3 Days in Riga: Long Weekend Itinerary With a Day Trip

In this guide

💡 The Short Version: Day 1 covers medieval Vecrīga: the House of the Black Heads, the St Peter’s Church tower lift, Dome Cathedral, and lunch in the Central Market Zeppelin hangars. Day 2 covers the Art Nouveau facades on Alberta iela, the Latvian National Museum of Art (€7) and the KGB Corner House cell tour (€15). Day 3 is a day trip to Sigulda castles, Rundāle Palace or Jūrmala beach. Or book a tour: an Old Town walking tour with a local guidead is sold on GetYourGuide.

⚠️ Plan around Monday closures. The Art Nouveau Museum and Latvian National Museum of Art are closed on Mondays; the KGB Corner House is open daily. Spend Monday at Jūrmala, the Sigulda castles or Riga Central Market.

Itinerary at a glance

• Day 1: Medieval Vecrīga, church towers, Hanseatic guildhalls and the Central Market.
• Day 2: The Quiet Centre’s Art Nouveau, national fine arts, and 20th-century Soviet history.
• Day 3: A full-day regional excursion (choose between Gauja National Park, Rundāle Palace or the Baltic coast).

Day 1: Vecrīga and the medieval core

Morning: guildhalls, spires and panoramic views

• 09:00 — Town Hall Square (Rātslaukums): Start where Riga’s Hanseatic civic life centred. Look at the Dutch Renaissance facade and astronomical clock of the House of the Black Heads. Find the Statue of Roland and the bronze marker for the first public Christmas tree, set up here by bachelor merchants in 1510. Go inside (€10 adult entry) for the 14th-century brick vaulted cellars and the Celebration Hall.
• 10:30 — St. Peter’s Church Tower: Walk two minutes east to St. Peter’s Church. Buy the combined church and tower lift ticket at the desk. The lift rises 72 metres to the open-air platform around the copper spire, with a 360-degree view over the rooftops of Old Riga, the Daugava bridges and the Gulf of Riga.
• 11:30 — The Bremen Town Musicians & Cat House: At the rear apse of St Peter’s, join the tradition of rubbing the bronze snouts of the donkey, dog, cat and rooster on the Bremen Town Musicians monument for good luck. Walk into Līvu Square (Līvu laukums) to see the Cat House (Kaķu nams) on Meistaru iela, with copper cats on its rooftop turrets.
• 12:00 — Riga Dome Cathedral: Stroll into Dome Square (Doma laukums) to enter Riga Dome Cathedral. Between Monday and Saturday, attend the midday 20-minute Concerto Piccolo (€15 ticket) on the 6,718-pipe Walcker organ. Afterwards, walk the Gothic cloister garth and its grave slabs.

Lunch: Riga Central Market

• 13:00 — The Zeppelin Hangars: Stroll ten minutes south through the pedestrian underpass to Riga Central Market. The five arched pavilions were built from dismantled First World War German airship hangars.
• Lunch: Eat in the Fish Pavilion at Siļķītes un Dillītes (open-faced Baltic herring sandwiches with egg, sour cream and dill), or in the Gastronomy Pavilion for rye bread, hot bacon pīrāgi (bacon-filled bread rolls) and cheese curds.

Afternoon: medieval gates and the Freedom Monument

• 14:30 — The Three Brothers and Castle Square: Return to Vecrīga along Mazā Pils iela to view the Three Brothers—the oldest stone residential houses in Latvia, dating from around 1490. Number 19 holds the free Latvian Museum of Architecture, with stone carvings in the rear courtyard. Continue into Castle Square (Pils laukums) for the Chancery of the President of Latvia and the Castrum of the National History Museum.
• 15:30 — Swedish Gate and Bastion Ramparts: Follow cobbled Torņa iela past the yellow Jacob’s Barracks. Walk through the Swedish Gate (Zviedru vārti), erected in 1698 during Swedish rule, and walk past the 14th-century brick Powder Tower (Pulvertornis).
• 16:30 — Freedom Monument and Bastion Hill: Cross into the park belt to see the 42.7-metre Freedom Monument (Brīvības piemineklis). Watch the changing of the guard on the hour, then walk the canal paths and footbridges of Bastejkalns.

Evening: cellar dining and herbal tonics

• 18:30 — Dinner at Folkklubs ALA Pagrabs: Folkklubs ALA Pagrabs on Peldu iela is a brick cellar. Order the grey peas with diced speck or the roast pork ribs, with a beer from its 28 local taps.
• 21:00 — Nightcap at Black Magic: Black Magic Bar on Kaļķu iela is entered through a rotating bookshelf into an apothecary-style room. Order Black Balsam (a blackcurrant herbal liqueur) or the balsam chocolates.

Day 2: Art Nouveau, fine arts and Soviet history

Morning: the Art Nouveau capital

• 09:30 — Stroll through the Esplanāde: Walk north from the Freedom Monument through the Esplanāde park to the gilded domes of the Russian Orthodox Nativity Cathedral.
• 10:00 — Alberta iela and Elizabetes iela: Cross into the Quiet Centre (Klusais centrs) to see the Art Nouveau architecture. Look at Mikhail Eisenstein’s facades along Alberta iela:
  • Alberta 2a: Winged sphinxes at the entrance and painted sky-scene windows on the roofline.
  • Alberta 4: Cobalt-blue ceramic tiles, stone lions and Medusa heads.
  • Elizabetes 10b: Giant sculpted female masks and peacock-blue tiles.
• 11:00 — Riga Art Nouveau Museum: The museum at Alberta iela 12 is architect Konstantīns Pēkšēns’ restored 1903 apartment, with tile stoves, period furniture and kitchenware, and a spiral staircase painted with floral frescoes. Tickets are sold at the desk.

