Tour Type

City Walking Tour

Tour Duration

~2 Hours

Location

Riga

Tour Season

Whole year

From 20 EUR per person

Inquire / Book

Guided walking tour through Riga Old Town along narrow, charming and historic streets. Explore the city and learn about more than 800 years of its rich history, from medieval times and the Hanseatic trading era to modern-day Riga. Spend just two hours on this walking tour to discover centuries of stories, landmarks and local history.

About The Tour

Tour Description

This guided tour in Riga takes you through the narrow streets of Riga Old Town to enjoy landmarks such as Riga Dome Cathedral, the Old Guild House, Riga Castle, Town Hall Square, the House of the Blackheads and much more in this former Hanseatic trading city.

Immerse yourself in stories, history and culture while walking through streets that have witnessed centuries of events. In just two hours, this Riga Old Town walking tour gives you a clear and enjoyable introduction to more than 800 years of Riga’s history.

Riga’s historic centre, including the Old Town, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing.

Tour Highlights

Explore Riga Old Town on a classic walking tour through narrow medieval streets, historic landmarks, Hanseatic heritage and stories that bring more than 800 years of Riga’s history to life.

Riga Old Town

Walk the centuries-old streets of Riga’s Old Town and discover the atmosphere of one of the Baltic region’s most charming historic centres.

Medieval Hanseatic Heritage

Learn how Riga grew as an important Hanseatic trading city and how trade, power and culture shaped the Old Town.

Dome Cathedral and Old Guild House

See some of Riga’s most important historic landmarks and understand their role in the city’s religious, civic and merchant history.

Riga Castle and Town Hall Square

Discover key places connected with Riga’s political and civic history, including Riga Castle and the famous Town Hall Square area.

House of the Blackheads

Admire one of Riga’s most recognisable buildings and learn about the merchant brotherhood connected with this colourful landmark.

Riga History and Local Life

Hear stories about Riga’s past and present while getting a better feeling for everyday life in the city beyond the postcard views.

Route at a Glance

A compact walking route through Riga Old Town, connecting medieval streets, historic squares, churches, guild houses, Riga Castle and the city’s UNESCO-listed heritage.

Riga Old Town

Medieval city centre

Dome Cathedral

Historic landmark

Old Guild House

Hanseatic heritage

Riga Castle

Political history

Town Hall Square

Civic centre

House of the Blackheads

Merchant history

Old Town Stories

800+ years of Riga

Explore the Walking Route

Riga Old Town

Begin in the narrow streets of Riga Old Town, where medieval lanes, old merchant houses and church towers create the atmosphere of one of the Baltic region’s most beautiful historical centres.

Dome Cathedral

See Riga Dome Cathedral, one of the most important landmarks in the Old Town. Its history, size and central location make it a key part of understanding medieval Riga.

Old Guild House

Learn about Riga’s Hanseatic merchant past, guild traditions and the role of trade in shaping the city. The guild buildings help explain why Riga became such an important Baltic trading centre.

Riga Castle

Walk toward Riga Castle, an important historical and political landmark on the edge of the Old Town, connected with many periods of Latvia’s history.

Town Hall Square

Visit one of the symbolic civic spaces of Riga Old Town. The square is closely connected with the city’s merchant history, public life and some of its most recognisable architecture.

House of the Blackheads

Admire the House of the Blackheads, one of Riga’s most famous buildings. Its colourful façade and merchant history make it one of the classic highlights of any Riga Old Town walking tour.

Old Town Stories and Local Life

Throughout the walk, hear stories from more than 800 years of Riga’s history and connect the historic streets with the living city around them today.

Additional information

This tour includes an easy to moderate amount of walking. Please wear comfortable flat shoes suitable for cobblestone streets.
The tour operates in all weather conditions. Please dress according to the weather.

Map of the tour

Frequently Asked Questions

The tour lasts approximately 2 hours, making it a compact and easy way to discover Riga Old Town, its main landmarks, and more than 800 years of history.

The route usually includes Riga Old Town, Dome Cathedral, the Old Guild House, Riga Castle, Town Hall Square, the House of the Blackheads, and historic streets connected with Riga’s Hanseatic heritage.

Yes. This is a great introduction to Riga for first-time visitors who want to understand the city’s history, architecture, local stories, and Old Town atmosphere in a short time.

This is an easy walking tour through Riga Old Town. The walk is not physically demanding, but the streets may include cobblestones, so comfortable flat shoes are recommended.

Yes, hotel meeting is included if your hotel is located in Riga Old Town. For hotels outside the Old Town, a convenient central meeting point can be arranged.

Yes. The tour operates throughout the year and in different weather conditions. Please dress according to the weather, especially in winter, rain, or windy conditions.

Yes. Riga’s historic centre, including the Old Town area, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing, which makes it one of the most important cultural heritage areas in Latvia.

The tour can be booked as a private walking tour. Please select the private tour option or mention your preference when sending an inquiry.

Tour Price and Booking

From 20 EUR*

Price includes:

Meeting at the hotel (if located in the Riga Old Town)
Guide

*The price depends on your group size. To receive an exact quote, please click “Inquire / Book”.

Reviews of this tour on TripAdvisor

"Great Guides, lots of fun and knowledge"

Reviewed July 24, 2015
Lizzy from Germany

We took the Old Town Tour with Maija and the Sigulda Cycle tour with Rihards. The old town tour was incredibly interesting and Maija really knows her stuff, not just the well known history but also the little bits in between that make it come alive and interesting. She answered all our questions and pointed out things that we may never had noticed. Her english is great and very easy to understand, definitely worth arranging.

For the cycle tour we went with local transport with Rihards to Sigulda which was interesting in itself! On arriving in Sigulda there were bikes and helmets waiting for us, we had already given Rihards our heights so the bikes didn't need much adjusting. The tour was fantastic, through woods, along the river bank into the National Park then up a huge hill which was a wonderful lung bursting challenge. Rihards stops often and points out interesting areas and gives you as much information as you want. His knowledge is immense but never boring, many fun facts and stories are added in along the way. The weather changed for the worse halfway through our tour, it was incredible but rather than risk injury Rihard was able to change the route to ensure we were kept safe. Obviously use to rapid weather changes he had also brought some ponchos just in case which were more than welcomed. The chair lift back up to Sigulda was excellent and saved having to cycle up a crazy hill. The view was amazing from up top especially as we could see the 2nd storm coming in. Both tours were fantastic and we would definitely use them again!

Visited July 2015

"Walking tour of Riga"

Reviewed June 25, 2013
Evelyn from Switzerland

Our guide Margli was both knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We enjoyed our walking tour with her and highly recommend a Rihards tour. Rihards was very prompt with answers to any queries.

Visited June 2013

"Discover Latvia"

Reviewed May 31, 2013
Frances from Denver, Colorado, USA

I booked three tours with Discover Latvia, a small, relatively new tour company in Riga. I was most impressed with Rihards, who was very knowledgeable and accommodating, and with his associate Yuris. The first tour was a walking tour with Maija, who took me to all the main attractions of old town Riga. The next day Rihards took me to Sigulda, and we were joined on the following day by Yuris for a tour of Kuldiga. My guides were excellent and the venues extremely interesting. Good value for money on these private tours. I highly recommend this company.

Visited April 2013