This guide follows a line across central Riga, from the art museum just outside the old town to the castle on the Daugava. On the way it passes four more places that show how the city grew: a tower from the old walls, the last of the city gates, the oldest group of houses in Riga and the cathedral founded by the bishop who started it all. All six are stops on our Riga scavenger hunt.
Latvian National Museum of Art
The Latvian National Museum of Art stands on Jaņa Rozentāla laukums, just outside the old town. Its main building was designed by the Baltic German architect Wilhelm Neumann, who was also the museum's first director from 1905 to 1919, and built between 1903 and 1905 in a historicist style with Baroque forms. A major reconstruction in the 2010s doubled the size of the building. The collection holds more than 65,000 works and covers professional art in the Baltic region and Latvia from the middle of the 18th century to the present day, which makes it the place to discover Latvian painters most visitors have never heard of.
- The front of Neumann's building, with its Baroque forms, facing the square.
- The name of the square itself: it honours the painter Jānis Rozentāls, one of the artists whose work you can look for inside.
The Powder Tower
The Powder Tower is a round tower from Riga's old fortifications. It was first mentioned in 1330 as the Sand Tower, possibly after the sand hills that stood opposite. The present tower was built in 1650 on the base that survived the Swedish attack of 1621, and it took its current name in the 17th century, when gunpowder seems to have been stored inside. Its walls are 14.3 metres across.
In 1937 to 1940 it was renovated and became part of the Latvian War Museum, which still uses it today. It is one of the stops of our scavenger hunt, and a good place to imagine how thick the city's defences once were.
The Swedish Gate
Not far away, on Torņa iela, the Swedish Gate is the only one left of the eight gates that once led through Riga's walls. It was built in 1698, while Riga was part of the Swedish Empire, to give access to barracks outside the city wall. It is one of the stops of our scavenger hunt.
- Legend: young women were forbidden to meet soldiers, but one girl secretly met her Swedish soldier at the gate; when he failed to come one night, the locals walled her up inside it. The story says that at midnight those whose love is pure can still hear her say that she loves him.
The Three Brothers
On Mazā Pils iela, close to Dome Square, three houses stand side by side and together form the oldest group of dwelling houses in Riga. Number 17 is the oldest, from the late 15th century, with a stepped gable, Gothic details and a few early Renaissance touches; it originally held one large room and a storage attic, and was restored in 1955 to 1957 by the architect Pēteris Saulītis. Number 19 has a front from 1646 with a stone portal added in 1746 and shows Dutch Mannerist influence, while narrow number 21 probably took its Baroque form in the late 17th century. The houses hold the Latvian Museum of Architecture, and in 2020 they received the European Heritage Label.
- The way the three gables differ in style and width, a short lesson in how Riga's houses changed over two centuries.
- The stone portal of number 19, dated 1746.
Riga Castle
Riga Castle stands by the Daugava at the edge of the old town. It was founded in 1330 under a treaty between the city and the Livonian Order, the military order of knights that ruled much of the region; the Rigans destroyed it in 1484, and it was thoroughly rebuilt between 1497 and 1515. The Latvian government made it a state residence in 1938, and today it is the official residence of the President of Latvia, while several museums are housed in its southern part.
On 20 June 2013 a fire broke out during reconstruction work and destroyed around 3,200 square metres of the building, almost completely burning the Red Hall and badly damaging the White Hall; the museum collections were not destroyed, though some were damaged by water. Restoration has taken years, so check what is open before you go. The castle is one of the stops of our scavenger hunt.
- The long front facing the river, best seen from the embankment.
- Castle Square (Pils laukums) in front of it, a calm open space at the end of the old town lanes.
Riga Cathedral
Riga Cathedral (Rīgas Doms) was founded in 1211 near the Daugava by Bishop Albert of Riga, who came from Lower Saxony, and it is considered the largest medieval church in the Baltic states. It is the Evangelical Lutheran cathedral and the seat of the Archbishop of Riga. In the Soviet period services were banned and the building was used as a concert hall; services resumed in 1991. Its organ, built by Walcker of Ludwigsburg and inaugurated on 31 January 1884, has four manuals, 124 stops and 6,718 pipes. The cloister houses the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation, and a statue of Bishop Albert stands on the south wall. The cathedral is one of the stops of our scavenger hunt.
How to see them in one walk
Start at the Latvian National Museum of Art, then walk towards the old town past the Freedom Monument to the Powder Tower. From there it is a short walk along Torņa iela to the Swedish Gate. Cross the old town to Mazā Pils iela for the Three Brothers and continue to Riga Castle by the river. Finish at the cathedral on Dome Square, where you may be lucky enough to hear the organ. The old town streets are cobbled, so wear comfortable shoes.
See Riga with World City Trail
Our Riga scavenger hunt turns the city into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops, from the Latvian National Museum of Art to St. Peter's Church, and all six places in this guide are stops, along with the Freedom Monument, the Laima Clock and the House of the Black Heads. At each stop you solve a puzzle and learn a story, at your own pace.
There is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Riga, for people who prefer a different format.
Play the Riga scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Riga →
Play the outdoor escape game in Riga →
Facts checked in October 2026.