Riga Old Town Walking Tour: Stories and Legends
Description
Discover Old Riga with us! Enjoy a guided walk through the city’s top sights and hidden corners. Our friendly, local, and experienced guide will share fascinating facts about Riga — including little-known stories you won’t easily find elsewhere. You will visit landmarks such as Dome Square and Dome Cathedral, the Three Brothers, the Narrowest Street and Medieval Well, Town Hall Square, St. Peter’s Church, and many more. This tour is the perfect introduction to Riga, giving you an insightful overview of the Old Town. After the tour, you can explore at your own pace, revisiting the places that caught your interest. Even if you’ve visited Riga several times, this tour will still surprise you with facts unknown to many locals.
Tour Options
Itinerary
One of medieval Riga's fortification wall towers, originally called the Sand Tower. Built in 1330.
The Town Hall Square in Riga has been completely re-built, since during the World War II the square and its historic buildings were destroyed. The city guests are welcomed by the historical façade of the House of the Blackheads, as well as the reconstructed Town Hall, and other buildings. Town Hall Square is the place where 500 years ago the city Christmas-tree was lit — now a memorial plank can be found here and a new Christmas-tree is decorated every year.
St. Peter's Church is the highest church in Riga and one of the oldest and most notable sacred buildings of medieval monumental architecture in the Baltic States.
It's hard to believe that the Square once was the site of the Riga River, which was a shipping route for transporting Latvian grain up to the 16th century. Later it was called the Rīdzene River and even Rīdziņa as it gradually became narrower. Today, along the old route of the river, pavement wears away the shoes of countless Rigans and visitors to the city, and beautiful flower-beds remind one of the past times.
The oldest residential complex in Riga has survived from the 15th century. The three houses, which had been cramped together, had long been called the Three Brothers - legend has it that men of the same family built them. The buildings, which are several centuries old, now house the Museum of Architecture and the National Center for the Protection of Cultural Monuments.
The Cathedral is the largest and one of the oldest sacred buildings of the medieval period in the Baltic region, combining Romanesque, early Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau features. Today, alongside church services the cathedral hosts concerts by local and internationally renowned musicians.
The Riga Archdiocesan Cathedral is the main Catholic church in Latvia. Its slender tower has preserved better than any other the pyramidal shape characteristic of Riga's medieval church towers. Historically, it is also the first Latvian parish church in Riga (1523).
The so-called Swedish Gate is only gate that remains standing today of eight total in Riga's fortification wall.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(9)
We booked quite late in the day but we’re welcomed very warmly. It was just the two of us so the tour felt very much like a private one. The guide was very knowledgeable and I got to ask a lot of questions. Riga is such a rich cultural city with a lot of international influences and the guide took us through a very comprehensive walk pointing out everything of relevance in old town. Local anecdotes and jokes were very appreciated. Bonus points for drink at the start of the tour. Thank you very much!
Thank you for lovely review!
Alexsander was brilliant, funny and very knowledgeable. We would highly recommend to anyone wanting to know more about Riga!
Thank you!
Do not use this company!!! They cancel half hour beforw the tour starts without bothering toc ontact you (they have your contact details). It starts too late to join another tour. Horrible customer service. They never called me back or offered any help/other day.
We sincerely apologize for your experience. This is not our usual practice, and we are very sorry for the inconvenience caused. We take your feedback seriously and will make sure to improve our communication and service.
Really great walking tour. Our guide Yuris was fantastic, very knowledgeable of history, religion and architecture of the city. Very funny too. We weren't rushed and got to see so much of the town. Highly recommend the tour.
Thank you, we truly appreciate your feedback.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly to talk to. She gave a wonderful walk through Old Town and told us stories from olden times and also gave some of her own perspectives of the history of Riga up until now. Thoroughly enjoyable I reccomend to others and would even go again myself.
Thank you, we truly appreciate your feedback.
Our guide, Mara, was absolutely fantastic. She took us around to the major sites, but also several lesser known places and facts as well. We learned so much in this tour. Bring good walking shoes! While the tour is nearly all flat, the cobblestones are still your walking surface as with all old town sections in the area. We had a fantastic time and are very glad we signed up for this tour!
Small group for us. Excellent guide with great details and stories and facts. Walked at speed to accommodate all guest.
Thank you for your kind review! We're happy to hear you enjoyed the small group experience and that the guide made the tour both informative and comfortable for everyone. Hope to see you again in Riga!
Wonderful guide in Riga old town. Well worth the time and a great overview of the city. The guide was very helpful and answered a lot of questions about the local area as well.
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We're glad you enjoyed the tour and found it informative. Our guides love sharing their knowledge and are always happy to help. Hope to welcome you again in Riga!
It was great to walk through the old town. Our guide, Mara, was wonderful! We love to visit Riga!
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We're happy to hear you enjoyed exploring Old Riga with Mara — she's truly a wonderful guide! So glad you loved seeing the beautifully renewed city. Hope to see you again!
