Tours in Riga

Start in Dome Square, early, before the cafe tables fill. The cobbles are uneven, the light comes in low between the buildings, and the pigeons have already claimed the best spots. Riga's old town is small enough to cross on foot without a plan, and that is the right way to do it. Turn down a side street that looks too narrow to go anywhere and you will usually end up somewhere better than where you were headed.

The House of the Blackheads is the building people stop and stare at, with its crowded, ornate front facing the Town Hall Square. Nearby, St Peter's church rises over the rooftops and the Three Brothers lean together on a quiet street, a row of old houses that looks like a stage set until you notice someone's laundry in a window. The Freedom Monument stands a short walk away, where locals cross on their way to work and visitors pause for a quiet moment.

Late in the year the old town changes. Stalls go up in the squares, the smell of mulled wine and roasted nuts drifts along the lanes, and the lights come on early because the dark does. This is the best time to have someone with a camera beside you, because the place begs to be photographed and most of us end up with a blurry shot of our own thumb. A local photographer knows where the light falls and where the crowds thin out, and the shoot starts right in Dome Square.

Beyond the old town, Riga opens out. Walk across the river to see the city from the other bank, or head to the streets of ornate facades in the centre, then wander the market halls for smoked fish, rye bread and pickles. If there is a building or a district you want to see with a local guide and we do not list it yet, ask. Someone here will take you.