Things to do in Riga

A red-brick market hall across the river (completed in 1923), a state-protected monument that reopened after restoration in 2022. Food traders, cafés and shops, a flea market on Sundays, a one-hour gastro tour with seven tastings every Thursday at 11:00, and cookery masterclasses.

An aviation education and entertainment centre inside the Mols shopping centre. Three flight simulators: a Cessna 172, a Piper Matrix with a 180° screen, and an aerobatic plane on a motion platform with VR goggles.

Official bathing site on Lake Bābelīte in Riga. Awarded a Blue Flag for 2026. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

A three-day Christmas fair at the Ķīpsala exhibition hall that bills itself as the largest in the Baltics: free entry, free creative workshops in the “Rotaļnīca Quarter”, an inflatable park and the Baltic Food Zone. In 2026 it runs 11–13 December.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga in Riga. Awarded a Blue Flag for 2026. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

A museum in the former St George’s Church in Old Riga. While its “Design Process” exhibition is open, children can use the Design Studio, trying ceramics, kinetics, poster design and weaving with worksheets linked to the works on display.

The rental point of a Latvian outdoor-shop chain, in Pārdaugava. It hires out touring and mountain bikes with helmets, child seats and bike bags, plus hiking kit — tents, sleeping bags, mats, backpacks, dry bags, stoves, cookware, lamps, camping furniture and trekking poles. Gear can be booked online and also collected at Gandrs points in Valmiera or Liepāja; the longer the rental, the lower the daily price.

A quarter of restored 19th-century wooden houses across the river. On Saturdays 10:00–16:00 there is a market of local producers and craftspeople with free workshops for kids, and seasonal festivals bring concerts, exhibitions and open-air plays.

Official bathing site on the Daugava in Riga. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

A museum in the Laima factory building on Miera iela: the story of how chocolate is made and of the brand, whose roots go back to 1870, a comparison of chocolate types and a hot-chocolate tasting. In the creative workshop you make your own sweets and take them home in a gift box. Tickets €3–16.

A museum in a former locomotive repair shop in Pārdaugava, holding the largest collection of broad-gauge rolling stock in the Baltics. On set days children can climb into historic trains such as the ER2 electric train and the TE3 diesel locomotive, ride a hand-pumped draisine in summer and join school-holiday workshops.

One of Europe’s oldest open-air museums, founded in 1924, in pine woods on the shore of Lake Jugla. More than a hundred historic rural buildings — farmsteads, churches, windmills and bathhouses — have been brought here from every region of Latvia; in summer craftspeople work on site and there are festivals and fairs.

A puppet theatre in central Riga, founded in 1944; it moved back into its renovated building on Barona iela at the end of 2023. Shows for children and teens in Latvian and Russian, plus productions for adults.

A natural history museum in central Riga with roots in the Riga Naturalists’ Society, founded in 1845. Exhibitions cover Latvia’s nature, geology, animals and plants — a good stop for families with children.

A LIDO restaurant complex: a timber building with a windmill on Krasta iela serving Latvian food. It opened in 1999, with its first guests arriving for the millennium New Year, and added an amusement park and a skating rink in 2003.

The University of Latvia’s botanical garden in Zasulauks, with a palm house and a Tropical Butterfly House where, from spring to autumn, blue morphos, owl butterflies and other exotic species fly among banana and coffee trees and orchids. The butterfly house opens daily 10:00–16:00 with a garden ticket.

Official bathing site on the Daugava in Riga. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Wakeboarding and SUP on the Daugava at Zaķusala, a few minutes from the centre. Also suitable for kids.

The historic circus building in central Riga, now a stage for contemporary circus — productions by Latvian and visiting international companies — and family shows such as the Christmas programme in December.

The largest collection of historic vehicles in the Baltics: more than 100 cars and motorcycles over three floors and 4,000 m², from a replica of the Benz Patent Motorwagen to Soviet-era and Kremlin cars and racing cars. Interactive displays, a children’s play zone and a café. Open Tue–Sun 10–18; adult ticket €12.

