World Travel Guide

City Guide  - Riga  - Sightseeing
Sightseeing

Sightseeing is made easy in Riga by the fact that most of the sights are located within a compact area. The city centre is divided into two easily navigable halves, with the city canal and its string of parks and gardens meandering between the Old Town and the New Town. The Old Town tumbles westwards towards the Daugava River and the New Town stretches out towards the eastern suburbs. The Old Town is one of the most charming in Europe with an eclectic array of architectural styles on display, everything from classical and Gothic, right through to Art Nouveau and Modernist. This is the tourist heart of the city with most of the major attractions and plenty of hotels, bars, cafés and restaurants. The best way to get an idea of the layout of the Old Town is from the observation level of St Peter's Church (see the Key Attractions section). The New Town is Riga's bustling, commercial centre where it becomes obvious that the city is no medieval backwater but an increasingly prosperous and significant European city. In contrast to the Old Town, the newer part of the city has broad streets and the buildings are very formulaic, with row upon row of six-storey buildings.

Tourist Information

Latvian Tourist Development Agency
Pils Laukums 4
Tel/fax: 722 9945.
Web site: www.latviatravel.com
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800.

There is also a tourist information bureau at the airport.

Passes

The Riga Card gives visitors free use of buses, trolley buses and trams, free train trips to Vecaki and Jurmala, free or discounted museum admission and discounts in shops, cafés, restaurants and on car hire. The card can be purchased at the Tourist Information Centre, airport arrivals, selected hotels and anywhere displaying the RC sign and costs Ls8 for 24 hours, Ls12 for 48 hours and Ls16 for 72 hours.



Copyright © 2001 Columbus Publishing
    
GENERAL
City Overview
City Statistics
Cost of Living
 
GETTING THERE
Air
Water
Road
Rail
 
GETTING AROUND
Getting Around
 
BUSINESS
Business
 
SIGHTSEEING
Sightseeing
Key Attractions
Further Distractions
Tours of the City
Excursions
 
ENTERTAINMENT
Nightlife
Sport
Shopping
Culture
Special Events