Over the course of its roughly 800 years of existence, Riga has been ruled by Poland, Sweden, the Russian Empire, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, before finally gaining its independence in 1991. As a result, Riga offers a treasure trove of history and culture waiting to be unearthed by visitors. With your City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour, we’ll show you all of Riga’s must-see attractions.

Hop on the bus to begin your journey at Vermanes Garden. This park was donated to the city by a Prussian widow in the 1810s and boasts formal gardens and exotic trees, and is a great place to enjoy a coffee at one of the seasonal cafes. Continuing your journey, you’ll cross the canal which used to be a 90-metre wide defensive moat. Be sure to hop off at the Freedom Monument. Built in 1935 to honour the soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence, it stands 42 metres tall and is a popular public gathering place.

Hop back on the bus and head for the Art Nouveau District, which features many fantastic art nouveau apartment buildings built at the start of the 20th century, when Riga was enjoying perhaps its greatest period of prosperity. Several of these buildings were designed by Mikhail Eisenstein, father of Sergei, the legendary Russian film-maker who directed Battleship Potemkin. With a third of its buildings, being Art Nouveau in style, Riga has a higher concentration of this distinctive architecture than anywhere else in the world, which helps make it such an elegant city.