The zoo in Mežaparks by Lake Ķīšezers covers around 20 hectares and keeps thousands of animals of several hundred species, from giraffes and lions to red pandas. The tropical house is home to birds, reptiles, frogs and insects, and there is also a country branch, Cīruļi, in Kurzeme. Tram 11 takes you there.

An Old Riga museum holding about 8,000 porcelain pieces from the mid-19th to the late 20th century, with porcelain making and painting workshops — for example pressing textures into a small porcelain dish (from age 6). Pieces are ready a few weeks later; booking required.

The oldest museum in the Baltics, which began in 1773 as the private collection of Riga doctor Nikolaus von Himsel. It sits in the Riga Cathedral ensemble in Old Riga and holds the largest collection on the history of Riga and its shipping.

A 50-metre pool for serious swimmers and beginners alike. Swimming lessons for kids and adults, plus a gym, sauna and climbing wall.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga in Saulkrasti. Awarded a Blue Flag for 2026. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Riga’s public outdoor ice rink in Esplanāde park by the Rainis monument. Free with your own skates; skate hire €2.49 an hour for adults and €2 for children. Weekdays 11–22, weekends 9–22 (ice-care breaks 13–14, 16–17 and 19–20). Open from December to 1 March, weather permitting.

A free cross-country ski trail in Pārdaugava with artificial snow, instructors and equipment rental (€4 an hour for children, €5 for adults). On sunny days about 200 people use the rental point.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga in Riga. Awarded a Blue Flag for 2026. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

The Christmas market on Dome Square: crafts by Latvian makers, hot drinks and treats from more than 80 vendors. At weekends there are concerts and things for kids: Santa, a carousel and creative workshops.

A science centre running since 1995: about 200 interactive exhibits on the laws of physics and optical illusions, a planetarium, a small underground labyrinth and the “Garage Theatre” with sound-and-light experiments. Visits must be booked by phone in advance.

A multiplex in the Akropole Rīga shopping centre, opened in 2019 as the first Apollo cinema in Latvia.

A cinema in the Domina Shopping centre in Teika, opened in 2021.

A cinema in the Rīga Plaza shopping centre, opened in 2021, with eight screens and 963 seats.

Bike and Segway rental in Old Riga on Pils iela. Choose from city, mountain, folding and electric bikes or a tandem, with child seats and trailers available; a helmet, lock and map are included, and a deposit is required. Guided bike and Segway tours of Riga, Jūrmala and Sigulda are also on offer.

Official bathing site on the Bolderāja quarry in Riga. A new official bathing site from 2026. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

A bowling club in Imanta on Lielirbes iela: bowling lanes, a children’s play area, a bar and restaurant, and party packages.

Swimming pool in Riga. Sports complex with a pool and a swimming school. Weekday hours: 07:15–21:30.

An indoor drift hall across the river from the Old Town with a 3,000 m² track: drift-trike rides (up to 10 riders at once, riders over 125 cm) and passenger rides in a BMW drift car. Open daily, from 11:00 on weekdays.

One of the largest escape-room operators in Riga, with about ten themed rooms, from the family-friendly “Time Machine” (6+) to the scary “House of Mysteries” (16+). Teams of 2–7 players get 60 minutes. A second site is at Miera iela 61.

Table tennis club with table hire, group training for kids and adults, and private lessons. A second hall is in Iļģuciems.

An entertainment centre in Old Riga on the 4th floor of the Galerija Centrs mall: electric go-karts, an interactive Pixel room, virtual reality, a private karaoke room, pool and minigolf, all under one roof whatever the weather.

An illusion theatre and museum in Torņakalns: magic and illusion shows for families and an exhibition on the art of illusion. Visits by arrangement.

A public wood-fired sauna in Ziepniekkalns with a large cool-water pool, €15 with no time limit. Wednesday is women’s day and Tuesday is family day; there’s a courtyard picnic area, a masseur and a buffet with beer and kvass.

Latvia’s first trampoline park: trampolines, foam pits, soft obstacles, climbing walls and a stunt platform.

Golf club with a hotel near Piņķi: an 18-hole course plus a 9-hole academy course. A Green Card course for beginners and a junior academy for young players.

