Riga

Is Riga safe?

Yes, for most visitors. Riga has little robbery, and most residents feel safe after dark. The things visitors run into are pickpockets in the Old Town and at the Central Market, bars that inflate the bill, card fraud and taxis with fast meters.

The weaker numbers are about serious crime and roads. Eurostat counts 21 murders and violent deaths in Riga in 2025, about 3.5 per 100,000 people, and an average of about 4 a year per 100,000 over 2021–2025. That is almost three times the rate in Tallinn and well above Warsaw. We score Riga 80, level with Budapest and just above Brussels. For the rest of the country, see our Latvia page.

Old Town, the Central Market and the stations

The UK Foreign Office names three places where bag snatching and pickpocketing are a greater risk: the Old Town, the Central Market and the central train and bus stations.

Police recorded 5,045 thefts in Riga in 2023, about 830 per 100,000 people, a little above Tallinn's region. Robbery is far rarer: 211 cases in 2023, about 35 per 100,000, a tenth of the rate in Brussels. Overall recorded crime in Riga has risen, from 237 offences per 10,000 people in 2022 to 276 in 2025, according to Latvia's statistics office, against 202 for Latvia as a whole.

What helps:

• Wear your bag in front of you in the market halls and at the stations, and keep phones out of back pockets.
• Leave your passport and spare cards in the hotel safe, as the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises, and carry a copy of the passport photo page.
• Use ATMs inside banks where you can and check street machines for signs of tampering.
• If you drive, park in car parks with CCTV and leave nothing in sight.

Bar bills, card fraud and taxis

The scam the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary describes in most detail happens in bars. The FCDO says some tourists have been charged very high prices for drinks or found fraudulent transactions on their cards afterwards, and that drink spiking has happened in Riga. Ignore people who approach you on the street with a bar suggestion, pick places yourself, ask for prices before ordering and watch your card while it is being used. Be wary if a bar asks you to enter your PIN a second time.

Taxis are the other trap. The FCDO advises booking with a major company such as Baltic Taxi or Red Cab, or taking a registered car with yellow licence plates from a rank, and agreeing a rough fare first, because some visitors have reported meters adapted to clock up higher rates.

Two rules catch visitors out. Drinking alcohol in public, including in parks and streets, is illegal and police can fine or arrest you. On buses and trams you must validate your ticket as soon as you board, or face an on-the-spot fine.

Walking at night

In the European Commission's 2023 survey, 72% of Riga residents said they feel safe walking alone at night in the city and 75% in their own area. That is lower than in Tallinn (79%) and Warsaw (78%) but well above Brussels (60%). The Old Town and the centre are where most visitors spend their evenings.

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises avoiding unlit streets and parks at night and staying alert if you walk alone. Solo women generally move around the centre without trouble; late at night, take a taxi from a major company rather than walking long distances back to the hotel.

Roads, air and winter

Roads are Riga's other weak spot. Eurostat counts 18 road deaths in the city in 2025 and 80 over 2021–2025, about 2.7 per 100,000 people a year, compared with about 1.1 in Tallinn. Cross at lights and take care on busy streets.

IQAir measured an annual average PM2.5PM2.5Tiny airborne particles 2.5 micrometres across or smaller. They reach deep into the lungs and are the air pollutant most linked to early death.More in the glossary of 9.2 µg/m³ in 2024, almost twice the WHO guideline, similar to Brussels. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns of tick bites between March and October, which occasionally carry encephalitis and Lyme disease, if you head into forests or parks. Call 113 for an ambulance. EU visitors should bring an EHIC; others need travel insurance.

Winter is the main natural hazard. The FCDO says temperatures between October and March can drop to -25°C or below, and snow can delay public transport and make roads difficult. Pack for it and allow time for transfers.

How we scored it

Natural hazards (91) and health and environment (86) are Riga's strongest factors. Theft and scams (70) is the weakest, for pickpocketing in the Old Town and market, bar overcharging and taxi tricks. Violent crime (78) reflects about 4 murders per 100,000 people a year, and traffic safety (81) a road death rate more than twice Tallinn's. Walking at night (79) follows the EU's 2023 survey of residents, which we use for every European city.