The main railway station, Riga Pasažieru?, is south of Centrs and east of the old town and with good public transport connections to all parts of Riga.

There are international bus connections to anywhere in Europe, including frequent service to Tallinn and Tartu in Estonia, and Vilnius and Kaunas in Lithuania. Riga`s main bus station is located just outside the old town.

Even though a large number of attractions are concentrated around Riga`s Vecriga (Old Town) area and can be reached on foot, you will need to use public transport during your stay, especially if you want to visit some of the popular places outside the city center.

Riga has a number of different forms of public transport. These include trams and trolleybuses. Trams run on 11 routes across the city, while the trolleybus network encompasses 20 routes. Services operate daily from 5:30am to 11:30pm. When entering a tram, you can get a ticket from the driver. However, an electronic smart card system is another option for purchasing tickets.

Downtown Riga has a lot of cobblestone streets, so be prepared for a bumpy ride. Bike lanes and paths exist but are not always marked clearly. On main roads, you may occasionally end up finding yourself on the wrong side of a guardrail.

SIXT Latvia operates self-service bicycle rentals at bicycle stands across the city. The service is available to both residents and guests of Riga. You must have a mobile phone to register, but registration is free. The bikes have 3 speeds and lights, but no helmets. The cost is around €0.99 per 30 minutes (the first minute of a subsequent half hour counts as a full 30 minutes), with a maximum of €9 per day.

Alternatively, ask your hotel if they provide bicycle rental.

Taxis are a quick and relatively cheap way of getting around Riga and can be picked up throughout the city. The best way to hire a taxi is to use the Taxify mobile app, which allows you to see the rates being charged, time to pick up, enter the destination, and pay with the credit card that is linked to your account.

If you hail a random taxi on the street, make sure to ask the driver the approximate cost of the journey before you head off.

It is not advisable to get around Riga by car. The street infrastructure has the same capacity as when it was initially planned a hundred years ago or more, and traffic congestions are the norm during working hours, which is most of the day. Traffic can be extremely slow, especially on the bridges.

It can be difficult to find a parking spot in Riga during working hours. In the very center and the old town of Riga and on the Kipsala island parking services require a fee in certain streets. In the old town this can be up to around €8/hour.

There are several car rental offices at the Riga airport as well as in other parts of the town. You can even rent a cheap Soviet-style car.

Latvian Is the national language. About 50% of peope speak Russian, and the other half, for the most part, speak Latvian. English is widely spoken by younger people and by people in the tourism industry. German is also commonly spoken by tour guides. We suggest you get a good English-Latvian guidebook and familiarize yourself with common phrases such as hello, goodbye, excuse me and numbers 1-10.

Located on the River Daugava, Riga covers an area of over 118 square miles.

All year! Sun or snow, it is always a good time to visit Riga.

Summer is a great time of the year when the weather is beautiful (and not too hot). It rains, especially in June, and in August there are droughts. However, an average weather temperature in summer stays around high 70`s F.

The low season falls in late fall and early spring. At this time it is damp and chilly here. If you want to save some money and avoid huge tourist crowds, this is the better season to go.

Riga is a cosmopolitan city with many Latvians, Russians and other nationalities living there.

Riga Is safer than most European cities but always be aware of scams when travelling anywhere and take the basic precautions. There are certain areas in the city`s western parts that you should avoid due to crime.

Many Latvians will tell you that any Russian-speaking neighborhood is rife with crime and violence. While this may be blown out of proportion due to historical tensions, many parts of Riga with significant Russian populations do need to be avoided after dark.

Alcohol consumption in Riga is high and bar fights are relatively common. It is wise to be level-headed and not escalate a situation.

Riga has lots of great things to see and do. These include St. Peter`s Church and tower in Old Town. Make the short elevator trip up to the tower`s viewing platform and once you step outside you’ll be able to see stunning views of Old Town, the Central Market, the Daugava River and much more. The church interior is pretty impressive in itself.

Make sure to check out the Latvian National Museum of Fine Art on Kr. Valdemara. This impressive gallery is housed in an early 20th-century building which was purposefully built to serve as an art museum. Here you’ll see over 52,000 paintings and sculptures by Latvian, Baltic and Russian artists.

If you`re up for a trip outside the city center, head to the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum close to Lake Jugla. From the homes of fishermen, potters and peasants to animal dwellings and religious structures, this open-air museum is home to around 118 different buildings brought here from all over Latvia. Spread across almost 200 acres of beautiful countryside, you can just stroll around and take in the atmosphere while learning about Latvian life in days gone by.

You`ll find some great shopping centers in the city center. These include Origo, Galerija Centrs and the Stockmann department store. Throughout all these multi-level centers there`s an excellent mix of local and international brand names, as well as a wide variety of products.

Apart from the smaller shops, or those in suburbs, which will normally close on Sundays, most of the main stores and shopping centers in Riga are open 7 days a week, and normally from 10 am to 10 pm.

Riga is a major nightlife destination for tourists and bars here are often open later than those in other European cities. The clubs in the city offer a difference style between `Russian` clubs and `Latvian` clubs. There are lots of great bars and clubs scattered throughout the city. For the biggest concentration of top-notch venues, head to Riga`s Old Town area.

You`ll also find a number of great live music venues along with theatres.

Latvian cuisine typically consists of agricultural products, with meat featuring in most main meal dishes. Fish is commonly consumed due to Latvia`s location on the east coast of the Baltic Sea.

Latvian cuisine has been influenced by other countries of the Baltic rim. Common ingredients in Latvian recipes are found locally, such as potatoes, wheat, barley, cabbage, onions, eggs and pork. Due to pronounced four seasons, the Latvian cuisine is markedly seasonal and each time of the year has its own distinctive products and dishes. Spring brings mountains of baby vegetables, almost nothing but freshly-picked berries are eaten in summer and apple harvest in autumn marks the start of winter food prep. Once a thick layer of snow covers the ground and temperatures fall the jars of pickled veg, chutneys and jams come out. Latvian food is all about comforting, soul-soothing and caring home cooking.

The best selection of restaurants in the city are located throughout Old Town, as well as in the Art Nouveau district around Elizabetes street, you`ll find a wide variety of eateries. There is also a large variety of international cuisines that can be found. From Italian pasta dishes to American-style burgers, you won`t have a problem finding somewhere in Riga that serves it.

Hours: Most restaurants in Riga open until at least 11pm, with many others serving food into the wee hours of the morning.

It`s not. In fact, you`ll be surprised at how much you get for your money here. Reasonably-priced three-course meals aren`t hard to come by and you`ll also see a number of places doing great value lunch specials too.

Emergency numbers are: 112 from a mobile phone.

Telephone operators: International `115`

There are excellent emergency medical and dental clinics and drug stores open 24 hours. Call `1188` or `03` to find locations.