City Kickstart Tour: Riga in Riga - Riga_Kickstart_MAIN
4.9

City Kickstart Tour: Riga

  • 2 hours
  • City Highlight Tours
  • Riga
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Choose one of 5 locals available

Experience hosted by Ieva, Kristine & other locals

  • Private Tour
  • Carbon Neutral

Welcome to Riga! Want to know the best places to eat? Cool events in town? Which places to go to and which to avoid? Or simply get some help to navigate the city? Book this private tour with a local and get the perfect introduction to Riga to start your city trip on the right foot.

Destination
Riga, Latvia
Category
City Highlight Tours
Duration
2 hours
Transport mode
Walking tour
Available languages
English, Français, Latviešu, Русский
Included
  • Private Guide
  • Local Tips & Tricks
  • City Orientation
  • All Withlocals tours are carbon neutral
Excluded
  • Entrance to attractions

6 reasons to book this tour

  • Discover the real Riga in a nutshell
  • Learn how to navigate the city
  • Get the latest tips & tricks from a local
  • Ask anything during this private tour
  • Can be 100% personalized to your wishes
  • The best way to kickstart your stay

What you can expect

City Kickstart Tour: Riga in Riga - Riga_Kickstart_MAIN

First time in Riga? Wondering where to go and what to see in this fascinating city? We got you! Kickstart your time in Riga with a 90-minute introduction to the city with the help of your favorite local. This tour is the city overview you were looking for that brings together sights of main highlights and attractions, plus must-have tips and tricks that will help you get acquainted with the city, its people, and culture.

So, ready to start your time in Riga in the best way possible? On this private tour, you’ll meet up with the local host of your choice. Each of the hosts on this tour will show you their Riga in their way and based on their passions and expertise. The hosts know their city like the back of their hand and can’t wait to get you acquainted with Riga!

And what about that unique family-owned restaurant or that amazing local hotspot? Get personal recommendations from your local host and where to find the current hot spots in the city. Get insights on the local lifestyle and find out true stories about the city’s past as you take in vibrant, full-of-life present Riga. Historical facts, local stories, and great tips & tricks. What can be more awesome than that?

Any questions? Go ahead and ask your host about anything that pops into your mind and get all the answers you need for the perfect Riga trip. Locals always know best. And don’t forget, this private tour can be personalized 100% according to your wishes!

Choose your local

Get to know these 5 passionate locals, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Choose your favorite, check their availability, and book to create an unforgettable adventure tailored to you.

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with the host of your choice.

  1. Meeting point

    Meet at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, in front of the main entrance - Riga to start your journey

  2. Itinerary

    This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

  3. City Highlights

    See Riga Castle, Freedom Monument, and more landmarks and must-sees of the city. Your local host will take you to the main spots of the city so you can get the perfect introduction to what makes Riga so special
  4. Local Hot Spots

    Along the way, your host will point out hangout spots and hidden gems that only the locals know about and will help you get acquainted with the city in the most local way possible
  5. Food Recommendations

    Receive tailored recommendations according to your taste and where to go and what to eat while visiting Riga. Avoid tourist traps thanks to your local host!
  6. City Orientation

    Learn how to navigate the city, and get the answers to your Riga questions that will help you in the following days making your time in the city much easier
  7. Make it yours

    Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

    Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

    Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

Flexible cancellation policy

  • Feel confident booking

    Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

  • Change of plans?

    Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

  • Loved by travelers worldwide

    Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

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Mark🇦🇺 Australia
(About local )
5 September 2025
Great exposure to areas in the old town of Riga…insightful info into churches and town sites. Thank you EvaAn enjoyable tour of Old Town
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Jun🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
2 September 2025
Eva is a very good tour guide. She is very understanding, knowledgeable and paitient. The tour was great and she was very flexible where we wanted to go. My friend and i had arrived early in the morning in riga and didn’t have much sleep. However her enthusiasm and energy made us forget how tired we were.Good tour guide
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Jan
(About local )
18 August 2025
My wife and I had an interesting introduction to Riga by Margita who was very knowledgeable and pleasant. She also several times adapted the scope following our interests. Our warm recommendations for Margita.A perfect vacation introduction to Riga
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Haukur
(About local )
16 August 2025
Riga is a wonderful city. Kristina was indeed a wonderful guide.
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Christer
(About local )
15 August 2025
Very knowledgeable and possible to customize - recommended! Good and flexible
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Anna-Sophia
(About local )
28 July 2025
We had a fantastic time exploring Vilnius with Janis. He was incredibly knowledgeable, friendly, and full of interesting stories about the city’s history and culture. What really stood out was how patient and understanding he was – we were traveling with our baby, and Janis was super considerate throughout the tour. He adjusted the pace without ever making us feel like it was a problem. The whole experience felt relaxed, personal, and very enjoyable. We also got great tips for local spots to eat and explore on our own. Highly recommended if you want to discover Vilnius with a kind and passionate local guide!Wonderful Tour of Vilnius with Janis!
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Moser🇨🇭 Switzerland
(About local )
17 July 2025
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Henry🇳🇱 Netherlands
(About local )
23 June 2025
Nice Kristine, besides the gems of Riga we learned a lot about history, culture and locals of Riga. Closure with great coffee Riga it isGraat tour
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Torben🇩🇰 Denmark
(About local )
20 June 2025
Ieva is a perfect guide: Perfect use of English, perfect knowledge of history and culture - and a wonderfull sence of humour;-) Hereby the best recommendations from our group, which consisted of 8 Danish seniors.Perfect guide!
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Arnhild🇳🇴 Norway
(About local )
8 June 2025
We had a very nice guided tour with Janis in Riga old town. He was very knowledgeable about history, architecture and gave us recommendations for restaurants and cafes. He even sent me a message saying ‘happy independence day’ (Norwegian independence from Sweden) after the tour.Great guided tour with Janis
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Anne marie
(About local )
7 June 2025
It was a FANTASTIC tour. Our guide has lots of expierence and knowledge. We highly recamend leva. She did a FANTASTIC job. 10
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Frances
(About local )
2 June 2025
Leva is a very knowledgeable guide. It just ended up being myself but we had a great time. I would highly recommend and her English was amazing. She has a great sense of humour. If I ever get back to Latvia I would take a tour with her again. I will recommend her to anyone who is visiting. Thank you Leva ❤️Perfect Guide
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Karen
(About local )
10 May 2025
Great informative walk around the central area of Riga. Margarita was well informed and very welcoming A lovely intersting tour
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Jens🇩🇰 Denmark
(About local )
26 April 2025
Allthough we were late Lewa was waiting for us and gave us a very good intro to Riga - she knew a lot about the city and the country etc - and we had a good time - allthough very cold! What she did not know was what Uffe, Denmarks foreign minister, did for Latvia back in 1991. If she had known that the score had been 10!Very good!
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Maria🇫🇷 France
(About local )
13 April 2025
We had a great tour with Janis, he was flexible and agreed to meet us a different location than proposed initially. Also took note of our ideas to end a bit early in local bar - this as it was a really cold and windy day. He gave us interesting information according yo our interest and question and it was a good way to get an introduction to the city and to the Latvian spirit and culture. We can recommend this tour to anyone visiting Riga the first time,and the price was really reasonable for a 2h tour.Great kick-start tour with Janis
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jonas1915
(About local )
29 March 2025
Great Tour, showed interessing places. Had a good time with Janis! Perfect mix of history and cold drinks. Every time again. Zum Beispiel - Cheers!Every time again with Janis 🥳
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Andrew
(About local )
15 February 2025
Leva was such a great guide in our two hour introductory walking tour to Riga. We covered a lot of the sold Town and were given a clear insight to Riga past & present. She was not only personable but you felt that the tour was tailored to us. Really appreciated the honest recommendations, perfect.The best introduction to Riga
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Kathryn
(About local )
7 January 2025
What a fantastic introduction to Riga! Janis was knowledgable and friendly- an all-around great guide. The walk around Riga Old Town was the perfect way to learn about the history of the city while admiring the beautiful architecture. I recommend booking a tour with Janis on your next visit to Riga.Highly recommended!
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Del
(About local )
7 January 2025
