How to Get to Riga: Best Travel Options for 2025

Planning a trip to Latvia and wondering how to get to Riga? As the country’s lively capital, Riga is well-connected to the rest of Europe, offering multiple ways to arrive depending on your budget, time, and travel style.

Whether you're coming from a nearby country or traveling from farther away, there are several convenient routes to choose from. Some options are quicker, while others let you enjoy the journey and take in the scenery along the way.

No matter how you decide to get there, reaching Riga is easier than you might think. In this guide, we’ll break down the best ways to travel to Latvia’s capital so you can find the perfect route for your adventure.

Where is Riga in Latvia?

Riga is the capital of Latvia, and is centrally located. Situated along the coast, Riga is an important port city sitting on the Baltic Sea, and is also the heart of the Baltic region of North Eastern Europe.

How to Get to Riga, Latvia

Now that you know where Riga is, let's look at how to get to Riga!

🤔 How Do I Get to Riva, Latvia?

There are a number of options for how to get to Riga, including a variety of transportation options for all different budgets and travel preferences.

Here are all the different options for how to get to Riga, Latvia:

• Flying to Riga
• Sailing to Riga
• Taking a Bus to Riga
• Using Bla Bla Car to get to Riga
• Taking the train to Riga
• Driving to Riga

✈️ How to Get to Riga by Plane

One of the most popular ways to get to Latvia's capital is by air travel, as it is the biggest airport in the Baltics. If you are visiting from other areas of Europe or other continents, then you'll most likely want to fly to there. Here's how to get to Riga by plane.

🛬 What Airport do You Fly into for Riga, Latvia?

Riga has an airport just 10 km outside the city, and the code for Riga Airport is RIX.

🌎 Where Can I Fly Direct to Riga From?

You can fly directly to Riga from cities including Aarhus, Athens, Barcelona, Batumi, Berlin, Billund, Brussels, and Budapest. Other direct flight options include Catania, Cologne-Bonn, Copenhagen, Corfu, Dublin, Düsseldorf, and Edinburgh. Travelers can also reach Riga from Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, Helsinki, Heraklion, and Istanbul. Additional routes connect from Kutaisi, Larnaca, London, Milan, Munich, Naples, Nice, Oslo, and Olbia.

More cities with direct flights to Riga include Palanga, Paris, Paphos, Pisa, and Prague, as well as Reykjavik, Rhodes, and Rome. Seasonal or year-round routes also operate from Sharm el-Sheikh, Stockholm, Tallinn, Tampere, Tel Aviv, Thessaloniki, and Turku. Finally, you can also fly to Riga from Vienna, Vilnius, and Warsaw.

Flight routes may change depending on the season, so it's always best to check with Riga International Airport or specific airlines for the most up-to-date schedules.

Search for a flight to Riga:

🏙 How Do I Get from Riga Airport to the City?

Being just 10 km away from the city, it's easy to get from Riga airport to the city! Here are the different options:

• Take the bus: You can hop on #22 which runs every 10-20 minutes depending on the time of day, and the ride takes around 40 minutes
• Take an Uber or Bolt: The ride takes about 20 minutes, and costs around 10€)
• Take a taxi: This is the fastest option, but we'd recommend getting a price before hopping in, and comparing it with the rideshare apps.

🌊 How to Get to Riga by Sea

Conveniently located along the Baltic Sea, Riga is a popular port city, and can be visited by ferry from certain cities, as well as a stop on a cruise ship.

⛴ How to Get to Latvia by Ferry

Traveling to Riga by ferry is a fun option for having a joyful ride with scenic views, duty-free shopping, and a variety of activities to enjoy during your sailing.

Ferries were most common from Stockholm to Riga, but have been suspended for the time being (maybe they will come back in the future though!).