Midday: Latvian National Museum of Art

• 12:30 — Masterworks at LNMM: Walk five minutes south to the Latvian National Museum of Art (€7 adult entry). See the landscape paintings of Vilhelms Purvītis and the portraits of Janis Rozentāls. Climb to the timber attic and the two open-air rooftop terraces, which look over the park and church spires.
• 14:00 — Lunch in the Quiet Centre: Eat on Antonijas iela, which has cafes and bistros serving soups, quiche and coffee.

Afternoon: the KGB Corner House

• 15:00 — Guided Cell Tour at Stūra māja: Walk ten minutes east along Stabu iela to the KGB Corner House at Brīvības iela 61. Join the 15:00 English-language guided tour (€15, book online in advance) of the basement interrogation cells, solitary confinement cages, exercise yard and execution room used by the Soviet secret police between 1940 and 1991. The tour lasts 60 minutes.

Evening: skyline views and modern Baltic gastronomy

• 18:00 — Sunset Drinks at Skyline Bar: Take the glass lift to the 26th floor of the Radisson Blu Latvija hotel for a cocktail over Old Riga.
• 19:30 — Dinner at 3 Pavāru restorāns: 3 Pavāru restorāns (The Three Chefs) on Torņa iela serves New Nordic multi-course seasonal tasting menus, and the chefs paint sauces directly on paper tablecloths.

Day 3: Choose your regional day excursion

Choose one of three day trips:

Option A: Castles and Nature in Sigulda (Gauja National Park)

• Best for: Hikers and castle visitors.
• Logistics: Take the direct regional passenger train from Riga Central Station to Sigulda (1 hour 10 minutes, €2.50 each way).
• Highlights: Visit the ruins of the 13th-century Sigulda Castle of the Livonian Order (€2.50); ride the cable car 42 metres above the Gauja gorge to Krimulda (€15 one way); see the 17th-century inscriptions in Gutman’s Cave (free); and climb the 38-metre Great Tower of red-brick Turaida Castle (€9) for a view over the forested valley.

Option B: Baroque Grandeur at Rundāle Palace and Bauska

• Best for: Architecture, history and gardens.
• Logistics: Take the intercity bus from Riga International Bus Station to Bauska (1 hr 10 mins), then transfer to the local shuttle to Rundāles pils (20 mins).
• Highlights: The Rundāle Palace staterooms were designed by the Italian court architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli (€17 combined ticket). They include the Golden Hall, the White Hall ballroom, the Duke of Courland’s private apartments and the ten-hectare French formal rose garden. On the way back, stop at Bauska Castle for the ruins and the Renaissance ducal residence.

Option C: Baltic Beaches in Jūrmala and Ķemeri Bog

• Best for: Beach, villa walks and bog scenery.
• Logistics: Take the commuter train from Riga Central Station directly to Majori station (30 minutes, €1.50 each way).
• Highlights: Walk the white quartz sand of Jūrmala beach, the pedestrian street Jomas iela and the wooden Art Nouveau summer villas along Jūras iela, and climb the free 33.5-metre observation tower in Dzintari Forest Park. In the morning, add Ķemeri Bog Boardwalk and its 3.4 km circuit.

Practical advice for a 3-day stay in Riga

• Where to stay: Stay in Old Riga (Vecrīga) or along the adjacent boulevard ring, within walking distance of restaurants and transport.
• Money and payments: Cards are accepted at restaurants, museums and ticket counters. Carry some cash for market stalls and bus driver tickets. See our money in Riga guide for ATM tips.
• Public transport tickets: The Mobilly and Vivi apps sell city transport and regional train tickets.

What to explore next

• Day Trips from Riga Compared: Every regional excursion compared.
• Sigulda and Gauja National Park: Hiking trails and castle opening hours.
• Rundāle Palace Day Trip: Transport and tickets for Rastrelli’s palace.
• Where to Eat in Riga: Restaurants at every price level.
• Public Transport in Riga: How to navigate the city network with the 90-minute ticket.

Common questions

Is 3 days enough time for Riga?

Yes. Two days cover medieval Old Riga, the Central Market Zeppelin hangars, the Art Nouveau streets and the 20th-century history museums at a comfortable pace. The third day suits a day trip to the beaches of Jūrmala, the castles of Sigulda or Rundāle Palace.

Which day trip should you pick for Day 3?

For castles and hiking trails, pick Sigulda and Gauja National Park (1 hour 10 minutes by train, €2.50). For baroque state rooms and formal gardens, choose Rundāle Palace (1 hour 45 minutes by bus via Bauska). For sandy beaches and wooden villas, choose Jūrmala (30 minutes by train to Majori, €1.50).

How do you get around Riga during a 3-day stay?

The city centre is compact and best explored on foot. For airport transfers, take public bus route 22 (€1.50) to the edge of the Old Town. Regional trains from Riga Central Station run to Sigulda and Jūrmala.

Are museums open on Mondays in Riga?

Some are not. The Latvian National Museum of Art and the Riga Art Nouveau Museum are closed on Mondays; the KGB Corner House is open daily. If your 3-day itinerary includes a Monday, use it for the day trip to Jūrmala or Sigulda, or for the Central Market.