Riga - Attractions

1. The Old Town
In 2001, Old Riga celebrated its 800th birthday. The Old Town is the most ancient part of Riga and is also the beginning of Riga – with the first local inhabitant log building from the 11th century and the first German newcomer stone building from the 13th century.

2. Art nouveau architecture
Riga is famous for its Art Nouveau architecture. No other European city can boast of so many buildings and architectural ensembles built at the end of the last century, having all the features of the Art Nouveau style.

3. Zoo
Riga’s zoological garden is a fine large zoo, where you can easily spend half a day. You enter through the old portico from 1912, and arrive at a bird lake with cormorants and other northerly birds. The pride of the zoo is their large herd of kiangs, wild asses from Tibet, which are seriously rare in the wild. Another strong point is their array of eight bear species.

4. Outdoor Museum
The museum covers 100 hectares with farmsteads, windmills, fishing villages, churches and other historic structures, which have been moved here and preserved for posterity. Watch craftsmen perform various tasks or try some Latvian cuisine and drink in the old inn.

5. Lido Recreation Centre
The LIDO Recreation Centre from 1999 is one of the biggest and most beautiful log buildings in Europe. It has already become one of the favourite places of family recreation in Riga. The LIDO offers a typical Latvian environment, delicious, local delicacies, unfiltered LIDO beer, live music every evening, and celebration of national festivities with gorgeous decorations and concerts!

6. The Latvian National Opera
The celebrated national opera of Latvia presents an impressive opera- and ballet repertoire. In June every year, an opera festival takes place.

7. Riga Dome Cathedral
The Riga Dome Cathedral is the largest church in the Baltics, measuring 187 x 43 metres, with walls two metres thick. It has also one of the biggest organs in Europe (6,768 pipes!). The drop from Dome Square to the cathedral’s base shows how the level of the city has risen in the 800 years since its foundations were laid on the site of a Livonian fishing village.

8. St. Peter’s Church
This church was first mentioned in 1209. Its dramatic history includes a collapsed church tower and several fires. From the observation platform built on the top of the tower, you can enjoy a wonderful bird’s eye view of Riga. Nowadays, it’s one of the best samples of Gothic architecture in the Baltic Sea Region. Various concerts and exhibitions are held in the church.

9. Occupation Museum
The Museum was established in Riga in 1993 by the Occupation Museum Foundation, in order to provide information about Latvia and its people under two occupying totalitarian regimes from 1940 to 1991 and remind the world of the wrongdoings committed by foreign powers against the state and people of Latvia.

10. Squares and Parks
Riga has many impressive squares and numerous parks that offer plenty of recreational opportunities for visitors in need for a break or a drink in an outdoor café.