Latvia Travel Guide: Regions, Costs, Food and Getting There

Latvia is a Baltic country in northern Europe of 64,589 km² (24,938 sq mi) and about 1.83 million people, with Riga as its capital and the euro as its currency. It borders Estonia, Russia, Belarus and Lithuania and faces Sweden across the Baltic Sea, and about a third of the whole population lives in Riga. Prices are still lower than in the Nordic countries next door, the Old Town of Riga is compact enough to walk, and the countryside beyond it is forest, bog and 500 km (310.7 mi) of coastline. This guide covers what you need to plan a first trip: the regions, how to get in, what it costs, what to eat and when to go.

Latvia quick facts

Latvia’s basic facts are listed below, and they are the ones that change how you plan rather than the ones that win pub quizzes.

• Size: 64,589 km² (24,938 sq mi)
• Population: about 1.83 million
• Capital: Riga
• Government: unitary parliamentary republic
• National day: 18 November, Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia
• Time zone: Eastern European Time, UTC+2, moving to UTC+3 in summer
• Currency: euro (EUR)
• Power: 230 V, socket types C and F, the standard continental-European pair. Bring a universal travel adapter if your plugs do not match.
• Language: Latvian is the official language, Russian is widely spoken, and English is common among younger people and in Riga
• Driving side: right
• Phone code: +371
• Vaccinations: none beyond what you would have at home
• Tap water: safe to drink

Latvia’s regions, and what each one is for

Latvia has six statistical regions, and each one gives you a different kind of trip. They are listed below, from the coast inwards.

1. Kurzeme

Kurzeme, Courland in English, is the western region and holds the longest stretch of Latvia’s coastline. The shore faces the open Baltic, the sand is pale and backed by dunes, and the water stays cold even in August. It is the region for a Latvian coast road trip, with Cape Kolka at the point where the Gulf of Riga meets the open sea.

Kurzeme also holds Lake Engure Nature Park, a Ramsar-listed wetland and one of the more important waterfowl sites on this coast. The lake is technically a coastal lagoon, and the bird hides around it are the reason to bring binoculars.

2. Latgale

Latgale is the eastern region and the one that feels least like the rest of the country, partly because of its lakes and partly because Catholicism and the Latgalian language both hold on here. Lake Dridzis, the deepest in Latvia, and Ežezers with its scatter of islands are the two usually named first.

Daugavpils, Latvia’s second city, sits near the Lithuanian and Belarusian borders and is the region’s main stop. Its Church Hill puts Catholic, Lutheran, Orthodox and Old Believer churches within a few hundred metres of each other, the Orthodox Saints Boris and Gleb Church carries ten onion domes, and the 19th-century Daugavpils Fortress now houses the Mark Rothko Art Centre in the artist’s birth city.

3. Pierīga

Pierīga is the ring of coast and countryside around the capital, and it exists to be the quiet half of a Riga trip. It looks out on the Gulf of Riga, which is calmer and shallower than the open Baltic, and it holds Jūrmala, the pine-and-beach resort strip that Riga goes to at weekends.

Pierīga is what you do on the day you have had enough of the Old Town. Long flat beaches, wooden villas and a train that takes about half an hour from Riga Central make it an easy half-day.

4. Riga

Riga is the capital and takes up 304 km² (117.4 sq mi) of Latvia’s 64,589 km², yet holds roughly a third of the country’s people. The Old Town, Vecrīga, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the landmarks people come for are the Freedom Monument, St Peter’s Church with its tower lift, and Riga Castle.

Riga Central Market is the stop worth planning around rather than squeezing in. It fills five converted Zeppelin hangars and sells smoked fish, pickles by the kilo, rye bread and curd, which is a better introduction to Latvian food than any restaurant. The Three Brothers, the city’s oldest surviving houses, take ten minutes and sit within walking distance.

5. Vidzeme

Vidzeme is the largest region and the one people go to for Gauja National Park, Latvia’s oldest and biggest national park. The River Gauja has cut a sandstone valley through it, and the trails, caves and castle ruins are concentrated around Sigulda and Turaida.