You can reach Latvia by ferry with Stena Line though, departing from Travemünde (Germany) to Liepāja (Latvia), and from Nynäshamn (near Stockholm, Sweden) to Ventspils (Latvia). The journey from Germany is about 22 hours, and has 6 weekly sailings, while the Swedish route takes 9 hours and has 8 weekly sailings.

🛳 How to Get to Riga by Cruises

One of the most popular ways for visiting Riga on a day trip is with a cruise ship! We actually had a lot of coworkers that used to visit Riga working on cruise ships. 

Cruises typically visit Riga on Baltic sailings during the summer season, arriving in the morning, and sailing out in the late afternoon.

There are various cruise lines that visit Riga, from large cruise liners like Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, to smaller lines such as Viking or Eckero.

🚌 How to Get to Riga by Land

Now that you know how to get to Riga by air and by sea, let's look at the rest of the options!

As far as visiting by land, you can either take a bus, use Bla Bla Car, take the train, drive on your own, or take a day trip from another city. Traveling by land is typically the most budget-friendly way to get to Riga, with plenty of options for times for traveling throughout both day and night.

🚎 How to Get to Riga by Bus

As the capital of the country, Riga is well-connected, and there are a ton of buses that go to and from there.

Here are a few of the most popular routes you can take:

• Liepaja to Tallinn (3 hours & 45 min) - starting at $13
• Tallinn to Riga (4 1/2 hours) - starting at $5
• Vinius to Riga (4 hours) - starting at $5
• Warsaw to Riga (10-12 hours) - starting at $28 (we recommend the overnight bus, which is the one that we took)

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🚙 Using Bla Bla Car to Get to Riga

If you don't find a bus that fits your timetable, or want a slightly more comfortable ride to Riga, then Bla Bla Car is an excellent alternative.

Essentially it is a carpool app, so you can put your city to Riga for the date you'd like to travel, and join the car you wish! It's great because it's affordable, helps the driver out, and is a great way to be a more eco-friendly traveler.

🚄 Visiting Riga by Train

Visiting Riga by train is brand new! Okay, well there were some domestic trains, but as of January 6th, 2025 there are officially trains connecting the three Baltic capitals of Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius!

Another popular city that is connected to Riga by train is Valga, as well as other smaller cities within Latvia and the other Baltic countries, and are run by Elron, Vivi, and LTG Link.

🚗 Driving to Riga

Driving to Riga is easy! The roads are smooth, and there are plenty of rest stops along the way. You can also list your ride on Bla Bla Car to Riga so that your gas and tolls can be covered!

🚐 Day Trips to Riga

There are quite a few cities that take day trips to Riga! The most popular ones are Vilnius and Tallinn, as they are the closest two capital cities. 

If you're short on time and are looking to experience Riga for a day, then check below for a few of the best day trips to Riga:

How to Get to Riga:  Conclusion

There are a bunch of different options for how to get to Riga, Latvia. Here is a breakdown of the best ways to get there depending on where you are coming from:

• Travemünde: The best way to get to Riga is by taking a 22 hour ferry.
• Nynäshamn: The overnight cruise is an excellent option, and is only 9 hours.
• Tallinn: The cheapest option is the bus, or you can opt for a Bla Bla Car. The most comfortable option is the brand new train line.
• Vilnius: The same as Tallinn, but due to the distance the best option is to go by train.
• From other cities: Flying is the most optimal option, or you can look for a Baltic cruise if you'd like to visit in the summer, along with some other great Baltic destinations.

So are you ready to go visit the beautiful capital of Latvia? We hope our guide for how to get to Riga has helped you decide which way to go there is right for you.

Want to learn more about Riga and all there is to do? Don't miss out on our other Riga travel guides coming up. Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you can stay in the know!

Ready to start planning an incredible trip to Riga and some of the other Baltic cities? Well, we're here to help! Scratch Your Mapa offers custom travel planning services, designed to create you an awesome itinerary, as well as save you money along the way. Want to learn more? Simply send us an email for your free consultation!  

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