Riga Art Nouveau Walking Tour
Explore Riga’s remarkable architecture on a Riga Art Nouveau walking tour, featuring stunning sculptures, ornate facades and hidden symbolic details, all with a knowledgeable local guide.
This is one of the best ways to explore Riga’s famous Art Nouveau district.
Tour Details & Pricing
Tour duration: About 2 hours, moderate difficulty.
Cost: 100 euros per group with up to 4 persons, 120 euros for 5-20 persons (maximum size). Food and drinks are not included.
Meeting point: In front of the statue of the poet Rainis in Esplanāde Park, or by arrangement at your hotel.
End point: Back in Esplanāde Park.
Additional tour: I'm also an accredited guide in the Riga Art Nouveau Museum and I can guide you inside. The cost is an additional 30 euros as well as museum entry tickets. The museum tour takes around 30 minutes.
Riga Art Nouveau Walking Tour - Main Sights
- Alberta Street (Alberta iela) in Riga
- Riga Art Nouveau Museum
- Art Nouveau district of Riga
- Viesturdārzs Park
- Riga's John F. Kennedy House
- Putin caricature at Riga's Russian Embassy
A Riga Walk Through the Art of Building Beautifully
Art Nouveau emerged in the early 20th century as the first modern style of architecture. And as Riga was undergoing a tremendous construction boom at the time, it has one of the largest collections of Art Nouveau architecture in the world, with over 800 buildings concentrated in the city centre
On this Riga Art Nouveau walking tour, we’ll admire the lavish works of Mikhail Eisenstein on Alberta Street, as well as less flamboyant but captivating designs by Latvian architects Konstantīns Pēkšēns and Eižens Laube.
I'll share stories about famous artists, composers and revolutionaries of the Art Nouveau period, as well as unsung heroes - the workers who built these delightful buildings.
The tour's route also takes us past Riga's oldest park founded by Peter the Great as well as a hotel where John F. Kennedy stayed. We can also enjoy a coffee break in Mulberry cafe in Riga’s Art Nouveau district, which has the tastiest and prettiest cakes in Riga!
Reviews of the Riga Art Nouveau Walking Tour
"During our recent visit to Latvia we had the opportunity to join Phil Birzulis for a guided tour of Riga’s art nouveau district. This proved to be a highlight of our trip, as our focus on the old town had led to us underestimate this part of Riga as a tourist destination.
The tour introduced us to the beautiful architecture which stands in stark contrast to Soviet era buildings in other parts of Riga. Whether it was architecture, history, or observations of more contemporary features of the district, Phil’s abundant knowledge and experience enabled him to point out something of interest on every street. My wife, 3 teenage sons and I all agreed that Phil’s tour was one of the best we experienced. He provided a level of historical context, insightful details, and some interesting anecdotes, all delivered in a style tailored to be engaging for his audience. "
Richard Zvirbulis, Singapore
"We had a lovely guided tour with Philip through parts of Old Town and the Art Nouveau district. I had told Philip the Art Nouveau was my main interest and he was amazing. He had so much detail and information on the buildings, the architects and the surrounding area. It was definitely the highlight of our trip to Riga. The information presented was both knowledgeable and entertaining. He kept a great pace without us feeling rushed, especially since I wanted to take pictures of every single detail. It was interesting hearing his stories of Latvian history and we had a lovely coffee and dessert break at Mulberry’s – yummy! I highly recommend taking a tour with Philip – you will be so happy that you did."
Jenny Whaley, Colorado
More Riga Sights Tours
You'd also like a deep dive tour of Old Riga, a walk covering the very best of Riga, or a look into Riga's Soviet legacy. Or enjoy the seaside on a Jūrmala walking tour, bogs and beaches on a day trip to Ķemeri, or an inspiring day trip in Gauja National Park.