Cēsis, at the eastern end of the park, is the other reason to come. The medieval castle ruins are toured by candle lantern, the walking trails run straight out of town, and the place works in every season rather than only in summer.

6. Zemgale

Zemgale runs along the Lithuanian border in the south and is flatter and more agricultural than the rest of Latvia. Its single biggest draw is Rundāle Palace, the baroque summer residence Bartolomeo Rastrelli designed for the Duke of Courland before he built the Winter Palace in St Petersburg.

Zemgale holds the southern edge of Ķemeri National Park, known for sulphur springs, mineral water and a boardwalk across the Great Ķemeri Bog. Tērvete Nature Park fills its pine woods with carved wooden fairytale characters, which makes it the obvious stop with children, and Jelgava has the region’s main history and art museum.

How to get to Latvia

Flying to Riga is the fastest way in for most travellers, and the alternatives are a coach from a neighbouring capital or a ferry from Germany or Sweden. The four routes are below.

Flights to Latvia

Riga International Airport is Latvia’s main gateway and takes direct flights from more than 100 cities across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, with the national carrier airBaltic alone serving more than 70 destinations. Liepāja and Ventspils have small international airports as well, but they are not a realistic first choice.

The airport sits close enough to the city that transfers are simple. Bus 22 runs between the airport and Old Riga every 10 to 20 minutes for €1.50 (about $1.75, £1.30), and a taxi takes 15 to 20 minutes and costs roughly €10 to €15 (about $12 to $17, £9 to £13), according to Latvia’s national tourism board. To compare fares and set price alerts, Trip.com covers most of the carriers flying into Riga.

Buses to Latvia

Coaches are the cheapest way into Riga from the neighbouring capitals, and two operators cover almost everything. Lux Express runs several services a day from Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu, Vilnius and Warsaw, with early-bird fares from €5 (about $5.80, £4.30). Ecolines runs a wider European network from Riga, reaching Berlin, Prague and Amsterdam among others.

Long-haul coach routes are genuinely long. Berlin or Prague to Riga can run to a full day on the road, so treat those as a budget option rather than a convenient one.

Trains to Latvia

International rail into Latvia runs north and south along the Vilnius to Riga to Tallinn corridor, which reopened in January 2025 after years with no Baltic through service. The Lithuanian operator LTG Link runs Vilnius to Riga Central in a little over four and a half hours with no change. Northwards you change once at Valga on the Estonian border, where Latvia’s Vivi hands over to Estonia’s Elron, and Riga to Tallinn takes roughly six hours in total. Tickets split by operator: Vivi sells Riga to Valga, LTG Link sells Vilnius to Riga, and Elron sells Valga to Tallinn, where Riga is spelled Riia.

If you are working from an older guide that lists trains from Moscow, St Petersburg or Minsk, those services are gone and are not coming back. Rail Baltica, the new standard-gauge line intended to link Warsaw, Kaunas, Vilnius, Riga, Pärnu and Tallinn, is still under construction and will replace the current patchwork. Domestic trains run under the Vivi brand out of Riga Central, reaching Jelgava, Sigulda, Tukums, Aizkraukle, Daugavpils, Rēzekne, Jūrmala and Skulte, and tickets go through the Vivi website, its app or Mobilly. There is no passenger train to Liepāja or Ventspils; both are coach or car.

Ferries to Latvia

Stena Line runs the ferry links that matter, and the longest is Liepāja to Travemünde in Germany, a crossing of about 27 hours. Stena Line also operates two routes out of Ventspils, to Sweden and to Finland, which suits anyone bringing a car.

Riga Passenger Port sits at 1 Eksporta Street, within walking distance of Old Riga, and handles cruise calls and passenger ships. Older guides list a daily Riga to Stockholm ferry; that route is not running, so check the operator’s own timetable before you build a trip around a sailing.

Visas for Latvia

Latvia is in the Schengen area, so British, American, Australian and Canadian passport holders visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Longer stays need a Schengen visa applied for in advance.

Visa-free visitors will also need an ETIAS travel authorisation once that scheme starts. Check the EU’s own ETIAS page for the current date rather than relying on a travel blog, because the start date has moved more than once.