A large bouldering hall in the SKY & MORE centre. Four-metre walls over thick crash mats, coached sessions, kids’ birthday parties and team-building events.

An indoor karting hall with a twisty track of roughly 250–300 m and room for up to eight karts at once. Sodi RT8 karts for adults plus karts for children. On site: an arcade, table tennis and a 200 m² event space.

Combat sports club in Riga: kickboxing, boxing, MMA. Classes for children too.

Four indoor hard courts and four outdoor courts, plus four beach tennis courts. Court rental includes the gym, sauna and running track; there is table tennis and coaching for kids and beginners.

A boat from Riga to Majori via the Daugava, the Buļļupe and the Lielupe, from the Big Christopher statue in Riga to the Majori pier (Rīgas iela 2A). Up to 80 passengers on board; the season runs from 15 May to 15 October.

Swimming pool in Riga. Swimming school and pool for children and babies. Weekday hours: 09:00–21:00.

Tennis academy with courts, coaches and courses.

Tennis school with indoor and outdoor courts plus a beach tennis court. Coaching, tournaments and classes for kids.

A rope park in Mežaparks by Lake Ķīšezers: courses from a kids’ route up to the black course 10–15 m high, which ends with a 200 m zip descent. The higher courses need a height of 140 cm; minors come with an adult. Open 11:00–20:00 at weekends; on weekdays groups by booking.

A rental point in Mežaparks on Kokneses prospekts with bikes, inline skates and one-, two- and four-seat pedal carts for kids and adults to ride along the park’s paths. In winter, when there is enough snow, it hands out ski equipment for the Mežaparks trail.

8 indoor padel courts in Mārupe. The first MH Padel venue, in an office park on the Riga–Mārupe border. On site: gear rental, coaches, a café, a sports shop.

13 indoor padel courts in Mārupe. The largest MH Padel venue, in Mārupes Parks near the airport road. On site: gear rental, coaches, a café, a sports shop.

8 indoor padel courts in Riga. The same building has a gym and a burger restaurant. On site: gear rental, coaches, tournaments, a café.

Archery in the heart of Old Riga with an instructor, suited to all ages and skill levels. A short introductory session, or longer workshops for stag parties and teams.

An 18-hole golf course on the shore of Lake Ķīšezers, about 15 minutes from the centre. Driving range, golf lessons, a kids’ club and a restaurant.

Six indoor and two outdoor padel courts in Čiekurkalns. Coaches, a kids’ corner, a café, a sports shop and free parking.

Swimming pool and spa in Riga. A large pool, a small pool and a children’s pool. Weekday hours: 07:00–22:00.

Riga Technical University’s curiosity centre in Āgenskalns, opened in 2023: three halls of interactive exhibits on smart cities, energy, water supply and future technologies, including a drone simulator. Science shows and hands-on workshops — 3D printing, chemistry and wood design. Closed on Mondays.

Official bathing site on the Daugava in Riga. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Official bathing site on the Daugava in Salaspils. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

Indoor minigolf on Tērbatas iela with a competitive vibe and drinks on hand. Good for birthdays, family mornings and team building.

12 indoor padel courts in Riga. A purpose-built padel arena in Pleskodāle with high ceilings. On site: gear rental, coaches, tournaments, a café.

Bouldering and gymnastics hall near the centre: a 28-metre wall with more than 50 routes. Shoe rental, coached sessions for beginners, and free entry for kids under 4 with an adult.

Official bathing site: a beach on the Gulf of Riga in Riga. Awarded a Blue Flag for 2026. The Health Inspectorate tests the water regularly during the bathing season.

A tennis academy with an indoor tennis hall, plus two outdoor padel courts. On site: gear rental, coaches.

A virtual reality arena in Piņķi, between Riga and Jūrmala: VR games for groups of friends, families and parties.

A virtual reality venue (formerly GoStation): roller-coaster simulations, virtual basketball, team games against monsters and VR escape-room puzzles. Open Mon–Fri 11–19, Sat 12–17.

Swimming pool in Riga. Municipal indoor pool in Ziepniekkalns with swimming lessons and water-polo groups. Open daily 09:00–17:00.