10 Best Riga Activities & Escape Rooms 2021

Excellent coverage of a difficult subject.

I booked this tour as I wanted to find out more about the reality of living in a Soviet satellite state and it was everything I had hoped for.

Lisa is an excellent guide and had clear memories of living through the transition to independence in the early 1990s, as well as family anecdotes from the ww2 period which brought home the horrors of living through wartime occupations.

As this was a private tour we could indulge ourselves in additional discussions about other Riga issues, so covered many other interesting areas like the Orthodox Cathedral and the new State Library, finishing up at the memorial to those who were deported to Siberia during the Russian occupation in the 1940s.

Highly recommended, if this is a subject that interests you.

Reviewed by Tony • March 24, 2017

Soviet Ghosts of Riga Walking Tour

Agnes was the perfect guide!

Our guide instantly understood the interests of our group - we didn't only go to shops, but saw bits of Riga we wouldn't have discovered on our own. Agnes has very good history knowledge, but she doesn't overkill you with information. Also, she had a very good energy, sense of humor and excellent English, so we thoroughly enjoyed our 3hr walking tour and didn't notice the time pass so fast! She also suggested us a perfect lunch place (Galerija Istaba) and conveniently ended our tour nearby. All in all, 10 out 10 experience, thank you Agnes!

Reviewed by Kadri • March 25, 2019

Riga Retro & Vintage Shopping Tour

Informative Tour

The full tour around Riga was very informative on the historical, cultural and modern life of the city and of Latvia in general. Aurels is very knowledgeable and is passionate about sharing with others. He was very professional, friendly and easy to communicate with. He asked me beforehand whether there were any specific places that I wanted to visit. This tour was by car and therefore is especially recommendable to those who may not be able to do a lengthy walking tour. I recommend Aurels. You won’t be disappointed.

Reviewed by Robert • November 12, 2018

Explore Riga by Car with a Local Guide

If you like Second Hand & Vintage, you just need this tour!

If you are new in Riga and want to know how to get second hand & vintage, this is for sure the guided tour you are after! You will visit places I am sure you had not found by yourself and you also get the picture of what Riga can offer in the second hand industri. The guide was super and had well knowledge both about the indisutri & about the city history. I enjoyed myself, learnt a lot about Riga and of course about how to get the good vintage and second hand. Thank you!

Reviewed by An Inactive User • November 06, 2017

Riga Retro & Vintage Shopping Tour

great time!

we were taken around by Liga. She was fantastic. We were a hen party of 11 and Liga was so thoughtful to work some anecdotes on Latvian wedding traditions and even had a small gift for the bride.

The tour should have finished at two but it ran over a little and Liga was really patient and stayed with us.

The actual content of the tour was fascinating and we learnt a lot about architecture and sime great stories from the history of Riga.

Reviewed by Julie • May 30, 2017

Culture & Food Tasting Experience in Riga

A very nice tour of Riga

I took the tour during my layover in Riga and I was very happy about it. I have a difficulty when walking, so this was just the perfect way of seeing the town in the limited time frame I had.
Very informative and friendly and it was easily possible to adjust the beginning of the tour.
Would highly recommend!

Reviewed by Alena • March 04, 2019

Explore Riga by Car with a Local Guide

it was great!

A perfect way to get known the city of Riga!
We learned and heard so much about Riga, the people, the food, the buildings there.
Liga was the best tourist guide ever. She tried to tell us what we were interesstes in. Thank you so much for this great day! We would really recommend the walking tour!

Reviewed by Claudia • July 18, 2016

Culture & Food Tasting Experience in Riga

Great tour that you should not miss!

We were lucky to have a nice lady as tour guide who could tell the history of Latvia and Riga in a pleasant way, An mix of facts, places tot show and her own experience. For us it was a highlight of our trip!

Reviewed by Olivier • March 05, 2019

Soviet Ghosts of Riga Walking Tour

Full Riga tour 13/11/18

Super tour. Aurels our guide was very knowledgeable and we learnt such a lot. Well worth he money and would recommend to anyone. Thank yoj

Reviewed by Jackie • November 15, 2018

Explore Riga by Car with a Local Guide

Really nice, off the beaten track tour

Really nice, off the beaten track tour that covers some alternative routes of the recent history of Riga.
Totally recommended :)

Reviewed by An Inactive User • September 26, 2016

Soviet Ghosts of Riga Walking Tour

Good introduction to Riga

Alvils is very knowledgeable and passionate about Riga albeit his young age. A good introduction tour to such a wonderful city.

Reviewed by Doris • September 18, 2019

Explore Riga by Car with a Local Guide

R

Myself and a friend did the walking tour of Riga, that included Vintage shopping :) It was a very cold day, and had been snowing on previous days. Although Riga is beautiful in Winter, it is freezing. We were lucky enough to have James as our guide, just moments before the birth of his son, and he made sure that we didn't get frostbite, ducking into markets, cafes and shops along the way.