Margita was very personable - we enjoyed our time together. The information she shared with us gave us a great overview for our short stay in Riga. We loved the wide boulevards and the Christmas Market still in operation during our stay. We were able to wander around looking at some of the museums she suggested. The art nouveau recommendation was perfect. A great "taste" of Riga
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Thijs
(About local )
29 October 2024
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Dr. Karl Walter🇩🇪 Germany
(About local )
29 September 2024
Janis was knowledgeable, funny, even witty and over two hours informed us about historic facts, the electoral system, current affairs, but he also mentioned details a normal tourist would not discover and even gave personal advice concerning nice bars and good restaurants. Most intersting and also entertaining.
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Ylva🇸🇪 Sweden
(About local )
26 September 2024
Fantastic and very interesting to see another part of Riga. Very nice tour!
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Monica🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
22 September 2024
We enjoyed our tour of Riga with Janis. He was very knowledgable of the history and buildings of Riga. He was a joy to be with and gave us many recommendations for restaurants and other things to see. We would definitely do another tour with him when we go back, and we plan to go back to that beautiful city!very knowledgable and friendly
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Erica🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
11 July 2024
Margīta was amazing. By sharing some of her experiences, it allowed us to feel not only her connection to Riga but to her country as well. It allowed us to feel a sense of shared experience. She was very nice and very insightful it was truly a lovely tour. Highly recommend Margīta
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David🇬🇧 United Kingdom
(About local )
2 July 2024
Margita took us on a varied tour around Riga. We started at the Freedom Monument and weaved our way around the hidden streets of old town before moving in to the new town. The highlights for us were the Art Nouveau area. Riga is a fascinating city and a personal tour, for us , allows us to really understand it's history, culture and people. Margita was a great guide and is clearly passionate about her city and county. Private tour of Riga
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Sabrina🇦🇹 Austria
(About local )
10 June 2024
Margita is a great guide and highly experienced. We had a two hour tour and I wished we had booked more time with her. She is not only a wonderful guide, she is also a proud citizien of Riga and a great artist. She gave us many details, answered all of our questions and had very good advice for further things to do and see. I would recommend her as a MUST HAVE if you want to get to know Riga and the life of the Latvian people off the beaten tourist track.Very special experience, wonderful time
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Heather
(About local )
22 April 2024
Janis was a great guide - it was a cold and windy evening for our tour, but he made the weather bearable and we thoroughly enjoyed the tour! We did this on our first day in Riga (just two hours after we arrived) and it was a great choice - it made the rest of our experience that much more meaningful having had a fun and interesting 'kick start' tour. I would recommend Withlocals and Janis to anyone!Great way to introduce yourself to Riga!
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Lucas🇳🇱 Netherlands
(About local )
8 April 2024
Janis is a very friendly and fun tourguide. He speaks good english and has many stories to tell. A great way to to get a quick understanding of the city, culture and history of Riga. Absolutely worth it.Very nice
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Eva🇩🇪 Germany
(About local )
3 February 2024
Janis doesn’t only know about all the historical background facts you need to know when looking at the great old buildings of the old part of town, but he also showed us cute places like hidden cafés and restaurants which we would never have found. He also recommended current events that are worth to be visited. very nice and competent guide
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ingrida🇱🇹 Lithuania
(About local )
3 November 2023
Together with the friend from US we were keen to explore Riga's old town with the help of a local. Margita was our best experience ever. She was very knowledgable , very passionate and we fell in love with Riga because of her. We highly and absolutely recommend her. A beautiful woman and a professional tour guide. Ingrid and BjarkiComplete satisfaction
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Hans Ulrich🇩🇪 Germany
(About local )
18 August 2023
Enjoyed our 2 hours with Margita. Very informative and entertaining. thanks Perf.ect guide
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Alexis🇨🇭 Switzerland
(About local )
23 May 2023
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Laura🇩🇪 Germany
(About local )
3 September 2025
Our food tour with Margita was the absolute highlight of our stay in Riga! Margita is a wonderful guide who introduced us to the city and its gastronomy with so much love and dedication. She didn't just let us taste delicious specialties, but also allowed us to immerse ourselves in the history and culture of Riga. A special experience was visiting the large market hall. The lively yet unique atmosphere was simply impressive! We could have stayed there forever, admiring all the different products. My personal highlight was a specific specialty – a real treat for the palate! But the other stops were also great and we could sample some unique specialties. Margita, with her profound knowledge and warm personality, made the tour an unforgettable experience. The exciting insights into the city's history gave us a deeper impression of Riga. We can only highly recommend this tour and Margita!An unforgettable experience
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carolflekser
(About local )
30 August 2025
Janis was knowledgeable about the history of Riga. His English is good and we had an enjoyable day out visiting all the different places we had asked him to show us.Jewish Sites of Riga
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Jennifer
(About local )
30 August 2025
