My vacation in Riga

Walks and sightseeing

If your accomodation is in the city center or the old town, you will rapidly discover it might not be worth it to get a public transport ticket as Riga is very walkable. If you need a ticket, you can get if off the Rigas Satiksme mobile app or in a physical form at vending machines or any Narvesen Kiosk (for bus 22, you can get the ticket directly fromthe driver but it is the only exception). There are single use and 1, 3 or 5 day tickets available which activate when validated inside the bus or tram. The single-use ticket is valid for 90 minutes which means you can validate it again on as many transports as you want in that period. If you validate it in minute 89, you can stay in that transport as long as you need to - only validation counts for the time limit.

Nonetheless, most of your time in Riga should be spent going by foot. The paved streets of the old town make access difficult to cars and I don't recommend going by bike in Riga. This is why I will recommend some places and ways to walk around if you don't feel like choosing a direction blindly.

Parks

Mežaparks
This park is well known for hosting the Grand Stage of the Song festival but there is a huge chance you are not in Latvia while it happens. The good news is that the park also has a permanent exhibition about the celebration ; look up the SongSpace exhibition.
If you get caught up observing the birds and end up spending more time there, nighttime is perfect to take a look into the Garden of Lights.
I do not recommend visiting the Zoological Garden. Used to be great, is becoming way sadder as years go by. It saddens me to admit I think it's time for it to let go as there is no more money to make it as nice as I used to know it.
Botanical Garden
For students, this place is so cheap for what it is. It has beautiful flowers and unique roses but the most interesting place remains the house of (huge) butterflies (featuring a few parrots) and the Greenhouse. Plus, last time I visited, it was getting restored so it will probably be better than ever in the near future. The atmosphere is awesome for relaxing and you can also find statues and art scattered around. image of park could not be loaded

Vermanes park
Events are hosted quite often there in the oldest park of Riga. If you are more interested in colourful flowers than in fountains, please visit it in the summer. It is central but also very small. My advice would be to use it as a shortcut and appreciate it in this way.
Arkadijas park
This is my favorite park. Its composition is ideal. The landscaping work is the best in Riga for me. The many elements make it visually stimulating but not overwhelming. Relax near one of the ponds, bridges or throw a leaf in the water to watch it take a ride in a waterfall. Definitely the cutest park to have a picnic or read a book.
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Bastejkalns park
I love this park for its central location and its ducks (please feed ducks with peas and not bread if you wish to) ! It has many hills, waterfalls and you can sit near the canal. It is not the calmest park though, for its location makes it attractive to many people and it is a place of passage.

Guided tours

If you don't have much time in Riga, I advise to go on one or multiple free guided tours . My tip is to try to book the Old Riga tour at 10am and to directly make it follow by the Alternative Riga tour at 12 if you feel brave to have access to a lesser known part of town and spend 2 more hours to discover the secrets of the Moscow kvartal.
These completely free of charge tours are often interesting and the guides are engaging, often being pssionates and history students. That is why I encourage to bring a small amount of cash with you to thank them with a tip.

Art Nouveau streets

Riga has the highest concentration of Art nouveau buildings in the world so if you are keen on architecture, you can't ignore it !
One of my favorite Quiet center walks is on Elizabetes iela and Albertas iela which are filled with Art Nouveau architecture. I love to grab an ice cream (especially my top 3 best Latvian brands Rujiena, Ekselence or Pols) and rate each building out of 10 with a friend.

Museums

Occupation museum

This museum is very well configured and an engaging way of learning more about the Latvian perspective under Nazi and Soviet occupation. Without counting the temporary exhibits, if you wish to really go through most of it including listening to videos and examining the exhibited objects, you should count 4 hours to spend but if you are interested in a quicker visit, the museum is also designed to understand the big lines of it by just going through it.
Make sure to the dates of your visit because the visit may be donation based (as opposed to the usual fixed price) on some symbolic days related to occupation and independance !

Corner House

The KGB headquarters, turned into a museum about the KGB headquarters. It seems balanced to me in terms of discussing general functionning of the KGB versus this specific building but it's regrettable that people who know little to nothing to begin with don't get a little more context. Indeed, this museum is only open to visit through a guided tour and, having done it with different guides, I can confirm that it depends at least to some extent on who is presenting it to you but it can easily feel like "dark tourism" and seems directed to foreigners. I can only talk for myself but while the guide on my second visit was very interesting and professional, the morbid light-hearted tone that the first one would take at times is definitely more suitable for people that feel more distant or less affected to the suffering of victims.

