Riga

1905 Bloody Sunday Monument

This monument remembrance of the events of Bloody Sunday 13 January 1905.

All Saints Church

Orthodox church built in neo-Romanic style around 1880. Unlike other orthodox churches in Latvia, which are typically Russian in their style and nature, this one was designed by a Latvian architect.

Arsenal Museum of Art

Arsenal Museum of Art is one of the largest exhibition halls in Riga. It is located in an important architectural monument – a customs warehouse or arsenal built at the beginning of the 19th century in the late Russian Classicism style. It was adapted for museum use in the second half of the 1980s.

Apr-Sep: Tue-Sun 11:00-19:00, Oct-Mar: Tue-Sun 11:00-17:00

Art Gallery Bastejs

Contemporary art from Baltic states. Solo and group exhibitions.

Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 11:00-17:00·Free

Art Museum Riga Bourse

The Art Museum Riga Bourse stores the largest collection of foreign art in the Baltic states.

Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00·Adults €6; students, seniors €3

Baptist Church

A mix of cultures and styles. Built in 1913-16, this church had neither a tower nor a dome and resembled a simple residential building. The tower was added in 1936. Baptist services continued until 1961 and resumed shortly after Latvia re-gained its independence.

Baptist church

Light neo-Romanic building from 1867 looks completely alien to its dark industrial neighborhood.

Bremen Town Musicians

Amazing sculpture based on a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.

Choral Great Synagogue

Mostly in ruins since the Germans burned it down on July 4, 1941 with 600 people locked inside. There is a memorial to 400 Latvians who saved Jews during the Holocaust.

Church of John the Baptist

Construction started in 1913-14 but it was not finished before the Russian Revolution and continued in 1920s when Latvia became independent. This led to a strange mix of styles rendering the church a rare example of modernist architecture implemented in an Orthodox temple. The adjacent Ivanovskoe cemetery is the main Orthodox cemetery of Riga.

Church of Michael Archangel

Old Believers church from 1894-95, nice example of the Russian Revival style.

Church of Our Lady of Kazan

Another church on the same cemetery. Build of wood in 1812-15 in a somewhat awkward style with 5 small domes sitting on a massive drum.

Church of St. Albert

Baroque edifice from early 20th century. The interior of the church was partly designed in 1950s despite the official atheist propaganda that was widely imposed in the Soviet Union.

Former KGB Building

The former KGB building is actually an attractive, ornate historic building at the corner of Brivibas and Stabu. It stood empty for years, but for the 2014 celebration of Riga becoming the European Capital of Culture it was revived with a number of artistic initiatives taking place there. It is now a branch of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, holding a general exhibition about the KGB activities, and guided tours of the cellar where interrogations took place.

Mon Tue Thu Fri 10:00-17:30, Wed 12:00-19:00, Sat Sun 10:00-16:00·exhibition free, €5 for a guided tour of the KGB cellar

Freedom Monument

One of Latvia's national symbols. It was erected during the first independence and surprisingly never taken down by the Soviets (although laying flowers at its feet was forbidden). The statue of a woman holding three stars at the top of the monument represents Freedom embracing Latvia's regions.

Gas storage buildings

Two gas storage buildings from 1882 and 1901 (end of Matīsa iela) are landmarks of the old gas factory in Riga. These enormous structures reaching 40 m in diameter are probably the largest buildings of their kind in Eastern Europe. Note the pressure meter that mimics a clock.

Horse-drawn omnibus

A funny monument commemorating the first Riga tram that was driven by horse power. An old iron construction nearby reminds of the former Hay Market.

House of Dannenstern

The house was built by and is named after Ernst Metue von Dannenstern.

House of the Blackheads

Melngalvju nams

The House of Blackheads is where the merchants-to-be had their guild. Part of this building is the tourist information office, the rest is a fascinating museum. The upper levels house grand ballrooms while the basement has a wine cellar and several exhibits relating to trading in Riga.

€7, €1.50 students

Kobe Clock

Donated by Riga's sister city Kobe in celebration of anniversary of restoration of independence.

LUMAS Riga

LUMAS Art Gallery offer latest movements in the young art scene.

Mon-Fri 10:00-20:00; Sat Sun 11:00-18:00·Free

Laima Clock

Laima is a Latvian chocolate manufacturer and means good luck in Latvian. The Clock is a traditional meeting place for people in Riga.

Latvian Academy of Sciences

Built in 1953, this building is often called "Stalin's Birthday Cake" because of its austere yet ornamented design. The 17th-floor balcony is open to visitors.

Balcony open May-Sep: daily 09:00-20:00·Entry to the 17th-floor terrace: €6 (cash only)

Latvian Museum of Pharmacy

In a renovated 18th-century house. The museum showcases pharmaceutical equipment, traditional medicine and herbs and what pharmacies looked like a century ago.

Tue-Sat 10:00-17:00·Pupils €0.71; students, seniors €1.14; adults €2.13

Latvian National Museum of Art

Latvian National Museum of Art is the most significant depository in the nation for works of art.

Tue-Thu 10:00-18:00; Fri 10:00-20:00; Sat Sun 10:00-17:00·Adults €6; students, seniors €3

Latvian Parliament

Saeima

A rather plain building housing the Saeima, Latvia's parliament. It has had a number of uses, including as a Soviet-era museum. Not open to visitors.

Latvian Photographic Museum

Contains photos of Latvia since 1839, with focuses on the World Wars and 1905 Revolution.

Pupils €0.57, students €0.85, adults €2.13

Latvian Sports Museum

Historic sports equipment and sportswear, photographs from a variety of sporting events.

10:00-17:00 (closed Sundays)·Adults €0.71; school children, students, seniors €0.43; children aged 6 and under, people with disabilities free

Latvian artists union museum

The collection covers the period from 1945 to 1991 in Latvia.

Wed Thu 10:00-17:00·Free

Literature and music museum

For about 50 years it was a large union of memorial houses devoted to a range of writers. The latest reorganisation in 2009 has resulted in more simple and recognizable establishment – Literature and Music Museum.

Under €3 per person