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Car hire in Riga with Auto Europe

To use a car hire in Riga would allow you the freedom to tour this wonderful Latvian city, it is an ever growing popular tourist destination. Auto Europe offers the best rates and unbeatable service for your car rental experience. Why not take a journey on to Kaunas in Lithuania which is only a short drive from Riga. Auto Europe makes all of this easier and hassle free.

Riga is becoming increasing popular for tourists with its rich history and heritage to its beautiful national parks and architecture such as the Nativity of Christ Cathedral. You can enjoy visiting places such as the cathedral and also the Hill of Crosses, both important parts of the history of Riga. Or visit the more thrill seeking places like the adventure park or the corner house. Why not stay the night in the old prison? There is plenty to be fascinated by in this intriguing city. The best feeback is from the customers themselves, so make sure you visit our Riga car hire reviews page to find out what others thought of Auto Europe's car rental services in the city.

How is the traffic in Riga?

Using your car hire in Riga shouldn’t be too difficult as traffic in Riga is generally pretty average, there are no major issues concerning congestion or traffic jams other than when there is rush hour traffic. As the city is divided in half by bridges so can cause delays during rush hour. Although if you are a non-local be sure to pay attention to all road signs so as to be clear exactly how to maneuver around the area. For more information on driving in Latvia please check our Driving Information page.

Where can i park my car hire in Riga?

There are numerous car parking facilities for your car rental in Riga that tend to range in price between 2and 6 euros for around a 2 hour stay. There is also free on street parking in some areas after 20:00PM on weekdays, 17:00PM on Saturdays and all day Sundays.There are several outdoor and underground car parks to be found in an around Riga with a variety of payment methods from cash to via online apps.

Riga airport

Riga International Airport was first built in 1973 as an alternative to the outdated Spilve Airport. The airport was renovated and modernised in 2001 as well as adding terminal extensions in both 2006 and 2016. The airport runs direct flights to over 30 countries and over 106 destinations and carried over 7 million passengers in 2018 alone. It is a state Joint Stock Company with the sole shareholder being the Republic of Latvia and the shareholder of the state stock being the Republic of Latvia Ministry of Transport. For more information please refer to our Riga Airport Page.

Riga International Airport
Website: riga-airport.com
Address: Mārupe, LV-1053, Latvia
Phone: +371 29 311 187
Email: office@riga-airport.com
Airlines operating at Riga airport: Aeroflot, airBaltic, Belavia, Blue Panorama Airlines, Finnair, Lauda, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Pobeda, Ryanair, Scandinavian Airlines, SmartLynx Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Ukraine International Airlines, Utair, Uzbekistan Airways, Wizz Air.

What to do in Riga

Take advantage of the wide range of activities Riga has to offer from sightseeing, to adventure to the interesting history of the place. Take a look at some of our favourite suggestions for your trip.

• The Corner House: Known as the secret headquarters of the KGB secret police after Riga came under Soviet control in 1940, the Corner House was closed off in 1991 when Latvia regained independence and was reopened in 2012 as a museum. There are exhibits with stories and photographs about the building and its history and what happened there. It’s a fascinating place to visit and proves to be tourist favourite with its rich history and interesting back story.


• Riga Aviation Museum: The museum is located near to the Riga International Airport and is open between 10am and 4pm. The museum was created in 1956 by a young aviation engineer named Victor Talpa and has since become one of the most unique aircraft collections in all of Europe with over 40 military helicopters and planes such as Russian fighter jets and supersonic bombers being available in the museum. After opening the collection the Young Pilots Club was then founded which gave professional training to boys from the age of 14 in aviation theory and physical and rudimentary military training. It is a great experience and well worth the visit especially for those interested in aviation.


• Nativity of Christ Cathedral: The Nativity of Christ orthodox cathedral is a stunning building built in the Neo-Byzantine style sometime around 1876 and upon opening was the most expensive building of that time in all of Riga. The church is full of magnificent icons covering the majority of the interior walls and amazing paintings. The church is often visited by the highest representatives of foreign countries and is a popular symbol of architecture. While under soviet reign the church was taken over and turned into a planetarium meaning many of the original attractions were destroyed. The church has been going through reconstruction work and continues to do so due to donations to restore it to its former state. It is highly renowned as one of the most popular attractions in Riga and definitely a must see.


• Mezakakis Adventure Park: The adventure park which is located in Sigulda has a grand total of 82 different kinds of obstacles including wire ropes, nets, bridges, swings, logs, ropes, steps and zip lines. There are six separate routes all with different difficulty levels. There is a separate children’s park known as yellow routes for children whose height or age doesn’t allow them to enter the higher difficulty routes, special safety equipment is provided for children on these routes. In the adult park the different routes that are available are the green route also known as the warm up, this is more suitable for beginners and children, the blue route has obstacles which are higher above the ground, red route requires more balance and physical effort, the black route descends across the skiing route and a white route which is to avoid congestion on the black route.

Best day trips with my car rental in Riga

There are many day trips you can take in and around Riga which help you to discover the rich history and also the beauty of this city. Continue reading to find the day trips which we find most worthy of your time.