Laima Chocolate museum

This is my favorite museum in Riga. Read a sign on the history of factories or anecdotes about the famous Laima clock meeting point (that you will for sure pass by if you go to the Statue of Liberty, but perhaps without knowing it was displaced or that it was usually a tool to make employees oon time for work filled with propaganda posters instead of shiny brand name letters) while enjoying a cup of melted hot chocolate.
Laima is a brand that, to many Latvians, tells a story not only of childhood nostalgia but also symbolic of a history. With its content and the way it is presented, this museum captures it perfectly. Even for those interested like me in studying history "from below" and seeing how the political context influenced things as mundane as sweets, the museum is a very good introduction. The chocolatey design and the detailed notices make for a balanced and playful experience. It is as appealing to those familiar with the brand providing details about the production of emblematic sweets, communication and hisotry as to people that are more generally interested in the process of chocolate making.
If you are thinking about buying sweets from Laima (or even discounted Riga Balsam if you want my advice), wait until after visiting the museum to take advantage of the discount on the shop you get on the day of your visit.

National Art Museum

This museum is a very popular choice for people that are saturated with the many options of historical museums and are looking to explore latvian culture through a different angle ! I wouldn't spend hours inside but it is very good for looking around and discovering what exists and the building itself is beautiful.

Restaurants and bars

Ala pagrabs

My go to recommendation for an underground rustic experience of Latvian food. I love their take on my favorite traditional plate (potato and carrot pancakes with sour cream and jam) and they have all the best Latvian beers. This is the restaurant you should choose if you can only pick one. You can't go wrong when deciding what to eat and they have good deals (happy hour on tuesdays gets you a free beer if you are a student but this is far from the only one, feel free to check their site out).
The best thing you could do for yourself is book a table for Wednesday night (it's always full so don't bother going there for dinner if you did not, but still join in for a drink at the bar) and enjoy watching or (highly recommend) trying out to participate in traditional folk dances !

Lido

This buffet style chain feels homey for Latvians and trying it out could give you an idea of what they eat in everyday life. Have a typical pink beetrootsoup or salad if you want something authentic but my favorite is their sweet pankukas.

Mazā Terapija

This is probably the best vegan place in Riga. If you are vegetarian and you are scared of the same 3 options you see in every place, this cafe will feel like a breath of fresh air to you. Its menu is creative enough and you do not have to worry about what is vegan or not. I also find the ambiance more cozy than in most restuarants so if you are looking for a place on the less noisy side, give its chance to this cute cafe.

Tallinas Kvartāls

To be honest, this space is becoming more popular among tourists and I will tell you my opinion about it : despite posters of alternative shows that can be of use if you don't know where to look for them and nice decor, this repurposed former industrial area with food trucks and colorful street art is like exactly what I would picture if I was asked to design a place that is gentrifying the neighborhood but has hipster enough vibes that it doesn't show.

Vairak Saules

This is the place I would recommend for picky eaters. It's gotten slightly more expensive but it has a wide range of choices with different menus ranging from latvian inspired to international food. It's great if you are with children.

Burzma

Situated on the last floor of the Galleriha Centrs mall, this place is great if you like having many choices, especially of international food. Its name means it's very animated and indeed, it's more often than not quite busy.

Hacapuri Meitene

Because of its history as part of the Soviet Union, Latvian food culture includes borrowing many traditions from other former Soviet Republics, which means that you can find many Georgian food restuarants in Riga. So what made the difference for me here ? It charmed me with its decor including traditional elements and it's very cozy atmosphere. With only a few tables and a restricted menu, this is a hidden gem for hacapuri lovers and they have an amazing georgian lemonade that comes in different flavors.

Markets

Agenskalns market

I snobbed this market for a long time but since it's been restored I just cannot ignore it ! You can have lunch on the upperfloor and visit the lower one that is the market itself. What I like most about it is how good the fresh fruit and vegetables smell.

Central market

This is the most famous and, being loyal to its name, central of the markets. This UNESCO World Heritage site constituted from 5 former Zeppelin hangars is the biggest european indoor market and has a large variety of products of different categories, making the visit of each section its own vibe.
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Kalnciema market

This market, held on saturday mornings, is the most cutesy. It puts an accent on handcrafted goods and artisanal work to prepare the foods. Actually, it is held until 16:00 but I really recommend going in the late morning to visit it while there are still tastings and freshly baked pastries available if it is sunny. I love having the plov or the latvian carrot pie sklandrausis with some pastries if I have lunch there. image of food could not be loaded image of market could not be loaded

Latgalīte market

This is a flea market. It's not very touristic and I would not try bargaining in English but if you try, please give me some feedback. It's the least curated one so it's perfect if you love diving in and the rewarding feeling of having spent time to find your treasure !