Riga

Anyone who has info. on this port provide info. on what to do, see, etc , give me some idea of what lies ahead at this port of call for a day?

Some advices from a local.

(I am living in Riga, but I am norwegian. Living aprox. 15 min walking distance from Andrejsala (where the ships docks).)

1. If your health is ok, then old town is within walking distance from the cruise port. If you want to use taxi, then ask for the price in front. Not more than 5-7 LVL on daytime from port to Old Town.

2. Do not miss Alberta Iela (street). The most beautiful street in Riga!

3. If you visit the big market, then watch your wallet!

4. The open air museum is nice, but far away from Riga center.!

Some youtube films made my me:

In my mind the best web page for tourists:

http://www.rigathisweek.lv/

Restaurants reccomended by my stomach:

Local latvian food:

Lido atputas Centrs (LIDO recreation centre)

10 min with taxi from old town/centre.

The building is actually one of the largest log cabins in Europe.

You can find Lido in old town as well, but I would recommend you to visit the big one

Of other restaurants I would reccomend:

Amarone

Bergs

Fellini

Biblioteka No1

Vincents

Have a great stay in this beautiful city! Feel free to ask if there is something I can help with!

__________________

Matthew 7.1-5

Thank you for the reply. It seems that Riga is not one of those ports that either hasn't been visited or one that doesn't brings out much conversation.

I have heard that you have to be very careful since it seems the locals have had some not so good interactions with English speaking people's. Sorry to hear this.

If you have a recommendation on a few must see sights, I'd appreciate it.

Is there something that Lativa is really known for, ie, glass wear, linens, etc.

I will do my best to represent all the decent English people. Our cruise will be mostly Americans, Canadians, and I'm sure a few from England.

Riga is not a very busy cruise port, but well worth a visit!

When it comes to trouble with tourists, cruise tourist is not in the group of tourists that Latvians got a problem with. The main problem is English stag tours.. No worry, and I believe you will have a great day in Riga!

More sights not to miss:

- Jurmala. A great beach town aprox 30 min away from Riga with train. Possible to get there with taxi as well, but it is a bit pricey - 50 US dollars one way.

- The Freedom Monument.

- The Nativity Cathedral

- The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia.

Feel free to contact me directly if I can assist you in any way! slaathaug@gmail.com

There is a huge Song Festival in Riga this summer. The city will be bustling with music performances and art venues of all kind during the week of July 1-7 and possibleey even after that for a bit.

When are you going?

I am taking the cruise I am taking just so that my daughter and I can enjoy the song festival.

Riga was a highlight of our cruise last summer. In case you have not seen my earlier review which included this port, here is the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1675149&highlight=riga

There is a huge Song Festival in Riga this summer. The city will be bustling with music performances and art venues of all kind during the week of July 1-7 and possibleey even after that for a bit.

 

When are you going?

 

I am taking the cruise I am taking just so that my daughter and I can enjoy the song festival.

Just remember to get tickets in front! It is a VERY popular festival.

More info about the festival here.

Another event this summer that should be interesting for cruise passengers, is The Tall Ship Races.

@Norwegianlatvian

"Just remember to get tickets in front! It is a VERY popular festival. "

Yes, I have my alarm set for 4 am Eastern Time (my local time) Sat April 6th, when ticket sales start for the Latvian Song and Dance Festival.

www.bilesuparadize.lv

@Norwegianlatvian

"Just remember to get tickets in front! It is a VERY popular festival. "

Yes, I have my alarm set for 4 am Eastern Time (my local time) Sat April 6th, when ticket sales start for the Latvian Song and Dance Festival.

 

www.bilesuparadize.lv

I hope you got tickets. The most popular events was sold out in two hours.

I hope you got tickets. The most popular events was sold out in two hours.

:confused: I logged in early but not early enough. I have been waiting online for nearly 4 hours looking at the following message:

Thank you, your request is being processed! Now you are standing in a virtual waiting line. It might take longer than 8 minutes. The page will open automatically

I think I missed the boat, so to speak and will have to settle for some of the lesser events.

