Riga is accessible from the airport by regular public transport buses at standard fares. Taxis, Bolt and car hire are also available.

Find hotels in the centre of Riga

Bus no. 22

Bus route 22 runs to the centre of Riga, terminating at the Abrenes iela stop and passing by the main railway and bus stations.

A 90-minute ticket costs 1,50 eur and can also be used for travel around Riga.

Get off at the Grēcinieku iela for the quickest route to the small historic centre.

• 🏨 Hotel tip near this stop:St. Peter's Boutique Hotel ****

When travelling from the city centre, be careful not to board trolleybus line 22, which does not go to the airport at all. Bus and trolleybus route numbers in Riga overlap in a rather illogical way.

• Price: 1,50 eur for 90 minutes / 5 eur for 24 hours / 8 eur for 72 hours
• Journey time: 30 minutes
• Frequency: 10–15 minutes (20 minutes in the evening and morning)
• First bus from Centrālā stacija – 4:45
• Last bus from the airport – 00:40
• Timetable for route 22 from the airport
• Timetable for route 22 to the airport

Where can I buy a ticket? Does contactless payment work?

You can buy a bus ticket at the Narvessen newsagent’s in front of the terminal by the bus stop, from the ticket machine at the stop itself, or from the driver, where you can pay by card; a ticket costs 1,81 eur when boarding.

The final option is to download one of the mobile apps and purchase your ticket through it.

Tickets are valid across the entire Riga public transport network on buses, trams and trolleybuses.

You must validate your ticket when boarding the bus.

• Paper ticket from a ticket machine – hold it up to the reader inside the bus
• Ticket from the mobile app – you must scan the QR code, which can be found in several places on the bus

Contactless payments using your own card are not yet available in Riga; however, you can purchase a paper ticket with your card from the driver only on bus route 22 to/from the airport, but the price is higher than with other payment methods.

Full information about public transport in Riga and a route finder between stops can be found on the official website: rigassatiksme.lv

Taxi / Bolt

A standard taxi from the airport to the historic centre costs around 15 eur and must be taken with the meter running. If the taxi driver refuses to switch on the meter, get out and choose another vehicle.

Taxis are located right outside the terminal next to the bus stop, and there are usually several available.

A very popular alternative in Riga is the Bolt app, which costs between 11 eur and 16 eur for a journey from the airport to the city centre, depending on the time of day.

The Bolt pick-up point is clearly marked and is located near the bus stop and the Narvessen outdoor newsagent (in front of Arrivals ‘E’).

Car hire

Several major international car hire companies have branches in the terminal. A car is the best way to explore the Latvian countryside or travel to the coast.

Weekly hire rates range from 120 eur to 180 eur depending on the season.

• Compare prices and book a car

Long-distance buses

There is also a stop for long-distance intercity buses to the left of the terminal. This is a very convenient option if you don’t want to have to change buses in the centre of Riga, but the downside is that services run less frequently than those from the centre of Riga.

You can buy tickets mainly on the flixbus.com website.

• Tallinn, Estonia– approx. 5 hours, runs 5–6 times a day directly from RIX Airport
• Pärnu, Estonia– approx. 3.5 hours, runs 5–6 times a day
• Kaunas, Lithuania– approx. 4.5 hours, runs twice a day
• Vilnius, Lithuania– approx. 4 hours, runs once a day

Rail Baltica train

In future, there will be a Rail Baltica high-speed rail station right at the airport.

Trains will run from RIX Airport directly to Tallinn in Estonia, Kaunas in Lithuania and other cities.

The high-speed rail link to Riga Airport is expected to be operational between 2030 and 2032.