This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Riga.
Riga is the capital of Latvia and largest city in the Baltic States, with a population of almost seven hundred thousand people. Riga was a Hanseatic city for a long time and there are buildings of different styles of medieval architecture in the Old Town. Riga was also the largest port and one of the most important industrial, commercial, and cultural centers in the Russian Empire. The historic city center of Riga is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was chosen as a cultural capital of Europe for the coming year. Apart from the Old Town, you can visit the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation, and the Riga Cathedral.
Riga is also a great party place. The city has a lot of clubs that operate until the early morning and you can go out and party anytime. This might be also a problem, as many visitors go to Riga for partying and if you have a noisy group at your Riga hostel, that might be not so nice, so be sure to have an idea if you go to a party Riga hostel or a quiet place.
The choice of Riga hostels is enormous and their number is constantly rising. You can even find two competing hostels in one building or next to each other. The main concentration of Riga hostels is in the Old Town and there are also many Riga hostels near the train station. The competition has driven prices very low and you can find very cheap Riga hostels; if you stay for more days, ask for a discount. If a Riga hostel does not give you any, their competitors probably will. Riga hostels have different quality and it does not depend on the price. There are some very bad Riga hostels which are not cheaper than the others so Riga is one of the cities where comparing different Riga hostel options online is a must.
Written by local enthusiast for Riga hostels
George Traveller
