Europe

Latvia

4 guides across 1 destination — where to go, when, what it costs and what to eat.

Where to go

Destinations in Latvia

A dense pile of dried salted fish on a market table in Riga, Latvia

Best late spring through early autumn

Before you go

Practical essentials for Latvia

Money

Euro (EUR)

Language

Latvian; Russian is widely spoken and English is common in Riga

Power

Type C/F, 230V 50Hz

Getting around

Riga's trams, buses and trolleybuses take a contactless bank card or phone tapped on board, or a paper e-talons ticket bought at a Narvesen kiosk.

Tipping

About 10% in a restaurant if no service charge is included; taxi fares are rounded up.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink in Riga and Latvia's other cities.

Driving

Right-hand side; a UK or EU licence is accepted as it is, with no International Driving Permit required.

Emergency

112 (general); 110 police, 113 ambulance

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

Latest

Recent stories from Latvia

Riga's Town Hall Square under a deep blue sky, with the ornate red-brick gable of the House of the Blackheads on the right and the green spire of St Peter's Church rising on the left.

Riga for Less: A Budget Playbook for the Grandest Baltic Capital

Latvia's capital keeps its best assets outdoors and free: gilded facades, a market in vast pre-war hangars, and a pine-backed beach half an hour away by train.

Two dark, crusty Latvian rye loaves resting on a wooden board beside a cup of coffee and an old hand grinder, lit by a window in a brick-walled room.

Rye, Sprats and Black Balsam: Eating Riga from Morning to Midnight

Latvia’s food is built on rye, smoke, sour dairy and the forest floor. A day of eating in Riga, dish by dish, market pavilion by market pavilion.

Riga Cathedral rising above the old town rooftops with the Daugava river beyond

48 Hours in Riga: Spires, Art Nouveau and Zeppelin Hangars

Two perfectly paced days in Latvia's capital — from the House of the Blackheads at breakfast to Black Balsam at midnight, hour by hour.

A cobbled street on Ķīpsala island in Riga lined with painted timber houses and a grassy embankment, its old stone bollards running away under soft grey evening light.

Riga’s Quiet Half: Wooden Streets and Neighbourhood Markets

Riga's wooden suburbs, its restored warehouse blocks and a garden city in a pine forest — a full day in the half of the capital most visitors never open, and the practical detail that makes it work.