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Transportation
by air
The International Airport of Riga is located 13 km southwest of the city and handles a lot of direct flights to most European cities. The majority of the flights, though, go to Central or Eastern Europe. After a renovation programme the airport improved up to international standards and besides offers a post office, lost property bureau, bureau de change, tourist information, bars, cafés, shops, pharmacies, car hire and medical services. Taxis can be ordered 24 hours in front of the entrance hall or at the counters inside and take you directly to the city centre. The bus 22 departs from the terminal building and goes to the city centre every 20 - 30 minutes. There are stops at the central station and Strelnieku laukums (journey time – 30 minutes).
Flight times:
London: 2 hrs and 30 min
New York: 9 hrs and 35 min
Los Angeles: 12 hrs and 20 min
Toronto: 10 hrs and 35 min
Sidney: 24 hrs
Latvijas Dzelzcels is the Latvia’s railway company which operates in Riga. The Latvian railways had been neglected since the independence in 1991 but recently the main stations have been renewed. Nevertheless the trains are poorly maintained and most of the times delayed. The routes to satellite towns and villages are much better serviced than intercity and interntional routes. The central station has separate arrival and departure halls for national and international services. Tickets for the main lines are sold in the big departure hall; tickets for other trains can be bought in the smaller departure hall. Long-distance trains can be booked in advance. Trains are departing to Vilnius, Moscow and Minsk but no longer to Berlin, Tallinn and Warsaw.
The road conditions in Latvia usually have a fairly good standard but some minor roads are hard to use after rain and snowmelt. The main roads are signed with a number. Speed limits are 50 km/h in towns, 70 km/h in suburban areas and 90 km/h on open roads. The limit on motorways is 110 km/h. In order to drive a car you have to have a valid licence, an international Driving Permit, a national license and a third-party insurance and of course all registration documents. Wearing a belt is obligatory and fines for speeding are given on the spot. The legal alcohol limit for driving is 0, you are also not allowed to use mobile phones while driving and you have to have your cars lights switched on all times. The easiest and most common way to reach Riga is via the Via Baltica which runs from Tallinn to Warsaw through Riga, Vilnius and Kaunas or the Via Hanseatica which comes from Berlin and goes through Gdansk, Kaliningrad and Siaulai.
From Riga’s coach station coaches operate both nationally and internationally. Tickets for the international destinations are available at the ticket offices in the bus terminal. The most important operators are Eurolines www.eurolines.lv and Nordeka www.nordeka.lv.
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