Riga Workshops Worth Your Time
The porcelain you paint in Riga on a Tuesday afternoon will not be ready to take home on Tuesday evening, whatever the workshop’s marketing photos imply. Firing takes 24 to 72 hours, and planning around same-day pickup is the single most common mistake with this activity.
The Riga Porcelain Museum workshop, in the historic Konventa sēta courtyard at Kalēju iela 9/11, sits on the site of the old Kuznetsov Porcelain Factory, established in 1841, and it’s a genuine hands-on session: professional ceramic artists guide you through painting a mug, plate, or figurine, with the piece itself costing €5.50 to €19.10 depending on what you choose, on top of separate museum entry (€5 adults, €3.50 students and seniors). The workshop runs Tuesday to Saturday, 11:00 to 18:00. Book it for early in your trip if you want the finished piece before you fly out, since the kiln firing genuinely takes several days and no amount of asking nicely speeds it up.
The Black Balsam masterclass at Riga Black Magic Bar , on Kaļķu iela in Old Town, is the faster and stranger option: a replica 18th-century apothecary laboratory hidden behind a secret bookshelf, telling the story of pharmacist Abraham Kunze, who first concocted the 24-herb liqueur in 1752 to treat Empress Catherine the Great. The tasting, €23 per person, runs through five spirits, original Black Balsam at 45% ABV, black currant, cherry, tropical, and Latvian honey brandy, paired with coffee and handmade chocolate truffles. It’s confirmed still trading at this address in 2026, open daily roughly 11:30 to 22:00, and you can book the Black Balsam tasting directly. One firm rule: this is a 45% ABV spirit tasting, restricted to participants 18 and over, not a family activity despite the museum-like setting.
Eighteen kilometers southwest along the Liepāja highway, Lāči Bakery runs hands-on rye bread baking sessions in wood-fired brick ovens, following recipes that go back generations: knead the dough, shape a loaf, and bake it using the same ancestral method the bakery has used since it opened. It’s a longer detour than the other two workshops on this list, worth combining with a Kurzeme-bound day rather than a stand-alone trip.
Inside Old Town, several small craft studios run amber crafting and polishing workshops, teaching visitors to identify real succinite amber, grind raw Baltic nodules on diamond wheels, and polish the result into a pendant to take home the same day, unlike the porcelain.
Verdict: if you only have time for one workshop, the Black Balsam tasting beats the porcelain class for a short visit, since it’s finished in an hour and you leave with the experience rather than a claim ticket for later. If you’re staying long enough to collect a fired piece, the porcelain workshop is the better souvenir; just search Riga porcelain painting workshops or book directly through the museum, and build the pickup into your itinerary from day one.
For a version of the porcelain workshop that works well with kids too, see the family-friendly guide .