Riga
56°57′ N 24°06′ ECityPop. 588,911Latvia
Riga suits a couple or a family who want a compact Old Town market that runs past New Year. The Dome Square market opens on 27 November 2026, seven days after Tallinn's, so start a Baltic loop in Tallinn if you travel in the third week of November.
Who should base here
The Vecrīgas Ziemassvētku tirdziņš (Old Riga Christmas market) fills Dome Square from 27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. In 2025 more than 80 traders took part, most of them Latvian makers and food producers. The organizer's holiday hours keep the square open right through Christmas and again on New Year's Day, and LiveRiga lists Christmas concerts in the city's churches all through December.
Stay in Vecrīga (the Old Town) and Dome Square is a few minutes from most hotels. The Riga Cathedral stands over the market, and LiveRiga lists Christmas concerts there and in St John's and St Paul's churches through December. Leave a morning for the Baltic Expo Christmas Fair on 11 and 12 December if you want a much bigger trade fair with makers from all three Baltic states.
Worth knowing
- LiveRiga, the city's tourism agency, has its office at Rātslaukums 1 on Town Hall Square.
- The market runs a cup deposit; return the cup at the collection point and the refund goes back to the card or phone you tap on the terminal.
Quick answers about Riga
Is Riga a good place to stay?
The Vecrīgas Ziemassvētku tirdziņš (Old Riga Christmas market) fills Dome Square from 27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. In 2025 more than 80 traders took part, most of them Latvian makers and food producers. The organizer's holiday hours keep the square open right through Christmas and again on New Year's Day, and LiveRiga lists Christmas concerts in the city's churches all through December.