Riga long weekend from India: 4 days with Jūrmala & Sigulda

A first trip to Latvia works best as a four-day long weekend: two days in Riga’s old town and Art Nouveau streets, one day by train to the castles of Sigulda, and a last morning on the beach at Jūrmala. Budget roughly ₹1.0 to ₹1.4 lakh per person including flights, and start the Schengen visa at least five weeks before you fly.

Visa and entry rules for Indians

Indian passport holders need a Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for tourism in Latvia, applied for in advance. We checked the Embassy of Latvia in New Delhi’s Schengen visa page and the VFS Global Latvia India page on 12 October 2026. They say:

1. Where to apply: at a VFS Global Latvia visa application centre in India, in person, after booking an appointment online. The embassy in New Delhi then decides. The VFS page does not list the cities, so pick one when you book.
2. Fee: €90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6 to under 12. Children under 6 pay no visa fee. The VFS page shows ₹9,996 and ₹4,998, effective 1 May 2026, and says rupee amounts follow the exchange rate.
3. VFS service charge: ₹2,999 including GST, paid in cash or by card, and it applies to children under 6 as well. Visa and service fees are non-refundable if the visa is refused.
4. When to apply: at least 15 calendar days before the visit and no more than six months ahead.
5. Processing: the embassy says decisions are normally made within 15 calendar days and can take up to 45 in complex cases. VFS quotes up to 10 working days and adds two days for postal delivery when you apply outside New Delhi.
6. Passport: issued within the last 10 years, with two blank pages, and valid at least three months beyond your departure.
7. Insurance: travel medical insurance of at least €30,000 valid across the Schengen area, covering emergency care, hospital treatment and repatriation.
8. Money: the embassy asks for a stamped original bank statement for the last three months and your income tax return acknowledgments for the last two assessment years. Salaried applicants add three months of payslips, the employment contract and leave approval.
9. Other documents: the signed application form, two 35 × 45 mm photos taken within six months, a round-trip flight itinerary and proof of accommodation. The embassy list also mentions an invitation approved by Latvia’s migration office and says a hotel booking is not needed when the invitation covers accommodation. As a tourist, follow VFS’s tourist checklist for what applies to you.
10. Biometrics: a photo and fingerprints are taken at VFS. Fingerprints can be reused for re-applications within five years.

If Latvia is one stop in a longer Baltic trip, apply to the country where you spend the most nights, or to the country of first entry if there is no main destination. Estonia’s rules are on our Estonia guide. Facts for Latvia are on the Latvia hub.

Apply only through VFS Global’s Latvia pages and the embassy. Look-alike “Latvia visa” sites charge large fees for the same appointment. Book flights on a refundable or flexible fare until the visa is in hand.

What it costs in rupees

Per person, sharing a mid-range double room, for four days (three nights). These are our estimates for typical fares and rates, and they swing with season. One euro is roughly ₹100 to ₹105, so check the day’s rate.

The visa and flights are the fixed costs. On the ground Riga is cheaper than Western Europe, and about level with Poland and Estonia.

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1: arrive and walk the old town

From Riga Airport, bus 22 and taxis reach the centre; the old town is on the river’s east bank. Drop your bags, then walk Town Hall Square with the House of the Blackheads, the Three Brothers houses and the cobbled lanes around St Peter’s Church. The old town is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is compact, so a slow two-hour loop covers it. Dinner in a cellar restaurant is a good first meal.

Day 2: Art Nouveau, market and the skyline

Start on Alberta iela and Elizabetes iela, in the Art Nouveau district north of the old town, where façades are covered in faces, masks and sculpted figures. Look up, and go early before tour groups arrive. Then take a tram or walk to the Central Market, set in five former Zeppelin hangars, for fruit, rye bread, smoked fish and pickles. Finish with the viewing platform on the St Peter’s Church tower or the Latvian Academy of Sciences’ tower for the rooftop view over the river.

Day 3: train to Sigulda and the Gauja valley

Take a morning train from Riga Central Station to Sigulda, about an hour or a little more each way, in Gauja National Park. Walk to the ruins of Sigulda Medieval Castle, then cross the valley to Turaida Castle, a red-brick fortress with a museum and a sculpture garden. The valley’s cable car and the nearby caves and trails make it an easy half day outdoors. Wear walking shoes, as paths are uneven, and take a rain layer in any season. Check the return train times before dinner.

Day 4: Jūrmala and fly home

Take an early train to Jūrmala, about 30 to 40 minutes west of Riga along a thin strip of land between the river and the Gulf of Riga. Walk the wooden villas of Jomas iela in Majori and then the beach at Dzintari, with its fine pale sand. In summer a swim is possible, though the Baltic stays cool. Be back in Riga in good time for the airport and arrive three hours before your flight to India.

Latvia for vegetarians and Jain travellers

Riga has a large number of vegetarian and vegan cafés and many menus mark vegetarian options. Local plates to look for are dark rye bread, cold beetroot soup made with kefir, potato pancakes, mushroom dishes and sorrel soup. Traditional restaurants use bacon and pork lard widely, so ask before you order. Strict Jain travellers will find onion and garlic hard to avoid, so carry dry snacks and use a kitchen for a few meals.

Best time to go

June to August gives long days, warm beach weather and midsummer celebrations on 23 and 24 June. May and September are cheaper and quieter, with the Gauja valley at its best in early autumn. December is cold, dark and wet but the Christmas market and festive lights make it popular. Jūrmala’s beach is for walking, not swimming, outside the summer months.

Practical tips

• Money: Latvia uses the euro. Cards and phone payments work nearly everywhere, and UPI does not. Use a bank ATM rather than airport exchange booths.
• Transport: the old town and the Art Nouveau district are walkable. Trams, buses and Bolt cover the rest, and trains reach Sigulda and Jūrmala without a car.
• SIM: an eSIM bought before you fly saves queueing at the airport.
• Plugs: Latvia uses the two-round-pin Type C/F plug at 230 V, so pack an adapter.
• Tipping: about 5 to 10 percent at restaurants is usual if service was good.
• Add-on: Tallinn is a few hours away by bus, and the same Schengen visa covers Estonia.
• Paperwork: keep your visa, insurance certificate and hotel bookings in one folder.

Related guides

Want another Baltic or Schengen trip on the same visa? See the Estonia 5-day plan, the Lithuania 6-day plan, the Poland 7-day plan or the Sweden summer plan. All facts for Latvia are on the Latvia hub.