Riga Transportation

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The biggest thievs in all of Riga. We (I and my wife) came to Riga by boat from Stokcholm and outside the terminal there were only white taxis (red taxis is more honest).

So we took the withe one, the driver turned on the meter, starting cost at 1,5 Lat. So it say on the window. We went to the Freedom Statue, taxi driver stops and says 8,5 Lat and so it is on the meter, so I asume that the taxidriver drowe with high speed meter all the time. My first rip of and I havent even started sightseeing.

WELCOME TO LATVIA!!!!!!!!!!

When you are in Riga you get on the bus and then you dont pay to the driver. There is a man7woman working on the bus and that person sells you the ticket. So, it is laways good to have coins in your pockets.

From the airport I can't really see a good reason to catch a taxi. Straight outside you'll find a whole stack of red taxis, but unless you are sharing with a group of friends and are convinced you'll get a good price, then just look further across the car park to your right and you'll see the bus stop.

Both the 22 and 22a leave Riga airport for the centre. The 22a was best for us as we were nearer the Art Deco area and it terminated at the gorgeous Russian Orthodox Cathedral, right by the Latvija Hotel - a big unmissable building in dark or daylight.

I'd read that it would cost us 0.40 per person, plus 0.60 per bag but we were charged 0.30 each so beats a taxi hands down. The buses give change from a 5 lat note so don't bother trying to get a ticket from the Information Office in the terminal as they don't sell tickets. Journey on the 22a takes about 25 mins even in bad traffic. Stumbling out at the Orthodox Cathedral by Esplanade was also the nicest way I could have arrived.

The 22 leaves about every 20 minutes, the 22a is slightly more erratic, leaving every 30 mins or 60 mins.

This is just a website I came across that lists the most common means of transportation both inside Riga, within Latvia and international bus routes. An excellent link collection that I would like to share with you: bus, tram and trolley routes.

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We took the train to get from Riga to Jurmala and back again and it was a wonderful way to travel! For one, tickets are really cheap (in 2007 we paid 1.25 LVL return p.p.) plus the route is much more scenic than traveling by bus!

What I really enjoyed was the wood class waggon we had on our ride back from Jurmala: the seats in these old time waggons seem so uncomfortable, but in reality they are quite comfortable (at least for the 30 minute trainride from Jurmala to Riga!!!)

Walking definitely is one of the better options in Riga:

the old city center is small and well defined plus there are almost no cars in that area. However: most of the streets are cobble stone streets, so high heels might not be the most comfortable shoes!

The Art Nouveau area is still within walking distance to the city center, and we really did enjoy walking that area, because it allowed us to just stand there and watch and sometimes even go into the buildings to see the wonderful staircases and windows etc.

The open air museum is a place where you just have to walk - for hours and hours and it is delightful!

So: get your boots on and walk the streets of Riga!

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The airport is not too far away from the city center and it is very easy to get there by public transportation. You can take the City Bus Nr. 22 to the Central Railway Station or Nr. 22A to the Orthodox Cathedral near the Old City Center. The fare is 30 santims per person (2007) and sometimes they charge you for your luggage as well.

The other option is to take a taxi, which will cost around 8 Lats to get into town. Just bear in mind that the Old City of Riga is closed for cars, so you might not even be able to get directly to your final destination and have to walk anyway!

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Riga can easily be reached by plane - and the good part is that some budget airlines fly there as well.

We took a Ryanair flight from Frankfurt/Hahn to Riga, which took about 2 1/2 hours. Apart from Ryanair there is also Easyjet or Air Baltic that have some good bargains to get to and from Germany, so do check it out. Here is a link to some of the bargains.