A weekend in Riga
Art Nouveau streets, the Central Market and the old town, only a few hours by bus from Vilnius.
Contents
Riga in brief
Riga is the largest city in the Baltics and a convenient weekend destination from Lithuania: it is about 289 km from Vilnius, and the bus journey takes about 4 hours. The city’s symbols are the Art Nouveau façades, the old town cathedral and the Central Market. All of this fits into two walking days.
The best season depends on what you are looking for. In winter go for the Christmas market on Dome Square, and the Art Nouveau Museum ticket is cheaper in the winter season than in summer. The market is in the section “What to do by season”, the museum in “What to see”. Riga does charge a tourist tax on accommodation, so include it in your budget.
How to get there
From Vilnius by bus. The FlixBus route page says: 8 services a day, 289 km, the fastest service 3 h 55 min, the cheapest fare from €8.98 (FlixBus, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-06). The Friday 6 November service at 11:40 arrives in Riga at 15:45, and the Sunday 8 November service from Riga at 15:15 arrives at Vilnius bus station at 19:25 (FlixBus timetable, checked 2026-10-29). Check the ticket price in the FlixBus search. All services and stops: Vilnius–Riga by bus (in Lithuanian).
From Vilnius by train. LTG Link lists a direct train with no changes that runs daily, and Riga station is at Stacijas laukums 2 (LTG Link, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-06). On Friday 13 November the train leaves at 07:04 and arrives at 11:34, and a second-class ticket costs €24.00 per person (LTG Link tickets, checked 2026-10-27). A changed timetable applies until 30 November; more in Vilnius–Riga by train.
From Kaunas. FlixBus shows 5 services a day, 265 km, a fastest journey of 3 h 40 min and a fare from €11.48 (FlixBus, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-06). The Friday 6 November service at 18:05 arrives at 21:45 (FlixBus timetable, checked 2026-10-29); we do not give the fare, as we have not checked it today. More: Kaunas–Riga by bus (in Lithuanian).
From Klaipėda. Ollex goes straight to the Riga bus station. On Friday 13 November the 11:30 → 16:10 service takes 4 h 40 min and costs €30 per passenger, and on Sunday 15 November the 13:15 → 17:55 service costs the same (search, checked 2026-10-06; Ollex, in Lithuanian). The website warns that express services may be up to 45 minutes late.
The bus and railway stations in Riga are next to each other: about 519 m on foot. More: Riga’s stations. We described how to choose in train or bus from Vilnius (in Lithuanian).
Getting around
The old town can be reached on foot. From the bus station to Dome Square is about 972 m (about 13 min). From the railway station it is about 1.2 km (about 16 min). Distances are from OpenStreetMap walking routes (checked 2026-10-06).
Rīgas satiksme sells these tickets for trams, trolleybuses and buses (ticket prices, checked 2026-10-06):
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| 90 minutes | €1.50 |
| 24 hours | €5.00 |
| 3 days | €8.00 |
| 5 days | €10.00 |
You must register the ticket again in every vehicle (day tickets, checked 2026-10-06). How to buy by phone: public transport in Riga (in Lithuanian). Over a weekend you will mostly walk, so a 24-hour ticket pays off only if you ride outside the centre.
Where to stay
The Riga tourism website does not describe districts as places to stay, but it does say where the main sights are (Live Riga, checked 2026-10-07):
- Old Town (Vecrīga). The oldest part of the city; most of its buildings have cultural monument status. Its architecture includes Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque, Neoclassical and Modernist examples.
- The centre. The 42.7 m Freedom Monument, made of granite and copper, stands here, and the National Opera and Ballet has been on Aspazijas Boulevard since 1923.
- The left bank of the Daugava. Here are the 65 m Riga Rise observation wheel, opened in April 2025, and the Āgenskalns market, open since 1898.
Two firm landmarks are verified: the railway and bus stations are next to each other, and the old town is about 1 km from them. That is handy when you arrive with a suitcase.
Prices for accommodation change with the dates. Hotel Edvards’ price list shows a double room in the low season (1 October–26 December) at €85 a night, breakfast included (hoteledvards.lv, checked 2026-10-08). The local tourist tax is not included. How to choose a place to stay: guide to choosing a place to stay for a weekend (in Lithuanian).
What to see
Riga Art Nouveau Museum. Alberta iela 12, open daily 10:00–18:00, and tickets are sold until 17:45. In the winter season (1 October–30 April) a ticket to the whole exhibition costs €5.00, and in summer (1 May–30 September) €9.00 (museum, checked 2026-10-06; opening hours).
Riga Art Nouveau Museum
A museum at Alberta iela 12, set up in an Art Nouveau house.
Riga Cathedral. The old town cathedral is open Monday–Saturday 10:00–17:00 and Sunday 14:00–17:00, entry €5 (adults), free for children under 10. A midday “Concerto Piccolo” concert with the Walcker organ takes place daily (cathedral website, checked 2026-10-06). It lasts about 20 minutes and starts at 12:00, on Sundays at 15:00 (concert programme, checked 2026-10-16).
Riga Cathedral
The cathedral of Riga’s old town, open to visitors; midday concerts are held too.
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. Daily 10:00–18:00, adults €8, students €5, free for children under 18 (museum, checked 2026-10-06).
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
A museum on Latvian Riflemen Square about the occupation of Latvia.
Latvian National Museum of Art. Closed on Monday; the permanent exhibition costs €7 (museum, checked 2026-10-08).
Latvian National Museum of Art
Latvia’s art museum in Riga: the permanent exhibition and the large exhibition hall.
