If your trip to Riga is all booked but your itinerary is looking a little empty, we can give you a few hints and tips.Experience the best of what this place has to offer by adding St. Peter’s Church and Small Guild Hall to your must-see list. If you’ve got an extra day or two to spare, have a look at Great Guild Hall and House of the Blackheads too.Stop by Riga Central Market. It’s one attraction you’ll find on many travelers’ to-do lists. If you still have space on your travel itinerary, Latvian National Opera and Latvian Art Museum will keep you entertained as well.

The best part about having your own car is that you can travel anywhere, anytime. Make full use of your newfound freedom by checking out all that there is to do in Jurmala. It’s just 18 miles away. Kemeri National Park, Kmeri Forest house and Sulphur Water Spring Lizzard alone justify the drive. The locals will also likely point you toward Jelgava, 25 miles away. If you can only find time for one attraction here, let it be Jelgava Palace. (But we’d also recommend St. Simeon and St. Anna Orthodox Church and Academica Petrina.)

Beaches can be ideal places to fly a kite. If the wind’s up, why not usher the kids into the car and take a jaunt to Jurmala Beach? It’s 11 miles from Riga and is a glorious place for some family fun in the sun.

Going to Riga for work? After a taxing day of mingling and making new connections, you might find your stomach shouting out for food. Thankfully, these business and convention centers offer easy access to some wonderful restaurants and cafés:

• Riga Congress Centre (0.5 miles away).
• Kipsala International Exhibition Centre (1 mile away).

Riga is big. You could chill out for a week or two here and barely scratch the surface. If you’d like to take in as much as possible in this busy metropolis, you’ll need a rental car. Keep in mind that driving around big cities often goes hand in hand with tight streets and even tighter parking spaces. Don’t worry though, because a small, economical car can make this much easier to manage. If you’re in the mood to venture out of the city and see the sandy shores that Riga is known for, you’ll probably prefer a car with more room. A full-size or mid-size SUV will get you around comfortably.

For some of us, owning a prestige vehicle is the stuff of fairy tales. But renting your dream ride is well within your grasp! Imagine the joy of tearing down the open road in a high-end sports car, even if it’s only for a day or two. Or maybe all you want is a reliable set of wheels to bring you safely from point A to point B. Flashy or thrifty? Whatever you decide, there’s a rental car to suit your style in Riga.

Being a city on the smaller side, finding a place to park the car in Riga is relatively stress-free. Once you’ve scored one, carefully check the signs nearby. You may be hit with a fine if you ignore the rules and regulations.

One of the great things about road tripping around a smaller city is less traffic, so don’t stress too much about peak-hour gridlock. With a population of around 742,600, you can look forward to a smooth Riga driving experience.

Generally, your rental company will bill the fined amount to your credit card. Alternatively, the company may provide your contact details to local authorities so they can issue a fine to you directly.