Rīga Sights

  1. Museum of Decorative & Applied Arts

    The absorbing Museum of Decorative & Applied Arts, in a restored 13th-century church, presents an eccentric melee of Latvian textiles, china and tapestry.

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  2. Russian Orthodox Cathedral

    Just north of the Freedom Monument is Esplanāde park and the fabulous 19th-century Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

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  3. St Jacob's Cathedral

    Heading north from busy Doma laukums (Dome Square), you'll spot St Jacob's Cathedral, with an interior dating back to 1225.

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  4. St Peter's

    Rīga's skyline centrepiece is gothic St Peter's, thought to be about 800 years old. Don't miss the view from its famed spire, which has been rebuilt three times in the same baroque form. Legend has it that in 1667 builders threw glass from the top - the number of pieces it broke into was the number of years it would stand. It landed on straw and didn't break, and a year later it burned down. The spire's current incarnation dates to 1973.

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  5. Synagogue

    Wander the area south of St Peter's square and you'll find the only Old Town Synagogue to survive the war.

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