St Peter’s Church. It is the tallest church in Riga and one of the oldest medieval religious buildings in the Baltic states. Visitors can go up the tower for a panorama of the city (Live Riga, checked 2026-10-07).
House of the Blackheads. It stands on Town Hall Square opposite the city council building and is regarded as one of the most impressive buildings in the old town (same source). We did not check opening hours or ticket prices.
National Opera and Ballet. The season runs from September to the end of May. During it about six new productions are staged and more than 200 performances are shown (same source). Check the repertoire and ticket prices on the theatre’s website.
You will find every place in the categories what to see in Riga and what to do in Riga.
What to do by season
Winter and Christmas. The Riga Christmas market on Dome Square will run from 27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. The hours on 24–25 December are 10:00–21:00, and on 31 December they are 10:00–02:00 (organiser, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-06). More about the market and the holidays: New Year in Riga (in Lithuanian) and Christmas markets in Europe (in Lithuanian).
Autumn. One event on the tourism website’s autumn page is still ahead: from 2 to 15 November it is the Riga Restaurant Week (Live Riga, checked 2026-10-07).
Spring and autumn. We found no events with an organiser’s source for these seasons, so we do not list any. The museums keep the same hours that we gave.
If it rains
On a rainy day in Riga choose two museums: the Riga Art Nouveau Museum and the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. Hours and prices are in the section “What to see”.
The Occupation Museum is closed on 1 January, 23–24 June, 24–26 December and 31 December.
What to eat
The Central Market is the main food place we checked. The market website gives the pavilions’ opening hours as 7:30–18:00 and the outdoor section’s as 7:00–18:00. Places to eat: “Perons No.1”, “Labietis” and “Siļķītes un dillītes” (checked 2026-10-05). More about the market: Central Market.
The tourism website’s one-day plan mentions two breakfast places. “Mulberry” (Ausekļa iela 14) offers homemade jams and cold-smoked salmon. “Lowine” (Dzirnavu iela 43) is included in the Michelin guide. For dinner it suggests the restaurant “Neiburgs” (Jauniela 25/27), also in the Michelin guide, and “Snatch” (Elizabetes iela 39) with Italian cuisine (Live Riga, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-07). We did not check menus or prices. We do not recommend dishes or restaurants that we did not find on official pages.
Practical information
Currency and language. Latvia has used the euro since 1 January 2014, and the official language is Latvian (EU portal, in Lithuanian, checked 2026-10-06; Official Language Law, checked 2026-10-06).
Tourist tax. In Riga the accommodation tax since 1 November 2023 is €0.89 per person per night, at most €8.90 per stay. The city council tells the guest €1 including VAT. From 1 January 2027 it will be €1.78, at most €17.80, and €2 including VAT for the guest. It is not payable by people under 18 or from the 11th night (Riga City Council, checked 2026-10-06). For two nights in 2026 the guest pays €2 for an adult. More: the tourist tax in the Baltic states.
Documents. Before you travel, read documents for travelling in the Baltic states (in Lithuanian).
Weekend plan
Friday. Take the 11:40 FlixBus service from Vilnius and you will be in Riga at 15:45. In the evening stroll through the old town to Dome Square.
Saturday. In the morning visit the Art Nouveau Museum, later Riga Cathedral, and have lunch at the Central Market. In the evening you can drop in at the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia while it is still open.
Sunday. In the morning you will have time for the Latvian National Museum of Art: on Sunday it is open 10:00–17:00 (opening hours, checked 2026-10-27). Leave for Vilnius on the 15:15 service, which arrives at the bus station at 19:25. A ready-made trip by train is on the page A weekend in Riga from Vilnius, 13–15 November (in Lithuanian).
FAQ
Is a weekend enough for Riga?
Yes. The bus takes about 4 hours one way, and the main museums and the old town fit into two days of sightseeing.
Do I have to pay the tourist tax in Riga?
Yes, €0.89 per person per night (€1 including VAT for the guest), but no more than €8.90 per stay. It does not apply to people under 18.
How much is a ticket in the city?
A 90-minute ticket costs €1.50 and a 24-hour ticket €5.00 (checked 2026-10-06).
Where do I travel from if I live in Klaipėda?
Ollex has direct services to the Riga bus station, and the journey takes 4 h 40 min. You will find more trips in the list of weekend trips from Vilnius (in Lithuanian).
Things to see and do in Riga
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By car: distance, time, fuel
By car
- From Vilnius: 286 km, 3 h 20 min one way. Fuel there and back: €72.54 per car, €36.27 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 286 km = 572 km; 572 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 37.18 l; 37.18 l × 1.951 €/l = €72.54.
- From Kaunas: 257 km, 3 h 26 min one way. Fuel there and back: €65.18 per car, €32.59 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 257 km = 514 km; 514 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 33.41 l; 33.41 l × 1.951 €/l = €65.18.
- From Klaipėda: 305 km, 3 h 38 min one way. Fuel there and back: €77.36 per car, €38.68 each for two people.Calculation: 2 × 305 km = 610 km; 610 km ÷ 100 × 6.5 l/100 km = 39.65 l; 39.65 l × 1.951 €/l = €77.36.
From Šiauliai, Panevėžys is not calculated yet: we do not have map data for this route.
This is an approximate calculation, not a price. Travel time without traffic or border queues. Fuel price: Lithuanian average, Euro-super 95 with taxes, 2026-10-19, the European Commission's Weekly Oil Bulletin (CC BY 4.0); consumption 6.5 l/100 km. Routes: MOTIS, car profile, no traffic conditions, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Geofabrik extracts, calculated 2026-10-29. There are no road tolls for passenger cars in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia; for Poland, see here (in Lithuanian).