How to get around Latvia

Public transport covers Latvia cheaply, and a car is what you add when you want the coast and the national parks on your own schedule. Riga itself runs on buses, trams, trolleybuses and minibuses, and a single ride costs €1.50 (about $1.75, £1.30) bought as an e-ticket or through the Rīgas Satiksme, Mobilly or Narvesen apps.

Rail and coach networks connect Riga to the rest of the country, and the larger towns have their own local buses, so day trips without a car are straightforward. If you want the flexibility, book a rental car and drive: traffic is light, but rural road surfaces vary a lot and speeding is a genuine problem on the open road. Drive defensively outside the cities and leave more margin than you would at home.

The best time to visit Latvia

Late spring and summer, roughly May to September, give you the strongest odds of usable weather in Latvia, with the longest days and the warmest water. Nothing about a Baltic summer is guaranteed, but this is when the coast, the national parks and the outdoor festivals all work.

Winter is the alternative rather than the compromise. Snow is normal from December to March, the Christmas markets run through December and into January, and the light is the trade-off: a midwinter day in Riga gives you under 7 hours of daylight, so plan two indoor things for every outdoor one.

What to pack for Latvia

Latvia has four distinct seasons, so pack for the one you are getting rather than for a generic European city break. Summer gets genuinely warm, winter gets genuinely cold with a real chance of lying snow, and spring and autumn are both mild by day and cold by evening.

What to pack for Latvia in summer

Summer in Latvia asks for light layers plus one warm thing for the evening, because the sea keeps coastal nights cool. The summer list is below.

• Sunglasses and sun cream: the summer days are long and the dune reflections are stronger than you expect.
• Swimwear: for Jūrmala and the Kurzeme beaches, though the water stays cold.
• Light clothing plus one warm layer: a jumper or fleece for evenings by the water.
• Walking sandals: a pair of Teva Tirra sandals handles both a city day and a bog boardwalk.
• A reusable water bottle: Latvian tap water is safe, so a refillable bottle saves buying plastic all week.

What to pack for Latvia in winter

Winter in Latvia needs thin thermal layers under a windproof outer shell rather than one thick coat, because indoor heating is generous and the cold outside is damp. The winter list is below.

• Merino wool socks: merino socks stay warm when damp and dry overnight.
• A merino base layer: a long-sleeved merino top under everything else.
• Merino leggings: merino leggings worn under jeans, which is the single biggest comfort upgrade.
• A warm scarf: a large winter scarf that also covers the chin in wind.
• Snow boots: insulated waterproof boots for January and February slush.
• A warm, waterproof and windproof coat: the outer shell, and the item worth spending on.
• A hat and gloves: the two things people leave at home and regret.

For the full version, see the detailed Riga winter packing list written from a December trip.

What to pack for Latvia in spring and autumn

Spring and autumn both need layers, because early autumn can be mild and late autumn is already cold, and spring works the same way in reverse. Pack a base layer you can add in the morning, a mid layer you can strip in a café, and a waterproof jacket over the top.

October is the wettest month in Riga by frequency, with 12 days of measurable rain, so a hood matters more than an umbrella in a coastal wind.

What to eat in Latvia

Latvian food is built on rye bread, dairy, smoked fish and pickled vegetables, and the Riga Central Market is where you meet all four at once. The dishes worth trying are listed below.

• Rye bread (rupjmaize): dark, dense and sour, eaten at breakfast and with almost everything else.
• Speck: fatty smoked bacon, traditionally field-workers’ food, served with fried onions.
• Sauerkraut: shredded pickled cabbage, served alongside most hot dishes.
• Beetroot soup: bright purple, made with beetroot, garlic and cream, served hot or cold.
• Pelmeņi: dumplings filled with minced meat, potato or curd cheese.
• Sour cream: poured over almost everything, in a range of thicknesses.
• Bread soup (maizes zupa): rye bread, dried fruit and cream, blended and served as a pudding.
• Kvass: a fermented rye-bread drink, sweeter than beer and barely alcoholic.
• Smoked fish: salmon, cod and especially herring, worth buying loose at the market.
• Pickles: sold loose by the kilo in the Central Market’s vegetable hangar.

