Tours of the City
Walking Tours
A number of companies offer walking tours of Riga including Impro (tel: 732 3009 or 722 1312; e-mail: imrpo@imrpo.lv; website: www.impro.lv/english) and the one-man operation at Area Tours (tel: 958 0440). Imrpo offers one-and-a-half to three-hour guided walking tours that take in all of the main sights of the Old Town, as well as touch on the newer parts of the city. These cost between Ls34 and Ls50. Departure points vary, although hotel pick up is available. Area Tours offers similar tours with a much more personal and engaging style, with arrangements to meet at hotels possible. However, a self-guided walking tour is probably the best bet. A good place to start a walk is at the Occupation Museum on Kalku iela, before heading into the old town. The majority of the sights in Old Riga are located on or near Skanu iela (the second right turn after the Occupation Museum), including St John’s Church and St Peter’s Church. Almost all of the main sights are located within a compact area in the old town.
Bus Tours
Latvia Tours (tel: 708 5001; website: www.latviatours.lv) operate the three-hour Riga City Tour. Pick-up by bus is from outside Hotel de Rome, on the edge of the Old Town. This tour costs Ls10 and incorporates the 13th-century churches and the UNESCO-protected Art Nouveau masterpieces in the Old Town. A number of companies offer competing bus tours, including Via Riga Travel Agency (tel: 728 5901; website: www.viariga.lv) and Riga Travel Agency (tel: 722 0368; website: www.rta.lv).
Other Tours
Liepaja (tel: 760 1686) is a small cruise ship that takes tourists on two-hour trips on the Daugava river for Ls1. Departure is from Krastmala, near the Occupation Museum. On dry land, Zirgu Seta (tel: 923 0049) gives visitors the opportunity to travel around Old Riga in a horse-drawn carriage. Tours, which cost Ls15 per hour, depart from near the Hotel de Rome.
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