What to See in Riga, Latvia: Free Audio Guide

Riga is Latvia’s capital, a city where medieval churches, historic squares, grand boulevards and distinctive religious architecture reveal layers of the country’s past. The best things to do in Riga include exploring the old center, following the city’s story of independence and discovering landmarks beyond Vecrīga. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Riga with 160 narrated places.

What to See in Riga: Riga’s Historic Center

Riga’s historic center brings together the city’s most concentrated group of landmarks. A self-guided walk makes it possible to move from the Daugava waterfront through medieval streets and squares at your own pace.

Riga Castle

On the banks of the Daugava, Riga Castle combines the character of a medieval fortress with its present role as the official residence of the President of Latvia. Its origins lie with the Livonian Order in the 14th century. After being destroyed in 1484, it was rebuilt between 1497 and 1515, then expanded and altered under Polish, Swedish and Russian rule.

The castle became the official residence of the Latvian government in 1938. During the Soviet era, it housed a Young Pioneers’ palace and various museums before returning to its presidential role after Latvia regained independence.

The Three Brothers

On Mazā Pils iela, the Three Brothers form the oldest surviving group of dwelling houses in Riga. Each building represents a different period of the city’s architectural history.

Number 17 is the oldest, dating from the late 15th or early 16th century, and is the oldest surviving stone dwelling house in Riga. Number 19 was built in 1646 and has a Dutch Mannerist façade, while number 21 dates from the early 18th century. The row received its current appearance during a restoration carried out between 1953 and 1957.

The buildings now house the Latvian Museum of Architecture, where the story of Riga’s built heritage continues inside the historic complex.

St. James’s Cathedral

The slender tower of St. James’s Cathedral rises above the rooftops of Old Riga. Dating from 1225, this Roman Catholic cathedral is the seat of the Riga Archdiocese and the main Catholic church in Latvia.

Its tower reaches nearly 92 metres, while the building itself is only about 50 metres long. The cathedral’s medieval character is especially visible in its pyramidal tower and its rib-less vaulted choir, which reflects Cistercian influences. In 1523, it became the first Latvian-language congregation church in Riga. For several centuries it served as the city’s Lutheran cathedral before returning to Catholic use.

Riga Cathedral

Riga Cathedral, known locally as the Doms, stands on Herder Square. It is the largest medieval church in the Baltics and the principal seat of Latvia’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Construction began in the early 13th century, although the building has been reshaped many times. Its organ, built by Eberhard Friedrich Walcker between 1882 and 1883, contains 6,768 pipes. The former monastery attached to the cathedral is now home to Riga’s Museum of History and Navigation, founded in 1773.

St. Peter’s Church

St. Peter’s Church rises above Reformation Square and is the tallest church in Riga. The Gothic building is first mentioned in written records in 1209, and parts of the 13th-century structure survive in the side-aisle walls and several interior pillars.

Its tower reaches 123.5 metres, including a 64.5-metre spire. Until Riga’s TV tower was built in 1985, the church spire was the tallest structure in the city. Before the Second World War, it was also considered the tallest wooden structure in Europe.

Art Museum Riga Bourse

At Doma Square 6, the Art Museum Riga Bourse presents an extensive panorama of world art. The museum belongs to the Latvian National Museum of Art and occupies the former Riga Bourse building.

Its permanent exhibitions include the Oriental Gallery, Painting Gallery, Western Gallery and Silver Cabinet. The collection ranges from Ancient Egyptian art to works from the 21st century, covering artistic traditions from Western Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Among its notable objects is an Ancient Egyptian mummy, described as the only mummy held in a Latvian museum.

Things to Do in Riga Along the Road to Freedom

Riga’s monuments and churches also tell the story of Latvia’s national identity. This route leads from the city canal and opera house towards the landmarks around Freedom Square and Esplanade park.

Latvian National Opera and Ballet

Along the Riga Canal, close to the Freedom Monument, the Latvian National Opera and Ballet serves as the country’s home for opera and ballet. Its setting makes it a natural stop between the historic center and Freedom Square.

Freedom Monument

The Freedom Monument stands in the middle of Freedom Square and commemorates the soldiers who died in Latvia’s War of Independence. Unveiled in 1935, it is 42 metres tall and built from grey and red granite, travertine, reinforced concrete and copper.