Riga Black Balsam is the other thing you will be handed. It is a bitter herbal liqueur at 45% and it is an acquired taste, which is why it usually arrives mixed with blackcurrant juice.

Festivals and events in Latvia

Latvia’s calendar is busiest between May and August, and the one event worth planning a whole trip around is the Song and Dance Celebration. The main events are listed below.

• Cēsis Castle season opening: the castle opens for summer with a medieval-themed event (May).
• Riga Marathon: a road race through the city centre and along the Daugava (May).
• Riga City Festival: free events across the city, including craft markets and street food.
• Positivus Festival: Latvia’s main commercial music festival, at Salacgrīva on the north coast (July).
• Song and Dance Celebration: the national folk-culture festival, held every five years, with a mass choir that runs to tens of thousands of singers (July).
• Riga Opera Festival: a run of performances at the Latvian National Opera (June).
• Summer Sound: a beach music festival at Liepāja (August).
• Riga Light Festival, Staro Rīga: light installations across the city centre (November).
• Riga Christmas markets: cabins selling mulled wine, crafts and hot food, mainly on Dome Square (December into January).

Riga Restaurant Week runs twice a year, usually in spring and autumn, with set menus at participating restaurants. The price changes every edition, so check the current programme rather than an old figure.

Public holidays in Latvia

Latvia’s public holidays are listed below, and two of them move: if 4 May or 18 November falls at a weekend, the following Monday becomes a holiday.

1. New Year’s Day: 1 January.
2. Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday: moveable, in March or April.
3. Labour Day: 1 May, which is also the day the Constituent Assembly was convened.
4. Restoration of Independence Day: 4 May, marking the 1990 declaration that restored independence from the USSR.
5. Līgo Day and Jāņi: 23 and 24 June, midsummer, and the two days the whole country leaves the cities.
6. Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia: 18 November, the 1918 declaration and the national day.
7. Christmas: 24, 25 and 26 December.
8. New Year’s Eve: 31 December.

If you are working from an older guide that puts Latvian independence day on 6 May, it is wrong: the date is 4 May, and 18 November is the separate national day.

Latvian customs and etiquette

Latvia is a modern EU country with few social traps for visitors, and the one that matters most is national identity. Do not refer to Latvians as Russians or treat Latvia as part of Russia; the country spent fifty years under Soviet occupation and the distinction is not a small point of pride.

Pointing at someone with a single finger reads as rude, so gesture with an open hand instead. There is no expectation of modest dress and no strong gender division in daily life, and shoes generally come off at the door in a private home.

Where to stay in Latvia

Most of Latvia’s accommodation is in Riga, with a thinner but real spread of hotels, guesthouses and campsites across the regions. Riga’s Old Town is the convenient choice and the noisy one; the Quiet Centre and Āgenskalns across the river are both calmer and cheaper for the same money.

For apartments rather than hotel rooms, which suits the countryside and longer stays, Vrbo has the better rural coverage. For hotels and guesthouses, Trip.com lets you filter by the things that actually matter here, which are parking and whether breakfast is included.

Travel insurance for Latvia

Travel insurance covers the things planning cannot: a cancelled flight, an illness on the road, a broken or stolen laptop. Latvia is an EU country, so an EHIC or GHIC card covers state healthcare for European visitors, but it covers neither repatriation nor your belongings.

SafetyWing is the policy to look at if you travel often or for long stretches, because it is sold as a rolling subscription rather than per trip. Get a quote before you book flights, not after.

Basic Latvian phrases

Latvian is the official language, and ten phrases cover the polite basics. English is common in Riga and among younger Latvians, and Russian is widely understood, but Latvian is the one that gets a smile.

Is Latvia safe for tourists?

Latvia is a safe country for tourists, and the realistic risk is traffic rather than crime. Road surfaces away from the main routes are patchy and speeding is common, which is why driving is the part of a Latvian trip worth taking seriously.