Sigulda and Gauja National Park

The park is the largest and oldest national park in Latvia with its picturesque views, caves, historical monuments and natural springs it is a must see on your visit to Latvia. The sandstones were formed around 370 million years ago as well as caves, rock cliffs and outcrops being among the major attractions of the stunning park. The caverns are, Gutmanala, Liela Ellite, Velnala and Kalejala being the longest. There are 19 ancient castles, 6 medieval and three towns in the park including the Turaida museum reserve and castle, visit the manor house and the church for amazing views down onto the Guaja Valley. The Araisi Lake Castle is a 9th century settlement on an island in Lake Araisi. Cesis Old Town has the Cesis Medieval Castle and Cesis New Castle where you can attempt ancient crafts and games giving you a sense of living in the middle ages. There are also attractions for the adrenaline junkies such as the Aerodium vertical wind tunnel, Sigulda Luge and Bobsleigh Track where many Latvian Olympic medallists have trained and also bungee jumping. Hiking and cycling can also be done through the park to take in the stunning views and breath taking beauty of the nature reserve, you can also take a boat down the Gauja river and admire the Gauja Valley, there are also the Ligatne and Amata rivers for more experienced boaters.

Karosta Naval Port Prison

Karosta prison was first built in 1890 as a Russian naval base and went on to serve as a base for the soviet Baltic fleet. It is now a well known tourist spot in Riga offering tours of the prison. The prison has not changed since it served as a naval base and tours are guided only. You can view the prison cells and the punishment cell as well as an exhibition in the museum about the World War 2, Kureliesi, Soviet times and the Latvian Awakening. You will be able to see the calendars scratched into the walls by convicts as well as their drawings and messages. Tours start every hour on the hour and the total time is 1 hour. There are different kinds of tours you can take such as you can go for a show style tour where discipline will be enforced or you can choose to experience being a real inmate and stay overnight as part of the “extreme night” tour as well as a USSR spy game. You will then experience an authentic prison buffet where you will have the opportunity to read the soviet press and watch a short film about the prison. There is also a souvenir shop and an area to take photos in historical military outfits.

Hill of Crosses

The hill of crosses is a pilgrimage site in northern Lithuania. It is believed that the first crosses were left on the hill in around 1831 and over the generations thousands of catholic pilgrims have left crosses, crucifixes and statues of the Virgin Mary as well as carvings of Lithuanian patriots. It is believed there are well over 200,000 crosses placed on the hill. The crosses were first placed by families who had had loved ones taken and had no closure and no remains to mourn, it has since become a symbol of peace and sacrifice and was visited in 1993 by Pope John Paul II.

Kemeri National Park Nature Trail

Kemeri National Park is the third largest national park in the country and one of the most impressive national treasures in Latvia. The park generally consists of forests, lakes, former lagoon and the Great Kemeri Bog as well as many natural sulphur springs. The bog is home to many wildlife species such as snails, mussels, fishers, storks and otters. It also contains edible wild berries including cranberries, crowberries, cloudberries and blueberries. The park has many attractions such as the Great Kemeri Boardwalk which runs for a loop of around 3.5km and gives great views of the bog along with great bird watching spots. The Sloka Lake Walking Trail which has loop of 3km or runs for as long as 12km. the Dune Run is a circular route of around 14km in and around dunes and forest area. The Dunduri Meadows are full of Heck Cows and Polski Konik Horses which graze in a large corral.

Geographic information and history

Latvia is found on the shores of the Baltic Sea in Northeast Europe. It is the middle of the 3 Baltic countries with Estonia and Lithuania being North and South. Riga is the capital of Latvia, and has a population of around 700,000 people making it the biggest city in the Baltic States and home to around a third of Latvia’s population. Riga is divided into 6 districts, Northern district, Vidzeme Suburb in the East Latgale Suburb in the Southeast, Zemgale Suburb in the South, Kurzeme District in the Northwest and the Central District. Riga was recorded as early as the 2nd century named at that time as Duna Urbs and was settled an ancient Finnic tribe named the Livs. Christianity was present in Riga in the 9th century but became more set in the 12th century when the German Hegemony instituted over the Baltics. It then became a trading post after sea ships found a natural harbour where the Ridzene River flowed into the Daugava a major trade route to points east and south. The ports transit role declined in 1918 after the Russian border was closed to eastern trade, this is when agricultural and timber exports became the core of the economy. Riga’s port now facilitates export and transit trades from Russia and Belarus to European ports.

How to get around Riga

Choosing to rent a car in Riga gives you the freedom to plan your journey and not have to worry about the restraints of public transport as well as being able to change plans and add to your journey should you choose. Simply get up and go and travel to wherever you see fit without the cost and hindrance that public transport can occasionally cause. However should you decide not to use a car rental there are several forms of public transport in and around the Riga area, here are some examples;

Bus

The bus runs around 56 routes between 6 bus stations and operates between the hours of 5:00am and 1:00am. You can purchase a 1.15 ticket at the ticket office or the ticket machines, tickets can also be used on the trams or the trolleybuses.

Taxi

Taxis can be found all around Riga although it is recommended to choose a taxi with a metre as un-metred taxis can charge considerably more in price than a metred taxi. Ordering your taxi in advance can also be beneficial as you can arrange a fixed price prior to your booking and helps to avoid taxis charging extortionate rates. Red Cab taxis, Bolt taxis or Baltic taxis are the known to be the most reasonably priced and reliable taxi service in Riga, you can pre arrange with them before your arrival at the airport. All licenced taxis have yellow number plates so be aware to take notice of these so as not to be ripped off. Fares are generally around 6 euros into the centre.

Train

You can travel through Riga by rail at only 0.70 euros per ride within the city limits. The trains run several routes some within the city and others outside of the city lines to places such as Moscow, St Petersburg, Warsaw and Helinski.

Tram

Trams have been an integral form of public transport in Riga since 1901 and run between a number of routes across 8 tram lines, mainly between shopping centre's and the central market. Fares are 1.15 when bought in advance at the ticket office or 2.00 when bought from the driver.

Useful links

Official Tourism