The historic center of Riga is also one of the must see places in Latvia and the Baltic States. There are many streets with typical architecture. One of the pluses is that one can find many parks in Riga right next to the historic center. It is therefore extremely pleasant to walk, navigating between streets as well as in parks. The mixture thus makes it possible to have a very pleasant feeling on the city center. For the rest, a lot of typical street, restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops and many other things. It is also possible to make the historic city center of Riga on foot.

The Old Town is the oldest section of Riga as well as the center of the city. It is the city’s most popular area with tourists. In 1997, Riga’s historic center was included in the Unesco World Heritage list. The old town has highly diverse architecture, and the majority of buildings have the status of a cultural monument. The city’s architecture represents various periods like Romanticism, Gothic, Baroque, Classicism, and Modernism. After the restoration of the independence of Latvia, many buildings in the Old Town were reconstructed or rebuilt to restore the historic look of the area. The most impressive buildings in the Old Town are the Riga Cathedral and St. Peter’s Church, offering a wonderful panoramic view on the city of Riga from a 72 meter observational tower.

The Old Town’s streets and squares have numerous restaurants and cafes for all tastes. The Outstanding Universal Value to be preserved also resides in the spacious panorama of the Historic Centre of Riga with an expressive skyline. The medieval core of Riga is located on the right bank of the River Daugava, allowing a picturesque view on the skyline saturated with numerous church towers from the different perspectives of the left bank. Historic buildings are relatively low, with only church towers creating vertical dominance. Riga always has had a role in the cultural, scientific, social, artistic, industrial and educational development of the region, being one of the biggest harbour cities and trade centres in the Baltic Sea Region, and thus, providing the exchange of the achievements of Western and Eastern civilizations.