This tour gave us a great overview of some of Riga's sights and history, but more importantly vintage shopping. If it wasn't for this tour we probably wouldn't have found these little treasures, as we would have stuck to the old town where we were staying. James was fluent in Latvian and so helped in the translation of costs and material used for items of interest. Our favourite store where we made our purchases was a real find and we would have easily walked past as there was no signage out front. Vintage leather boots at 6 Lats, what a steal!!!!

We also stopped along the way for warm tea at some trendy little bars.

Reviewed by rigalover / TripAdvisor • December 19, 2014

Riga Retro & Vintage Shopping Tour

P

A fabulous Riga Tour with Alvils Purics on the 16/06:18

What a fantastic idea, your very own personal local tour guide! Alvils certainly wasn’t your run of the mill guide, prior to our arrival he asked whether we had any specific ideas as to how we wanted the tour to go. Well, he certainly listened and created a beautiful taylor-made journey making our stay in Latvia a brilliant experience. Christine is a train enthusiast so really appreciated a visit to Tornakalns station and it’s history and I marvelled at the history of the architecture through the centuries. He produced some very informative maps and literature which helped give us a realistic and clear idea of Estonian. We felt at ease asking questions and nothing was too much trouble. If you hope to visit Riga this is definitely the best way to absorb the culture, history, geography, economics and so much more...... it was so special to have a proud enthusiastic young man to show us around. Thanks again Paula and Christine, St Albans, UK

Tour in Riga: Explore Riga by Car with a Local Guide. Photo by Paula.

Image by Paula who visited Explore Riga by Car with a Local Guide.

View gallery

Reviewed by Paula • June 19, 2018

Explore Riga by Car with a Local Guide

A

Excellent tour and guide!

Liga is an excellent tour guide and took us on the "Soviet Ghosts of Riga Walking Tour". She is very knowledgeable and has personal experience from the Soviet times. The tour was very well designed, took us to places of great interest on the subject. After starting close to old town, she took us further out by public transport (all tickets were included in the cost of the tour). She offered us couple of options for ending our tour which was really nice. We had really good conversations on several topics about the Soviet occupation and also current situation in the Baltics. She also recommended places to eat and things to do. Overall, I would highly recommend this tour if you are interested in the topic and want to meet someone who works hard to give you a great experience.

Reviewed by Amar • September 16, 2018

Soviet Ghosts of Riga Walking Tour

A

Very nice tour with a very competent guide from the city center. It was very informative to see what the Soviet era was like in Riga, the history, the lifestyle and the monuments. The tour also included a small trip on tram to the market place which was nice to experience Latvians daily life.
The guide shared with us part of her own experience and life during the Soviet times as a Latvian, and also shared with us a special black bread drink on the roofs on the Academy of science building :).

Reviewed by Abderrahman • May 13, 2016

Soviet Ghosts of Riga Walking Tour

J

Interesting Tour with a Great Guide

We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Liga was very knowledgeable and personable. This was our third time to Riga so we were looking for a tour that was different than the standard walking tour of old town - we were not disappointed. As stated in the other reviews, you get to see a side of Riga that most tourists don't get to see and you realize there is much more to this city than the old town. We send our thanks to Liga for being such a wonderful guide and we would definitely recommend this tour.

Reviewed by Joy • September 16, 2016

Soviet Ghosts of Riga Walking Tour

N

Fun and very interesting!

My friend and I are interested in history and wanted something different - preferably with a Soviet flavour...and we were not disappointed! This tour takes you beyond the standard touristic areas and allows you to explore a fascinating era of Latvian history. Our guide Liga was both charming and knowledgeable- her insights are fully authentic since she personally experienced the era, having lived there during the period of occupation. Highly recommended!

Reviewed by Nicolas • July 05, 2016

Soviet Ghosts of Riga Walking Tour

P

Personal touch

Really informative tour was made by our guide whos personality made our day and who was soon like a good friend to us! His knowlege of the city and the ease with which he answered all our questions was second to none. A really nice guy who we will tell about to all our friends planning a Riga city break! Thank you. Felt bad after as we hadn't given him a tip - please send his contact details so we may make amends. Thanks again.
Peter & Clare

Reviewed by Peter • February 06, 2017

Riga Retro & Vintage Shopping Tour

W

Got back from Latvia the other day and wow - Raami Travel's Soviets Ghosts of Riga was amazing. Tour operator Liga was knowledgeable and professional. She obviously knew Riga's history and culture. I was pleased with my booking and will definitely use your service again. I give my tour 5 stars. Since it was early in the season, I had a personal guide and my tour was less cumbersome and expensive than doing it myself.

Reviewed by Willis • May 21, 2016

Soviet Ghosts of Riga Walking Tour

W

Got back from Latvia the other day and wow - Raami Travel's Soviets Ghosts of Riga was amazing. Tour operator Liga was knowledgeable and professional. She obviously knew Riga's history and culture. I was pleased with my booking and will definitely use your service again. I give my tour 5 stars. Since it was early in the season, I had a personal guide and my tour was less cumbersome and expensive than doing it myself.

Reviewed by Willis • May 21, 2016

Soviet Ghosts of Riga Walking Tour