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Riga · Latvia

Car hire and driving in Riga

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalToursFerries

In Latvia traffic drives on the right. Picking up at RIX means 9 km (6 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648804 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648823.

Drives from Riga

Car rental from Riga: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Riga to KaunasLithuania228 km (141 mi)about 3 h 28 min
Riga to KlaipėdaLithuania229 km (142 mi)about 3 h 30 min
Riga to VilniusLithuania261 km (162 mi)about 3 h 59 min
Riga to PskovRussia271 km (169 mi)about 4 h 8 min
Riga to TallinnEstonia280 km (174 mi)about 4 h 16 min
Riga to KaliningradRussia335 km (208 mi)about 5 h 7 min
Riga to LidaBelarus349 km (217 mi)about 5 h 19 min
Riga to HelsinkiFinland362 km (225 mi)about 5 h 31 min
Riga to EspooFinland364 km (226 mi)about 5 h 33 min
Riga to HrodnaBelarus364 km (226 mi)about 5 h 33 min
Riga to VantaaFinland376 km (234 mi)about 5 h 44 min
Riga to Velikiye LukiRussia399 km (248 mi)about 6 h 5 min
Riga to MoscowRussia842 km (523 mi)about 12 h 50 min
Riga to LondonUnited Kingdom1,676 km (1,042 mi)about 25 h 34 min
Riga to Saint PetersburgRussia491 km (305 mi)about 7 h 29 min
Riga to BerlinGermany843 km (524 mi)about 12 h 51 min
Riga to KyivUkraine836 km (519 mi)about 12 h 45 min
Riga to ParisFrance1,703 km (1,058 mi)about 25 h 58 min
Riga to HamburgGermany969 km (602 mi)about 14 h 46 min
Riga to BucharestRomania1,398 km (869 mi)about 21 h 20 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Auto EuropeA broker specialising in Europe, often with clearer all-in pricing for US renters.Get European rates on Auto Europe (opens www.autoeurope.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Riga?

The right, as everywhere in Latvia.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

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.