Riga, Latvia Travel Guide

Art Nouveau, rye bread and the Daugava

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Why visit Riga

Riga packs roughly 800 Art Nouveau facades into the blocks around Alberta iela, and the Old Town’s St Peter’s tower is a short climb for the best view of the Daugava. The Central Market fills five former Zeppelin hangars with smoked fish, rye bread and grey peas. Trains from Riga Central reach the Jūrmala beach in half an hour, and a cellar beer still costs less than a coffee in Helsinki.

Last updated Aug 17, 2026 · Reviewed by the WhatWhereVacay editorial team

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3 days in Riga: what to eat & see

D1 Day 1

Morning

Vecrīga: Town Hall Square & the House of the Blackheads

Rupjmaize →

Afternoon

Riga Central Market Zeppelin hangars

Skābu Kāpostu Zupa →

Evening

St Peter’s Church tower at sunset

Grey Peas and Bacon →

D2 Day 2

Morning

Alberta iela Art Nouveau walk

Salinātā Rudzu Rupjmaize →

Afternoon

Latvian National Museum of Art & the Art Nouveau Museum

Evening

Latvian National Opera, then a cellar dinner in Vecrīga

D3 Day 3

Morning

Jūrmala: Majori beach & Dzintari Forest Park

Afternoon

Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum at Lake Jugla

Evening

Folk music cellar dinner at Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs

Grey Peas and Bacon →

Eat your way through Riga

These are the dishes to hunt down in Riga — not just the country's greatest hits. Tap a dish to see where it's made best, then compare a stay in the same neighbourhood with your dates.

Breads & Pastries ★ 4.4

Salinātā Rudzu Rupjmaize

A sweetened dark Latvian rye bread, baked slowly in a tall tin so the crust turns sticky and caramelised — sliced thick for breakfast with butter or served at Midsummer and Christmas tables.

Latvia · Latvia (particularly Latgale and Vidzeme in eastern and central Latvia)

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Breads & Pastries ★ 4.1

Rupjmaize

Rupjmaize is Latvia's national rye bread: dark, dense and sourdough-leavened with a chewy crust, served at almost every meal and baked all over the country.

Latvia · Nationwide

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Browse all Latvia food → No restaurant listings for Riga yet — search the dish on Google Maps instead, or list a restaurant free.