Go, but pay attention.
No major changes since yesterday.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Latvia
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Go, but pay attention.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't fall for it
Scams to know
Bar and club solicitation
Scammers initiate random conversations and invite tourists to a specific bar or club. This often results in the tourist being robbed by mafia-linked individuals while police remain unhelpful.
Rigged bar bills
Establishments may silently add extra fees to your bill. Always check prices before ordering and monitor your final bill closely.
Don't do this
Laws that jail tourists
Public alcohol consumption
Drinking alcohol in public spaces outside of bars or restaurants is considered bad manners. You risk being fined for consuming alcohol from a non-concealed bottle.
Public intoxication and conduct
Drunken behavior such as urinating in public will result in a fine or a night in jail.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Global Measles
Vaccines
Required: Yellow Fever
Recommended: Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Measles, Rabies, Tick-borne Encephalitis
Source: CDC Travelers' Health →Getting in
What you'll need at the border
The visa policy of the Schengen Area is a component within the wider area of freedom, security and justice policy of the European Union. It applies to the Schengen Area and Cyprus, but not to EU member state Ireland. The visa policy allows nationals of certain countries to enter the Schengen Area via air, land or sea without a visa for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. Nationals of certain other countries are required to have a visa to enter and, in some cases, transit through the Schenge
Source: Wikipedia →Real, not invented
Terrorism
Although there’s no recent history of terrorism in Latvia, attacks cannot be ruled out.
Source: UK FCDO →Real, not invented
Cultural & legal notes
LGBT+ travellers
Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Latvia. Same-sex unions were legalised in 2023 and will be able to take place from July 2024. While there are some LGBT+ friendly venues in larger cities, small towns and rural areas can be less accepting of LGBT+ travellers. Read more advice for LGBT+ travellers .
Source: UK FCDO →From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •It is generally safe to travel around Latvia on your own, although some petty crime exists.
- •If travelling by bike, watch out for bicycle theft.
- •If travelling by car, try not to leave valuable things in plain sight in your car.
- •If travelling by foot, take care when crossing the roads as many Latvian drivers can be fairly reckless.
- •It is considered bad mannered to consume alcoholic beverages in public, when not in bars, restaurants etc.
- •Local informational web-sites for tourists claim that, in terms of safety, there is almost no difference between big cities and country areas.
Staying healthy
- •You can turn to any doctor or hospital at any time during your stay. Depending on the circumstances, you may need to pay a fee for receiving urgent care.
- •In a sparsely-inhabited, remote area, it may be difficult to obtain medical care due to the low number of air ambulance helicopters in the country.
- •Doctors usually are able to speak fluent Latvian and Russian. Some may not have good English skills. This mostly depends on the region and the age of the doctor.
- •You are suggested to bring your own medicine, if you require it, as there are few drugs that are available without a prescription.
- •Many doctors take undisclosed fees in the form of gifts from the patients ranging from a box of chocolates to raw cash.
- •You should seek immediate medical attention if bitten by a snake, a domestic or a wild animal.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
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Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
C / F · 230V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 112 / ambulance: 112 / fire: 112
Tipping
The tipping culture of Latvians is generally fairly reserved: usually rounding up the bill (around 5–10%) is enough, but not necessary. Make sure to check your receipt, as some (but few) establishments may automatically include a tip in the bill as service charge. Tips is dzeramnauda (drink money) in Latvian.
Cash vs. Card
Latvijas Banka (The Latvian National Bank) is the only place you can get commemorative €2 coins at nominal value and exchange euro banknotes to smaller or larger denomination euro banknotes without having to pay a fee. This can be done at the branch in Riga. Latvijas Banka's cashier's office in Riga also exchanges Latvian lats issued 1993 to 2013 at a fixed rate against euro.
Zoom in
One Latvia city on SKETCH.WORLD
Real, resident-submitted Numbeo crime data at the city level — the same national picture above, with crime swapped for what people who actually live there report.
Show the receipts (8 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-09-09
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-09-09
- ca-gac — observed 2026-09-09
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-09-09
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-09-09
- cdc-health — observed 2026-09-09
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-09-09
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-09-09