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Latvia travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Riga
Riga. Photo: Jorge Franganillo from Barcelona, Spain, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
2h 30mflight from London
Eurocurrency
No visafor UK passports
Type C, Fplugs

Art Nouveau Riga and long, empty Baltic beaches

Don't miss

  1. Riga
  2. Gauja National Park
  3. Jūrmala
Good forCity breaksHistory & ruins

Best time to visit Latvia from the UK

Best value: Mar–May, Sep, Dec. Jun–Aug. Busiest and priciest: Jun–Aug.

-4.9 C-5°J-5.1 C-5°F-1.1 C-1°M5.1 C5°A11.3 C11°M15.2 C15°J18.2 C18°J17.3 C17°A12.9 C13°S6.7 C7°O2.2 C2°N-1.8 C-2°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Riga, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Riga for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Our pick: May and SeptemberThe warmest of the best-value months (11–13°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
  • Peak season: Jun–AugUsually 15–18°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
  • Quiet season: Jan–Feb, Oct–NovAround -5–7°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, but cold, so pack layers.
  • Warmest: July (18°C) · coolest: February (-5°C)A 23°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
-4.9-5.1-1.15.111.315.218.217.312.96.72.2-1.8

Festivals and events

  • Jāņi (Midsummer) Jun · Nationwide
  • Positivus Festival Jul · Riga
  • Riga Christmas Market Dec · Riga

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 2h 30m
Distance
1,697 km
Main airport
RIX

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Latvia to your bucket list Search flights to RIX

Practical info and travel guidance

EuroCapital: Riga
Type C, F · 230VBring a UK adapter
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
112
EmergencyAmbulance 113
Tap water safeAcross the country
  • VisaNo visa neededUp to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area
  • HealthcareGHIC acceptedYour UK GHIC covers necessary state healthcare. Still take travel insurance.
  • LGBT+ travellersLegal, but attitudes can be conservativePublic affection may draw attention.
  • Women travellersNo specific FCDO warningTake the usual precautions.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Latvia, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 11 August 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Latvia before you book and again before you go.

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