Radisson Blu Hotel in Riga. There was a nice view floor and a café on the top floor. It was nice to see Riga from the top. After that, I went to the Hotel by passing Vansu Tilt Bridge.
On the 2nd day in Riga, I went to the National Library of Latvia first. The design of the library was unique. When I enter the building I saw some nicely designed roofs for books and there were many books and study rooms. Also, the view from there was nice as well. I went up to the last floor and took some pictures there. Then I walked down all floors and checked inside the library. When finished visiting inside I walked a bit outside too and I like one sculpture that was from child to adult with increasing size of the books.
Then I walked to the House of the Black head area and followed to the Christmas market side. I visited the St Peters Church and I went to the tower of the church via an old lift. I paid for the going up to the tower in Church. When I went there it was a bit cold but worth seeing the view from there. It allowed me to see all sides of Riga from the tower and I took many photos from there. When I finish I went down and walked to Bastejkalna Park. That park was nice at day time too. Then walked from the freedom monument to Esplanade Park. That park also had a Christmas market and there were some nice souvenir shops and an entertainment area. Inside the park, I visited the Riga Nativity of Christ Orthodox Church. It was a well-designed building. After finishing that I walked from Vermane garden to the Riga Central market. That market was huge and had many halls inside. It was cheap and many options for food and other things there. It was crowded.
After finishing the visit there I wanted to see the Riga Building College because the building was seen from many points in Riga. There was also a viewpoint on the top floor too. Then I walked to the Origo shopping center. It was a modern shopping center and had many brands inside. When I finish visiting there I went again to Lido restaurant for dinner and then went back to the hotel and rested.
On other days I went to Jurmala and Jelgava which were close to Riga and visited those cities too. In the evening times, I walked to the old town of Riga and visited some places too. They were Agenskalns market and that market was nice I had pizza there and again there were many food and shopping options. In the old town side, I visited the Swedish Gate and castle walls, and Powder tower.
I recognized there were many museums around too. If I had more time I would like to visit museums as well. Some other places worth visiting there;
-Riga Motor Museum
-The Ethnographic Open Air Museum
-Riga National Zoological Garden
-Latvian National Museum of Art
-Railway Museum
-Laima Chocolate Museum
-Latvian Museum of Natural History
-Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
If visited before and have more favorite spots in Riga please comment.
