Riga central market

The Riga Central Market is considered a unique attraction among all Europe; it opened its doors in 1930 and was recognized not only as the largest, but also the best and most advanced market place and bazaar in the continent. This Latvian Market has remained in the downtown of Riga city, ensuring diverse shopping experience, a personal touch, lively conversation, tall tales and exuberant bargaining with the vendors.

As I mentioned before, this one is considered one of the largest marketplaces in Eastern Europe and one of the most visited places, as 80,000-100,000 people shop there per day on the average. The food pavilions were built in 1920, exclusively for military airships hangars that later on were transformed into market venues, keeping the same architecturally-imposing until these days. The warehouses were called Spikeri, from the German word Speicher, were turned into an art quarter.

Its exact location is few meters away from Old Town on the banks of the River Daugava, next to Riga International Bus Terminal and Central Railway Station.

Here you will have the opportunity to taste and buy delicious food, such as homemade products, exotic fruit and spices, as well as manufactured merchandise. The market includes five pavilions each with its own category – vegetables, dairy, meat, fish and gastronomy products, as well as an outdoor area with stalls and stands, the Night Market and ‘Round the Clock Farmers’ Market.

For most of the tourists, this place has affordable prices, great view and an amazing track to the entire Latvian culinary world, the best thing is that all the vendors speak Russian and some understand few words in English. So cheer up and take a look meanwhile you are in Riga, but be careful with the pickpockets.

A curious fact that you didn’t know about this place is that in 1998, its territory was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.