City crime is low. Pickpocketing happens in the Old Town and around the Central Market in summer, the same as in any European capital with a busy tourist quarter, and keeping your valuables out of an open bag handles it.

Cash, cards and prices in Latvia

Latvia uses the euro, cards are accepted almost everywhere in Riga, and cash is the fallback in markets, rural family-run businesses and some public transport. ATMs are common in towns and thin on the ground in the countryside, so draw money before you head into Latgale or the Kurzeme coast.

Prices sit below the Nordic and western-European average and above the regional low. A single Riga transport ride is €1.50 (about $1.75, £1.30) and an airport taxi runs €10 to €15 (about $12 to $17, £9 to £13), at rates of 10 September 2026 when €1 bought $1.16 and £0.86. Carry €20 to €30 in small notes for markets.

Phones, WiFi and data in Latvia

An EU SIM works in Latvia at no extra cost, because EU roaming rules cover calls, texts and data. Some global plans include Latvia too, so check yours before buying anything.

If your SIM is not European, a data eSIM is the simplest fix, since it installs before you fly and needs no shop visit on arrival. Airalo sells both day passes and monthly plans for Latvia, and the code HARRY5578 takes €3 (about $3.50, £2.60) off a first eSIM. Public WiFi is widespread in Riga cafés, hotels and on much of the intercity transport.

Tipping in Latvia

Tipping in Latvia is optional and common rather than expected, and 10% is the usual figure for good restaurant service. Bars, taxis and hotels run on rounding up rather than percentages.

For the full breakdown by service, see the tipping guide for Europe.

A brief history of Latvia

Latvia’s recorded story runs from tribal settlement through seven centuries of foreign rule to two separate independence days, which is why both 18 November and 4 May matter here. The first settlements in the territory date back roughly 10,000 years, four Baltic and Finnic tribal groups held the land, and the River Daugava was the trade route inland towards Russia and the Black Sea.

Riga was founded in 1201 by Bishop Albert and became a Hanseatic trading city within a century. Its position made it a prize, and the territory passed between the Livonian Order, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Sweden and the Russian Empire. Under Russian rule Riga industrialised heavily and became one of the empire’s most modern cities.

Latvia declared independence on 18 November 1918 and fought a war to keep it, winning Soviet recognition in 1920 and international recognition in 1921. Soviet occupation from 1940, German occupation, then Soviet rule again cost the country its independence until 4 May 1990, when the Supreme Council declared it restored. Full independence followed on 21 August 1991. Latvia joined the EU and NATO in 2004 and adopted the euro in 2014.

More posts about Latvia

Every Latvia article on this site is collected in one place, and the three below are the ones to read next.

1. Riga: what to see and do in the capital.
2. Latvia’s coast by car: a Kurzeme road-trip itinerary.
3. All Latvia posts: the full archive.

WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips

Four tips make the biggest difference to planning a Latvian trip, and each one contradicts something older guides still tell travellers.

1. Do not plan a Riga to Stockholm ferry. That crossing no longer runs. Latvia’s own tourism board lists Stena Line’s Liepāja to Travemünde route and two services out of Ventspils, and nothing from Riga.
2. You can reach Riga by train from Vilnius or Tallinn again, but buy the tickets separately. The Baltic through service reopened in January 2025 and no single operator sells the whole journey: Vivi covers Riga to Valga, LTG Link covers Vilnius to Riga, and Elron covers Valga to Tallinn, where Riga appears as Riia. Trains to Russia and Belarus are gone.
3. Book the airport bus, not a transfer. Bus 22 links Riga Airport and Old Riga every 10 to 20 minutes for €1.50 (about $1.75, £1.30), against €10 to €15 for a taxi, and it drops you opposite the coach terminal at the edge of the Old Town.
4. Get the independence dates right before you book around them. Restoration of Independence Day is 4 May and Proclamation Day is 18 November. Both shift to the following Monday when they land at a weekend, which moves opening hours with them.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, and the first-hand notes in this post come from her winter trip to Riga and the Latvian coast. The team covers Latvia for independent travellers, including the tours, hotels and apartments, car hire and cold-weather gear worth booking, and updates this page when prices, dates and transport routes change.