About this experience
If you are transiting in Riga, have at least 3 hours of free time, and want to get to know our city, I suggest not staying at the airport but taking a walk through the narrow, cozy streets of Riga and listening to my stories about the history and architecture of Riga.
Route
I will meet you at the airport and take you to Old Riga. Our walking tour will begin here: medieval churches, towers, the house of the last executioner of Riga, the Swedish Gates, the Town Hall Square, the dazzlingly beautiful House of Blackheads, and the church of St. Peter beloved by the Riga residents. Mischievous black cats with their tails up, and the witch-crow perched on one of the 'Grannies' houses.
Our tour will continue at the square of the Latvian National Opera, where you will see one of the most beautiful and unique monuments of Riga and hear about one of Riga’s outstanding mayors - D. Armstrong. His rule is considered the most successful period in Riga's history. Dazzling Jugendstil quarters, the automobile factory, pavilions of the Central Market, Riga Zoo, schools, and hospitals – all are part of George Armstrong's legacy.
But today we are particularly interested in the Riga Art Nouveau, so our walk will continue through Kronvalds Park towards Albert Street, where almost every building enchants with its beauty and deserves a separate story. Sinister sphinxes; masks twisted with grimaces of horror and pain; indifferent gods looking down from above; atlantes and light, graceful female figures; inexorable Valkyries and winged lions. Mikhail Eisenstein's imagination, inventiveness, and craftsmanship deserve admiration, and it is his creations that attract thousands of tourists to Albert Street. I will tell you about the fate of the architect and his little secrets that became one of the reasons for the abrupt end of his architectural career.
During the tour, you will learn about the founding of the city, why roosters sit on the towers of Riga’s churches, where the river that gave its name to our city flowed and disappeared, about the mysterious Blackheads, where scenes from the movies 'Seventeen Moments of Spring' and 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson' were shot, why a black cat with its tail up became one of the symbols of Riga, what the sinister masks on the church of St. John should remind us of, why the inconspicuous bridge over the city canal is called the 'Eighth Wonder of the World’.
If time allows, we will enjoy lunch at one of Riga's restaurants or have some delicious Riga coffee with fresh pastries. After that, I will take you back to the airport.
The tour is also available at night.
Organizational Details
Transport expenses are paid separately: from 60 euros