We had a great time with Eva. We got to taste and experience foods that we have never tried before along with learning about the history and culture of Riga. Great Experience
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Alex🇳🇱 Netherlands
(About local )
28 August 2025
Always great to listen to people being passionate about their hometown!Lovely and knowledgeable lady
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james🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
27 August 2025
Very enjoyable lunchtime walk to huge indoor market and several different establishments in old town. The food was wonderful and a good representation of Latvian cuisine. Eva was delightful, knowledgeable, and accommodating of our group’s dietary needs. If you desire a culinary/cultural experience (e.g Somebody Feed Phil) you will love this curated, thought provoking tour.Wonderful Experience
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JP
(About local )
19 August 2025
Margita is a lifelong Riga resident and art expert who worked as an art teacher, artist and tour guide. She was most generous with her time, telling us in detail about many buildings and local history, and introducing us to the most delicious Kalve coffee. She shared not only her knowledge but love and inspiration for the place, which would never have gotten from just seeing it ourselves. Highly recommended! Excellent local guide
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Birgit🇩🇪 Germany
(About local )
15 August 2025
We are two German couples visiting Riga for a long weekend! The tour with Margita has been our favourite so far. She is such a lovely, authentic and passionate lady who managed to tell us so much about the history and culinary traditions of Latvia. It was a very individual experience and we loved it! We can highly recommend Margita has ambassador of her country! Thanks so much 🙏🤩A lady of passion and expertise!
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Simon🇬🇧 United Kingdom
(About local )
29 July 2025
Margita gave us an interesting tour of Riga Old city, covering its history, georgraphy, conquests and other insights. Margita also took us to a couple of shops that she recommended, and gave us some restaurant recommendations.Private Tour of Riga Old City
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Simon🇬🇧 United Kingdom
(About local )
29 July 2025
Kristine gave us an interesting and insightful tour of Riga's Art Nouveau district, taking us to the main sights, and also to some buildings off the beaten track. Tour of the Art Nouveau district
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Claus🇩🇰 Denmark
(About local )
28 July 2025
We had the pleasure of beeing guided and transported around in Riga for half a day with Janis. He picked us up at the cruiseport and had prepared a tour based on our requests. It was a very pleasent trip, Janis has huge knowledge about Riga and is are really pleasent guide. We hope to come back and see Rega and Janis again.Amazing trip in Riga with Janis
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Amanda🇧🇪 Belgium
(About local )
26 July 2025
Informative tour from a friendly local. Margita helped us learn about the history and local area, while highlighting the architecture and styles. Delicious food from Lido, and local ice cream with a tour of Old Town in between. Highly recommend! Delicious food tour
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Lynn
(About local )
16 July 2025
Margita is a warm and knowledgable guide who is simply lovely to spend time with. She gave us lots of good information; it was a very enjoyable tour and she tailored the experience to the things we were interested in. Highly recommend!Wonderful afternoon with Margita
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Skyler🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
11 July 2025
Had we not taken this tour, we would have missed some of the most incredible architecture in Riga. This is a great way to see something that many visiting the city miss. Margita is a native to this part of Riga and gives an excellent tour of her home turf. Do not miss this part of Riga
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Jennifer & John🇬🇧 United Kingdom
(About local )
10 July 2025
Leva was very good and knew her history of Riga. My partner was impressed with her historical and cultural knowledge. She was friendly and warm and walked with us to our restaurant after our tour was over. Would recommend her. Very knowledgeable and Personable
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Skyler🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
9 July 2025
This was a great way to get an introduction into cuisine and culture in Riga - it was one of the first things we did upon arriving. We tried local meats, cheeses, candies, pastries, and beers. Margita is an excellent host and spokeswoman for her city. Her local knowledge really makes this tour special. Interesting & Tasty
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Skyler🇺🇸 United States
(About local )
8 July 2025
Ieva was an excellent guide. It probably goes without saying, but her English is superb. We felt that we covered all of the major & noteworthy landmarks of the Riga Old Town. Ieva is a native and handled the tour with all the knowledge of someone who grew up around this amazing history. Excellent tour of the Old Town & Market
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srinivas
(About local )
1 July 2025
Our guide/driver Kristen was knowledgeable and friendly. When we told her that we wanted to both Latvia and Lithuania, she designed a perfect itinerary and picked us up at the airport and drove straight to Lithuania and drove us back to Riga after Lunch for a walking tour of old city. She even made us dinner reservations, so we won’t lose any time. Overall, very good experience. Highly recommended One day, two countries, great time
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David🇨🇦 Canada
(About local )
30 June 2025
Janis was excellent. Very knowledgeable yet delivered his stories with lightness and with humour. Pleasant llfew hours in Riga

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Private & personalizedNo strangers, just you. Fully customize your trip to your needs.
With a local expertFrom historical facts to the most up-to-date health regulations.
Without the crowdsExperiences designed to take you away from the crowds towards authentic local spots.

Other City highlight tours in Riga

€22.06per person