Go, but pay attention.
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Riga at 63/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than Latvia's national picture overall (78/100 vs 81/100).
City page · part of Latvia
The one number a country page can't give you
What people who actually live in Riga report
Numbeo aggregates thousands of resident-submitted perception surveys into a per-city Crime Index (higher = worse) and its inverse, a Safety Index — the only real city-granularity crime signal feeding this page, alongside Latvia's national advisory, political, health, and police-trust data.
Crime Index
37.2
Safety Index
62.8
Sub-scores
Same real inputs as Latvia's national page, with crime swapped for Riga's own Numbeo number above.
Local know-how
Staying safe in Riga, specifically
- • Riga is generally safe if you know how to take the basic precautions.
- • Many Latvians will tell you that any Russian-speaking neighbourhood is rife with crime and violence.
- • Alcohol consumption in Riga is high and bar fights are relatively common.
Legal status (national law)
Legal since 1992+ UN decl. sign.
Source: Wikipedia — LGBTQ rights by country →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.
How this compares to Latvia
Numbeo's Safety Index puts Riga at 63/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than Latvia's national picture overall (78/100 vs 81/100).
See the full Latvia page and all receipts →