17 reviews

Soviet Ghosts of Riga Walking Tour

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Visit must-see places in Riga that are legacies of the city’s Soviet past, find out what life was like behind the Iron Curtain, and taste typical Soviet-era food on a fascinating walking tour with a friendly local guide.

Duration: 3 hours

Available in

English

Highlights

Visit must-see places that are legacies of Riga’s Soviet past
Learn about life during the occupation
Admire beautiful panoramic views
Taste typical Soviet-era food
Enjoy a small-group or private tour

Description

What was it like living in Riga during the Soviet occupation? How did it start? How did it affect the local people? If you want to find out what life was like behind the Iron Curtain, join our fascinating and historical walking tour!

This tour takes you to some of the must-see places in Riga that are legacies of the city’s Soviet past. You’ll see typical Soviet-era buildings, hear about life during the occupation, visit a famous KGB building, and enjoy great panoramic views.

You'll also see a Soviet-style cafeteria and have the chance to taste some typical Soviet-era food.

NB! This tour is suitable for active people; a moderate amount of walking is involved.

What’s included & not included

Local tour guide
Public transport ticket

Admission to the Academy of Sciences viewing platform (€5 per person)
Snacks and refreshments in the cafeteria (approx. €3 per person)

Check availability of the tour:

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Meeting point

The Freedom Monument

Reviews from travellers (17)

4.9/5

Authentic tour

This tour was carried out in an authentic fashion it was not done in a glamourised way and Liga was very knowledgeable about the soviet influence on Riga and her home town.As the group was small she could give us all personal attention and answer questions. Thank you Liga.

Reviewed by Gianna • April 01, 2019

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

Informative and enjoyable

Learnt a lot about the impact of occupation, especially the ongoing effects, and about the Latvian people. Guide knew her stuff and had personal experience with many of the topics discussed. Overall enjoyable and educational tour.

Reviewed by Bronte • January 20, 2019

Great. Very interesting.

Reviewed by bert • January 01, 2019

Amazingly Eye Opening, Wonderful Guide!

We loved our Soviet tour and learned so much!! Really cant imagine my trip to the Baltics without having experienced it. -Sarah

Reviewed by Sarah • October 16, 2018

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

Great tour

This is definitely the tour to take if you want to know about the Soviet/Latvian era, our guide, Liga was great and so knowledgeable.

Reviewed by Alex • October 07, 2017

Lovely guide for a dedicated tour

Reviewed by Roberta • August 22, 2017

Very i trresting tur and great guide

Our guide made this tour very interesting and the 3 hours went so fast. She knows everything about the history Worth knowing. We really recommend this tour.

Reviewed by Elin • August 01, 2017

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

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 Ana • September 26, 2016

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

An informative tour

Well done Liga. It was a pleasure to join you for the tour. Thanks for the historical info which helped us to understand many things. And we did appreciate your wonderful English and lucid presentation

We would have liked a few more points of interest to see as this tour involves a lot of walking to see just a handful of sights.

Best wishes Suzy and Larry Cohn

Reviewed by Suzy • August 29, 2016

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

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

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

From 20 EUR per person

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