The Grand Riga Art Nouveau Tour

With more than 800 Art Nouveau buildings, Riga has the world's biggest collection of this exuberant style. This walking tour is a captivating journey through this incredible heritage!

I recommend we start the tour in Esplanāde Park, near the statue of Latvia's greatest port, Rainis.

Here, I'll give you an outline of Riga's history which led to the stunning boulevards being built in the late 19th century.

I'll also talk about how Art Nouveau swept the world at that time, and how Riga's 700th jubilee held in Esplanāde in 1901 brought the style to the city.

Then we hit the streets, stopping on Elizabetes iela to admire surreal masterpieces by Mikhail Eisenstein, Riga's most extravagant Art Nouveau architect.

On Alberta iela, we will see a whole row of weird and wonderful Eisenstein creations.

I'll delve into the symbolism of his bizarre ornamentation, as well as looking at the social history of the neighbourhood, from bourgeoise splendour to communist communal flats to 21st century gentrification.

But there were other brilliant architects who helped build the new Riga. We take in a strikingly different, locally inspired gem by Latvian Eižēns Laube, then gape in awe at the stairwell designed by Konstantīns Pēkšēns.

Pēkšēns was a remarkable character who created 400 buildings, and on Vīlandes iela we'll see some more of his work, as well as beauties by Baltic German architects.

In another time warp, we pass by the pre war US Embassy building, where John F. Kennedy stayed on a European jaunt in 1939. I'll share some juicy tales about young Jack's Riga escapades, and tell you about the hotel which is joyfully flogging this brush with fame.

Across the road, we step into Viesturdārzs, Riga's oldest park, checking out the venue of the first Latvian Song Festival in 1873.

We then slowly make our way back, heading down posh Ausekļa iela. We'll pop into Mulberry cafe, home of Riga's most decadent pastries, for a bite and a coffee (who could resist?)

After pausing at a moving monument combining a piece of the Berlin Wall and a chunk of the 1991 Riga Barricades, we encounter a different political statement - a giant, ugly picture of Putin opposite the Russian Embassy.

And on that cheeky note, we return to Rainis in the park.

The tour is on foot. I can meet you at your hotel or another convenient location. Price: For one to four people (children under 16 not included): 70 euros per group. Five people or more: 90 euros per group. The maximum group size is 20 people. 

I am an accredited guide for the Riga Art Nouveau Museum. If you wish, we can include a tour of the museum in the tour. This will add approximately 30 minutes to the tour duration. The cost is an additional 30 euros per group as well as your entry tickets to the museum.

Get some handy Riga visitor info.

Explore Riga's Old Town, see all the city highlights or have a Soviet experience.

Join me for a wander around Jūrmala or a full day in the resort.

Or how about lunch in a Kuzeme manor or a bobsleigh ride in Sigulda?