Latvia 5 Day Itinerary
Riga has more Art Nouveau buildings per square kilometre than any other city in the world, over 800 of them concentrated in a neighbourhood most visitors never find because they spend all their time in the medieval Old Town. That imbalance is the single best argument for staying five days instead of three: Latvia rewards the traveller willing to get beyond the obvious, both inside the capital and out into the Gauja valley, where Soviet-era bobsled tracks share a riverbank with 13th-century castle ruins.
EU, US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and Japanese passport holders do not need a visa for stays under 90 days. Latvia uses the euro.
Day 1: Arrival and Riga Old Town
Riga International Airport sits 10 kilometres southwest of the city centre. Bus 22 runs every 10 to 20 minutes from 05:25 to 00:40 and costs EUR 1.50 if you buy the ticket in advance (EUR 1.81 from the driver). The journey to Old Town takes 30 to 45 minutes and is perfectly comfortable for travellers with a single bag. A taxi or pre-booked transfer costs EUR 10 to 25 and takes 15 to 25 minutes depending on traffic.
After checking in, walk the Old Town before the tour groups arrive. The UNESCO-listed Historic Centre clusters around Dome Cathedral (Doma baznīca), which has the largest organ in the Baltic states, and the House of Blackheads, a 14th-century guild hall rebuilt after Soviet demolition and now visually remarkable even to visitors who normally skip historic buildings. The Central Market, housed in five former zeppelin hangars south of the station, is one of the largest covered markets in Europe, and the right place to buy smoked eel, local cheese, and grey peas with bacon, which is Latvia’s unofficial national dish.
For dinner, Ala Pagrabs on Peldu iela is an underground tavern in an ancient wine cellar serving solid traditional Latvian food with a good beer selection at mid-range prices. It is loud and popular; go before 7 pm or book ahead. Skip the tourist restaurants on the main square, which charge double for identical food.
Day 2: Riga Art Nouveau District and Jurmala
The Art Nouveau district sits about 15 minutes on foot north of Old Town. Alberta iela is the most famous street, lined with ornate facades designed by Mikhail Eisenstein (father of the filmmaker) in the early 1900s. The Riga Art Nouveau Museum at Alberta 12 re-creates a bourgeois apartment from the period and costs EUR 8 to enter. Allow 90 minutes and then walk the surrounding streets, particularly Elizabetes iela, without a set route.
In the afternoon, take the commuter train from Riga Central Station to Jurmala, the Baltic coast resort 25 kilometres west. The train takes 25 to 30 minutes and costs around EUR 1.50. Jurmala’s long sandy beach is relaxed rather than glamorous, and the wooden Art Nouveau summer houses along Jomas iela are genuinely worth the detour. Outside of July and August the town is quiet in the best sense. Return to Riga for dinner.
Masa Restaurant near the Art Nouveau quarter serves modern Latvian cuisine with local produce and natural wines at a price point that feels fair for the quality (mains around EUR 18 to 28). Book ahead.
Day 3: Sigulda and Gauja National Park
The train from Riga to Sigulda runs hourly and takes about 60 minutes (EUR 2.90). Sigulda sits at the edge of the Gauja River valley, Latvia’s deepest, and the walk from the station to Turaida Castle passes through forested gorge trails that justify the trip on their own. The castle dates to 1214, charges EUR 7 to enter, and has good panoramic views from the tower.
The Sigulda Bobsleigh and Luge Track is not the tourist gimmick it sounds like. It is a full Olympic-grade track used by national teams in winter, and in summer it operates a wheeled tourist bob that reaches around 80 km/h. The ride costs EUR 25 per adult, lasts about 60 seconds, and produces a more visceral experience than most visitors expect. Go in the morning before queues build.
In the afternoon, walk the Gauja valley trails between Sigulda and Krimulda via the footbridge over the river. The cable car across the gorge costs EUR 4 and gives an excellent aerial view of the valley, though the walk down and across is more interesting. Return to Riga by train for dinner.
Rozengrāls in Old Town is a medieval-themed restaurant that commits to the concept without becoming kitsch, serving smoked meats and local fish in a 13th-century cellar at prices that are reasonable for the setting (mains EUR 14 to 22).
Day 4: Cesis
Cesis is 90 kilometres northeast of Riga and roughly 30 minutes by car from Sigulda. Buses from Riga run regularly (around EUR 4, 90 minutes). Cesis Medieval Castle is one of the best-preserved Livonian Order strongholds in the Baltic states, and the EUR 8 combined ticket includes the adjacent New Castle museum. The castle provides lanterns for exploring the darker interior sections, which is an unusual touch that makes the visit memorable. Arrive before 10 am to have the grounds to yourself.
The town centre around St. John’s Church and the castle park is small enough to walk in an hour, but the overall atmosphere of Cesis, with its lack of coach-tour infrastructure and local cafe culture, makes it one of the most likeable day trips from Riga. The Turaida Museum Reserve, often paired with Cesis in generic itineraries, is actually closer to Sigulda and works better on Day 3. Doing both on the same day means doing neither properly.
Return to Riga in the evening. Pētergailis, operating since 1978, serves traditional Latvian-influenced cuisine in an Old Town building with enough accumulated character to earn its longevity. The venison stew is the thing to order.
Day 5: Riga Markets, Quiet Streets, and Departure
If you have a late flight, spend the final morning in the parts of Riga that a five-day visitor can reach while day-trippers cannot. The Moscow District (Maskavas forstate), southeast of the Central Market, is a working-class neighbourhood with a functioning street market, Orthodox churches, and affordable cafes that see almost no tourists. It is not a polished experience, and that is exactly why it belongs on the last morning.
The Latvian National Museum of Art on Krišjāņa Valdemāra iela holds a strong collection of 19th and 20th-century Latvian painting for EUR 6. If your flight is in the afternoon, this fills the gap between checkout and airport without feeling like killing time.
The bus 22 back to the airport runs on the same schedule as arrival, and the ride is predictable enough to time confidently. Allow at least two hours before departure including the journey.
Practical Notes
Language: Latvian is the official language. English is spoken comfortably in Riga and tourist areas; outside the capital it helps to know that “paldies” means thank you.
Transport in Riga: The e-ticket card (e-talons) makes bus and tram travel cheaper and avoids carrying cash for each fare. Available at news kiosks across the city.
Weather: June to August is warm (18 to 25 C), long-daylight, and peak season. May and September are cooler, less crowded, and almost always dry. Winter (November to March) is cold, dark, and beautiful in a specific way; the Christmas market in Riga’s Old Town is one of Europe’s best and the bobsled track runs at full capacity.
One thing worth knowing: The Riga Ghetto and Latvian Holocaust Museum on Maskavas iela is small, underfunded, and rarely mentioned in mainstream travel guides. It covers an atrocity carried out partly by local collaborators, which is partly why it remains uncomfortable and partly why it matters. Budget two hours and go with a clear head.