Thirteen sculptural groups and bas-reliefs at the base represent Latvian history and culture. Above them rises a 19-metre obelisk topped by a nine-metre copper figure of Liberty, holding three gilded stars.

The monument remained a symbol of Latvian independence during the Soviet period. On 14 June 1987, around 5,000 people gathered there to lay flowers, an event that helped reignite the national independence movement.

Nativity Cathedral

At the edge of Esplanade park, the domes of the Nativity Cathedral mark the seat of the Latvian Orthodox Church. Built between 1876 and 1883 in Neo-Byzantine style, it is the largest Orthodox cathedral in the Baltic provinces.

The cathedral was designed by Nikolai Chagin and Robert Pflug. Its interior includes decorations by the firm of August Volz and icons, some painted by Vasili Vereshchagin. During the First World War, German troops converted it into a Lutheran church. Soviet authorities later closed it and turned it into a planetarium before it returned to religious use after Latvia regained independence.

St. Alexander Nevsky Church

On Brīvības Street, St. Alexander Nevsky Church is a wooden Neoclassical monument with original architectural ornamentation. Built between 1820 and 1825, it commemorates Russia’s victory over Napoleon’s army in the Patriotic War.

Inside are icons dating from the early 19th century and a collection of holy relics. The church is also a state-significant architectural monument.

St. Gertrude Old Church

At the intersection of Ģertrūdes and Baznīcas streets, St. Gertrude Old Church is a Lutheran landmark with an eclectic architectural character. The present building was designed by Johann Daniel Felsko and built between 1864 and 1869.

Its site is unusual: it was among the first church locations in Riga to receive a specifically designated building plot in the form of an octagonal square. Seven St. Gertrude churches have stood on or near this site over time.

Discover Riga’s Churches Beyond the Old Town

Riga’s religious landmarks extend into districts beyond the medieval center. They offer different architectural styles, from Neoclassical and English Gothic designs to churches shaped by the city’s Orthodox and Catholic communities.

Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady Church

In Riga’s Maskavas suburb, the Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady Church stands at the corner of Emīlijas Benjamiņas and Vilhelma Purvīša streets. Built between 1814 and 1818 by architect Teodors Gotfrīds Šulcs, it is an Orthodox church in the Neoclassical style.

The building has survived almost unchanged, apart from a small interior remodel carried out between 1858 and 1859.

St. Francis Church

St. Francis Church stands at 16 Katoļu Street in Maskavas Forštate. This Roman Catholic church was consecrated in 1892 by Franciszek Albin Symon, auxiliary bishop of Mohilev.

Its distinctive feature is its pair of spires, a design shared by only three churches in Riga.

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

In Grīziņkalns, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church occupies a triangular square formed by Tallinas, Jāņa Asara and Augusta Deglava streets. Consecrated in 1887, it is a parish church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia and a nationally significant architectural monument.

Its English Gothic design gives it a clear identity within the district.

St. Gertrude New Church

St. Gertrude New Church stands on Brīvības Street and serves as another Lutheran landmark in central Riga. Built in the early 20th century, it reflects the eclectic architectural trends of the period, blending several historic styles in its façade and details.

Explore Riga with a Free Audio Guide

Neywo lets you turn sightseeing into a Riga self-guided walking tour without joining a group or following a fixed timetable. The app has four walking tours and one bus route:

• Riga’s Medieval Heart: Castle, Brothers and the Dome — 1.05 km, 113 minutes and 8 narrated stops
• Blackheads, Guilds and Grumpy Cats — 1.57 km, 101 minutes and 12 narrated stops
• Riga’s Road to Freedom — 2.9 km, 110 minutes and 10 narrated stops
• Behind the Station: Jewish Riga, Stalin’s Skyscraper and the Moscow Quarter — 2.42 km, 81 minutes and 8 narrated stops
• Bus 50: Riga’s Freedom Boulevard Ride — 5.6 km, 24 minutes and 8 narrated stops

Each story plays as you reach the place, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages. Download Neywo and explore Riga through its streets, churches, squares and historic landmarks. When planning a wider trip through Latvia, you can also continue to cities such as Jūrmala, Daugavpils or Liepāja.