Riga: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Riga is the capital of Latvia, 6 m (20 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Riga International Airport (RIX), 9 km (6 mi) from the centre. It has a dozen or more railway stations on record, including Rīga Pasažieru. It is a port city: Freeport of Riga and 1 more.
Key facts
Daylight in Riga runs from about 6 h 49 min a day in late December to 17 h 58 min in late June (computed for 56.95° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Riga is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Riga International Airport (RIX), 9 km (6 mi) from the centre, whose 10,499-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft.
Flights to Riga: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Rīga Pasažieru, Vagonu Parks, Šķirotava, Atgāzene, Torņakalns, Gaisma. Trains to Riga
Buses to Riga · Driving and car hire · Ferries
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Riga Stradiņš University Library | 263,114 | 2018 |
| Riga Technical University Scientific Library | 235,546 | 2018 |
| Riga Central Library | 179,368 | 2018 |
The busiest is Riga Stradiņš University Library at 263,114 visitors in 2018. Figures are the latest each site has published, so they are not all for the same year.
UNESCO World Heritage in the city: Vecrīga.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Riga
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Helsinki, 362 km (Finland) — flights · trains · buses · car rental · ferries
- Vilnius, 261 km (Lithuania) — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Kaliningrad, 335 km (Russia) — trains · buses · car rental
- Tallinn, 280 km (Estonia) — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Hrodna, 364 km (Belarus) — trains · buses · car rental
- Espoo, 364 km (Finland) — flights · buses · car rental
- Kaunas, 228 km (Lithuania) — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Vantaa, 376 km (Finland) — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Pskov, 271 km (Russia) — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Klaipėda, 229 km (Lithuania) — trains · buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Taipei, Calais, Aalborg, Almaty, Astana, Bremen, Cairns, Tallinn, Tartu City, Kyiv, Florence, Slough, Alicante, Amsterdam.
Common questions
Which airport serves Riga?
Riga International Airport (RIX), 9 km (6 mi) from the centre.
How big is Riga?
About 742,572 people live in Riga, across 304 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Riga in?
Europe/Riga, currently UTC+3.
What currency is used in Riga?
The Euro (EUR). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Riga?
Helsinki (362 km), Vilnius (261 km), Kaliningrad (335 km), Tallinn (280 km), Hrodna (364 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.