Once you book your hop-on hop-off city sightseeing ticket online, you become eligible to crisscross through Riga to your heart’s content. There are four distinct interlinked sightseeing lines or routes that have been set up in such a way that you see the most popular localities no matter whatever route you follow. Your tour will start from either Old Town or New Riga or the Wooden Riga and will let you see the following attractions:-
- Riga Circus
- Shopping Mall Opera
- Powder Tower
- Latvian National Opera
- Riga Cathedral
- Latvian National Theater
- Vermin Park
- Shopping Mall Barona
- Vanish Bridge
- Victory Park
- Bellevue Park Hotel Riga
- Riga Congress Hall
- Riga Art Nouveau Center
- JSC Lavenegro
- The Museum of Art
Other Attractions:
The above list is not an exhaustive one as you’ll see many other exciting and historical sightseeing attractions during the trip. For instance, you can check out the House of the Blackheads which is a historical landmark.
Thereafter you hop back on the bus to explore the Freedom Movement and pay homage to soldiers martyred during the Latvian War. Situated close to the freedom movement is St. Peter’s Church, a Lutheran Church that is a perfect instance of Baroque and Romanesque architectural styles. Climb to the top of the church and enjoy a bird’s eye view of Riga from the cathedral’s steeple.
Your next stop should be the Old Town where you’ll walk on cobblestone streets, and get transported to Riga of medieval times. After you’re through with touring the Old Town, you can take a break in Riga’s oldest public park-the Vermane Garden. You can unwind in the garden until you feel reenergized enough to continue with your hop-on hop-off tour.
Taste The Local Cuisine:
After having a refreshing lunch of local cuisine comprising grey peas, sorrel soup, and rye bread, you can visit a few museums. In the evening you can catch an opera show at the Latvian National Opera or admire a play at the Latvian National Theater. Round up your hop-on hop-off tour by indulging in a shopping spree at the Central Market, and dance the night away by immersing yourself in the vibrant nightlife.
The Routes:
The two most popular hop-on hop-off tours in Riga are the Green Route (The Grand Tour) and the Blue Route (Architectural Tour).
The Grand Tour (Green Route) runs along the Pardaugava or the River Daugava’s left bank where you get to see Old Riga or the Old Town. Thereafter the Green tour moves to the City Center or downtown Riga housing the Riga Cathedral, Powder Tower, Opera House, and so on.
The Architectural Tour (Blue Route) passes through modern-day Riga where you see the buildings constructed in Art Nouveau style and the Moscow Suburb.
