Riga Cathedral (Rigas Doms)

Riga Cathedral is one of the main attractions in Old Town Riga, so every walking tour and photo shoot of the city will surely bring you there. Most tours, though, will only make a brief stop outside the cathedral, so you’ll likely need to come on your own if you want to go inside to see the look of its interior and see its old-fashioned pipe organ. Visitors who have organized tours of the cathedral tower or the organ balcony must allow an hour just for the tour portion.

• To see the view from the cathedral tower, you must make a private group booking at least three days in advance.

• Visiting the cathedral’s tower involves climbing 217 steps, making it unsuitable for people with reduced mobility.

• As the cathedral is a historical building, it was not designed for barrier-free wheelchair access. Visitors using wheelchairs require a staff member to assist them with entry, which can mean a delay in getting in.

• Besides Sunday services, there are also services on weekday mornings and Thursday evenings.

Located on Dome Square in the middle of Riga’s old town, Riga Cathedral is easy to reach by foot or bicycle if you’re already in the city’s historical center. Unfortunately, there aren’t any public transport connections close to the cathedral; the nearest tram stops are Grēcinieku Iela and Nacionālais Teātris, which are both 10-minute walks from the cathedral.

Riga Cathedral is open daily to visitors but is closed on Sundays until the mid-afternoon because of the regular worship service. To avoid crowds of visitors at the church, it’s best to go first thing in the morning, particularly during peak tourist season in July and August. If you wish to hear organ music during your visit, time your visit to be there at noon on most days and mid-afternoon on Sundays.

True to its musical heritage, Riga Cathedral still regularly hosts concerts and musical performances. Most of the performances at the cathedral are the regular afternoon organ concerts that last around 20 minutes. However, the cathedral also frequently has choirs and ensembles perform together with an organist on Friday nights. Tickets are required for all performances at the cathedral, but bookings for the regular organ concerts usually aren't necessary.