Neighbourhood · UNESCO
Alberta Street Art Nouveau District
Riga, Latvia
A street of extravagant early 20th-century facades with masks, sphinxes and swirling ornament.
Neighbourhood · Latvia · Riga
Riga Old Town
A medieval and Hanseatic old town of narrow lanes, guild halls, church spires and café squares.
UNESCO World Heritage Free to enter about 4 h
For storytellers
Why Riga Old Town matters
Riga's old town is a maze of cobbled streets that grew when this was a rich port of the Hanseatic League. Today it is full of café squares, restored merchant houses and church towers. Wander at your own pace, find the quieter lanes off the main squares, and look up at the details: carved doorways, gargoyles and figures on gable ends. It is lively but never overwhelming.
Talking points
- Riga was a Hanseatic trading port, and its old town reflects that wealth.
- Every street has details to look up at: gables, carvings and weather vanes.
Free to read aloud or adapt in your video. Check facts that matter to you against an official source before you publish.
More in Riga
Church, mosque or temple
Riga Cathedral
Riga, Latvia
A huge medieval church, famed for its great organ and mixed architecture.
Market · UNESCO
Riga Central Market
Riga, Latvia
One of Europe's largest markets, housed in five huge hangars originally built for Zeppelins.
Viewpoint
St Peter's Church
Riga, Latvia
A Gothic church with a tall spire and a lift to a tower viewing platform over the old town.
Monument
Freedom Monument
Riga, Latvia
A tall limestone monument topped by a figure holding three stars, a symbol of Latvian independence.
Historic site
House of the Blackheads
Riga, Latvia
An ornate gabled guildhall on the Town Hall Square, rebuilt after wartime destruction.
Also nearby
Within about 40 km, closest first.