Autumn in Riga brings some of the city’s loveliest light and, sooner or later, a day of steady rain blowing in off the Gulf. When it arrives there is no need to write the day off. Riga has a deep bench of museums, most of them within walking distance of the Old Town, and a wet afternoon is the best excuse there is to see them properly instead of squeezing them between other plans.
Art and architecture
The Latvian National Museum of Art, on the edge of the Esplanade park, is the obvious place to start. Its grand building holds the country’s main collection of Latvian painting from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the restored interior is worth seeing in its own right. Allow at least two hours; it rewards a slow pace.
For something more intimate, the Riga Art Nouveau Museum occupies an apartment in one of the buildings on Alberta iela, the street most associated with the style. The rooms are furnished as a well-off family might have lived in them in the early 1900s, and the spiral staircase in the entrance hall is one of the most photographed interiors in the city. Pair it with a walk along the street outside if the rain eases.
History and the city itself
The Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation sits in the old cathedral complex and tells the story of the city from its Hanseatic beginnings, with a strong emphasis on the river and the port that made Riga rich. It is one of the oldest museums in the region and has the slightly rambling character to match.
The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia covers the Soviet and Nazi occupations of the twentieth century. It is a sobering visit rather than a light one, but it explains a great deal about the country you are walking around, and many visitors say it changed how they saw the rest of their trip.
A few lighter choices
- The Riga Motor Museum. A large collection of cars and motorcycles, including vehicles once used by Soviet leaders. A good pick for mixed groups.
- The Latvian Museum of Natural History. Traditional displays on the region’s animals and geology, popular with families.
- The Central Market pavilions. Not a museum, but the former Zeppelin hangars are covered, atmospheric and full of food stalls.
- A cafe crawl. Riga takes its coffee and cakes seriously, and an hour between museums is never wasted.
Planning the day
Opening days and hours vary, and several museums close on Mondays, so check before you set out. Most collections are compact enough that two of them, with a long lunch in between, make a comfortable rainy day. Pick one big museum and one small one, keep an umbrella handy for the short walks between them, and the weather will hardly matter.
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