Riga was a highlight of our cruise last summer. In case you have not seen my earlier review which included this port, here is the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1675149&highlight=riga

I enjoyed your review..especially the Helsinki part because that is exactly how we plan to spend our day.:)

I hope you got tickets. The most popular events was sold out in two hours.

Well, I decided to post an ad online to buy tickets for the Main Song Festival Concert on 7/7 and one of the folk dance performances. I believe I have been successful tracking down some tickets, even though I am paying quite a premium. It helps to speak the language.:cool:

Well, I decided to post an ad online to buy tickets for the Main Song Festival Concert on 7/7 and one of the folk dance performances. I believe I have been successful tracking down some tickets, even though I am paying quite a premium. It helps to speak the language.:cool:

Congrats with the tickets!

..and yeah, to know the language in a country normally helps:=)

Some advices from a local.

(I am living in Riga, but I am norwegian. Living aprox. 15 min walking distance from Andrejsala (where the ships docks).)

 

1. If your health is ok, then old town is within walking distance from the cruise port. If you want to use taxi, then ask for the price in front. Not more than 5-7 LVL on daytime from port to Old Town.

2. Do not miss Alberta Iela (street). The most beautiful street in Riga!

3. If you visit the big market, then watch your wallet!

4. The open air museum is nice, but far away from Riga center.!

 

Some youtube films made my me:

(Andrejsala)

 

(the freedom monument/Milda/)

 

 

 

 

(the open air museum)

 

In my mind the best web page for tourists:

http://www.rigathisweek.lv/

 

Restaurants reccomended by my stomach:

 

Local latvian food:

Lido atputas Centrs (LIDO recreation centre)

10 min with taxi from old town/centre.

The building is actually one of the largest log cabins in Europe.

You can find Lido in old town as well, but I would recommend you to visit the big one

 

 

Of other restaurants I would reccomend:

Amarone

 

Bergs

 

Fellini

 

Biblioteka No1

 

Vincents

 

 

Have a great stay in this beautiful city! Feel free to ask if there is something I can help with!

__________________

Matthew 7.1-5

Thank you! If we only speak English, is that a problem? We are doing the Norwegian Fjords first. :)

Speaking English only is not a problem in Riga. You may run into the occasional local who speaks only Latvian or Russian,but you should do fine with English.

The advantage I was referring to was having the language skills to seek out and negotiate the purchase of the Latvian Song and Dance tickets on the internet. These events sold out within 2 hours of tickets being offered. I waited online in a Virtual queue to no avail. There are many frustrated locals who stood in line in May and got nothing to show for it.

Speaking the local language has many advantages, but all guests of Riga will be able to enjoy its hospitality.

I am finding for other ports Helsinki, Stockholm and Tallinn, it is helping me to make sense of the maps to learn words for street names and other locations in the local language. I might be able to ask for directions in English, but if I can understand signs, bus stop names, etc. I am ahead of the game.

I see you are doing basically the same cruise only backwards, right after us. We will wave to you as we disembark, if we aren't too exhausted! :)

 

, but all guests of Riga will be able to enjoy its hospitality.

 

.

well... according to the "Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report 2013", Latvia is not exactly one of the most friendly place to go..

When that is said: I been living in Riga for more than five years, and feel very safe here. For me Riga feels safer than Oslo.

Regarding friendliness - What comes around, goes around. If you act friendly, people will be friendly back.

The summer has arrived Riga, and the weather is just awesome. Here is a photo I took of todays Riga Marathon that show where your cruise ship most likely will dock:

We liked Riga a lot. Some of the art nouveau buildings are incredible, and they're not very far from where the ship docks. Elizabetes 10b took a little finding, but it was fantastic. Alberta is also a beautiful street.

I don't know if I'd recommend the HOHO bus unless you have money to burn. You can probably walk to a number of places rather than taking the bus.

We liked Riga a lot. .

Great to hear that you liked Riga!