It doesn’t matter if Latvia is on your shortlist of upcoming trips, but you haven’t yet decided how to get there, or you’re just exploring different options for travelling around Europe, we’ve gathered information to help you through the most important questions. Due to its location and infrastructure, Latvia is easy to get to for visitors from everywhere and with different means of transportation. All types of vehicles are charming and have their advantages, but not without challenges. We have compiled the most commonly used and available means to travel to Latvia with various vehicles from the closest countries. Pick the one that suits you the best - a plane, a train, a bus, a car or a ferry across the Baltic Sea.
Flights
The plane is a comfortable and fast way to get to Latvia, not only from the nearest, but also from rather distant countries. There are direct flights to Riga from more than 100 cities in Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Latvia’s national airline “airBaltic” alone serves more than 70 destinations in the Baltics, Europe and the Middle East.
The international airport “Riga” is located only ten kilometres southwest of the centre of Riga. The airport is facing exciting changes - various projects are planned until 2027 to create the future airport city “RIX Airport City” with hotels, office centres, logistics and cargo warehouses. You can access it easily via public transport, taxi or using carsharing services. “CityBee” and “OX Drive” cars have special parking spots at the airport’s long-term parking. A taxi ride from the airport to the centre of Riga, depending on the intensity of traffic, lasts from fifteen to twenty minutes and costs approximately EUR 10-15. Bus No. 22 from Old Riga (opposite the bus terminal) goes to the airport and back every 10 to 20 minutes and costs EUR 1,50. You can buy bus tickets at the ticket points of sale or at the ticket machines. Digital code tickets for Riga public transport rides can be purchased online via the “Rīgas satiksme”, “Mobilly” or “Narvesen” apps.
Ferry
The ferry is a great way to reach a destination by the sea. This type of transportation allows you to enjoy more carefree travel from port to port, experiencing activities available on the ferry during the journey. It is also an easy and accessible way to get to Latvia with a personal vehicle.
Ferry traffic in Latvia is available from several ports. Riga Passenger Port provides a comfortable and safe berth for cruise ships and all other types of ships, as well as ferries and yachts. The port offers the chance to charge electric vehicles and other services fit for modern needs. The ferry terminal building is located at 1 Eksporta Street, a walk away from Old Riga. The 2023 cruise season in the Port of Riga promises to be quite diverse and colourful. This season, 63 cruise ship visits have been scheduled. During the season, 22 different cruise line ships will stop in Riga, among them two cruise lines that haven’t been here yet - Ambassador Cruise Line from Great Britain and Vantage Travel from the USA. The current schedule of passenger ships is available here. However, if you’re going to Latvia from Germany or Scandinavia, “Stena Line” offers regular ferry traffic between the Port of Liepāja and Travemindi City in Germany. The ride takes 27 hours. Stena Line also offers two routes from Ventspils Port to Sweden and Finland.
Train
Travelling by train is a very appealing and carefree way of getting from point A to point B because you can enjoy the scenery, stop at smaller undiscovered towns, not worry about traffic and get to your destination relatively quickly. International train rail is currently undergoing major changes - the Rail Baltica project is actively being developed. It’s a new railway infrastructure project with the aim to integrate the Baltics in the European railway network. Five European Union countries are participating in the project: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland, although indirectly. The railway line is intended to connect Helsinki, Tallinn, Pärnu, Riga, Panevežys, Kaunas, Vilnius and Warsaw. These countries are currently not yet accessible via railway.
However, you can take daily train rides via the route Riga-Valga (Estonia). Since Latvia and Estonia are Schengen zone countries, there is no border control. Moreover, the train is a comfortable, quick and feasible way to travel when you’re already in Latvia. The train from Riga Central Railway Station runs to almost all major cities in Latvia and also stops in smaller cities that are worth visiting, allowing you to enjoy Latvia a bit further from the classic tourist attractions. You can transport your bicycle on the train for an additional fee. Passenger transportation around Latvia is provided by “Pasažieru vilciens”. You can easily but train tickets online - on "Pasažieru vilciens" website or "Mobilly" app.
Bus traffic
Just like travelling by train, the bus also has its own charm and ease: you simply sit in a comfortable chair and watch the scenery pass by through the window. Although this form of travel is slightly more time consuming, it is still more economic than, for example, a flight or travelling with one’s own car.
“Lux Express” is the major passenger transporter in the Baltics providing several rides a day from Tallinn, Tartu, Parnu, Vilnius, Warsaw etc. All “Lux Express” buses are equipped with cosy and adaptable seats, individual multimedia touchscreens for every seat, free Wi-Fi and coffee/tea making appliances. “Lux Express Lounge” buses offer separate business class seats. You can buy tickets online, starting from EUR 5 for early bird tickets. Also, “Ecolines” offers international passenger transport by bus, ensuring comfortable everyday trips to 20 countries and 205 cities. You can get from Riga to cities in the Baltics, as well as to more distant cities in Europe - Amsterdam, Prague, Berlin among others. “Ecolines” buses are also equipped with comfortable seats, air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, multimedia touch screens, and on journeys exceeding 350 km, there are stewardesses assisting passengers in using the bus equipment, offering various snacks, cold and hot drinks.
Driving a car
Having your own car offers considerable freedom, which allows you not to worry about transport schedules, other passengers and the amount of luggage - when travelling with a personal car, you can take as much luggage as fits in your car. There’s so much more room for spontaneity: you can take a detour via smaller roads, explore a road that peaks your interest, and decide how fast you want to go. It’s an easy way to get to Latvia and discover it further.
The major roads connect Riga with Tallinn, Kaunas and Vilnius. Northern and southern road connections have recently been modernised. The laws of Latvia require the front lights to be turned on when driving. The speed limit is 50 km/h in cities and 90 km/h on rural roads, if not indicated otherwise. Some motorways allow you to drive at the speed of 100 or 110 km/h. There are no toll roads in Latvia, however from 1 April to 30 September you must pay for entering the special regime zone - Jurmala. This zone is indicated on maps. In 2023, the entrance fee to Jurmala is EUR 2 for a daily pass. The pass must be purchased when entering the special regime zone (Jurmala) with vehicles (passenger or cargo, buses), motorcycles, quadricycles and tricycles. Electric vehicles don’t need to pay to enter Jurmala.
Latvia has a land border with Estonia, Lithuania, Russia and Belarus. Travellers with cars from Sweden and Germany can travel by ferry, thus avoiding lengthy driving via roads. When you enter Latvia via Lithuania and Estonia, there is no border control since these Baltic countries and Latvia are part of the Schengen zone. Drivers must remember that the road surface in Latvia varies: city streets are asphalted or paved. However, outside the cities there are usually asphalted roads where it is recommended to slow down the speed.
Even if you have arrived in Latvia by plane or another vehicle, you can still go on longer or shorter trips by car. For this purpose, we suggest using any of the car rental services.
