Riga is an unusually easy city to manage without a car. The historic centre is compact and largely pedestrian, the public transport network is dense and cheap, and the distances that are too far to walk are almost always short enough to make a tram sensible. Most visitors never need a taxi beyond the trip in from the airport.
Walking first
Start from the assumption that you will walk. The Old Town, the park belt, the canal, the Art Nouveau streets and the central market are all within about twenty-five minutes of each other on foot. The surface is the main consideration rather than the distance: cobbles are hard on thin soles, and in winter the pavements can be genuinely slippery in the early morning before they are cleared.
Trams, trolleybuses and buses
The city runs an integrated network of trams, trolleybuses and buses under a single ticketing system. Tickets are cheapest bought in advance from kiosks and shops as a rechargeable card, more expensive bought from the driver, and must be validated on board at the start of the journey. Inspections do happen and the fines are not trivial, so validate even for one stop. Services run frequently through the day and thin out late at night.
- Buy the travel card. Cheaper per journey and avoids fumbling for change on board.
- Validate immediately. Tapping in as you board is the whole of the system and the only thing inspectors check.
- Trams are the most useful. The routes run where visitors actually want to go.
- Check the last service. Night coverage exists but is sparse and route-limited.
To and from the airport
The airport sits west of the city, roughly half an hour away depending on traffic. A regular bus service connects it to the city centre for the price of an ordinary ticket and is the cheapest option by a wide margin. Taxis and ride-hailing apps are the faster choice with luggage; agree the fare or use the app rather than negotiating at the rank.
Bicycles and the rest
A public bike-share scheme operates through the warmer months and is well suited to the flat terrain and the riverside paths. Cycling in traffic is less relaxed than in some northern European cities, but the park and river routes are pleasant. Trains are the tool for leaving the city rather than moving within it, and they leave from the central station beside the market. Ride-hailing applications work normally in the city and are usually cheaper and less ambiguous than flagging a taxi in the street, particularly late at night when the tram network has thinned out.
The practical summary is short: walk in the centre, take a tram when the walk exceeds about half an hour, buy a rechargeable ticket on your first morning, and leave the car hire for a trip that actually needs one.
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