RIGA: 7 reasons this quirky city makes a great autism-friendly family break
- sunshinelayla
- Jun 9
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 14
Riga is not an obvious choice for an active city break, especially if you have autistic or adhd kids. But after extensive research we felt confident there would be lots of autism friendly family activities to make our trip fun for everyone.
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Jurmala Beach: Top 3 activities for autistic kids on this day trip from Riga
RIGA OVERVIEW
We stayed in Riga for 5 nights at the end of May and were pleased to find our planning had paid off - there really was plenty to do. There are also a number of full day trip outings from the capital to places like Sigulda and the Lithuanian border; so we could definitely have made the trip another day or two longer. By the end of our visit we had really come to appreciate Riga's lovely open spaces, affordable travel options, delicious pastries and proximity to the beach!
A GREAT OPTION FOR FAMILIES ON A BUDGET
If you are on a budget then Riga is a good choice. Transport was affordable and the general costs of visiting a city like entrance fees, coffee and snacks were on the lower side, depending where in the city you were. As you would expect, prices in the old town were noticeably higher than the new town - but still not extortionate given it is a prime tourist destination. Supermarket shopping was a mix of cheaper prices for basic items and quite expensive for the luxury end.
As I said, we found there was enough to do keep us and the kids entertained. While not an exhaustive list, the places I describe below are a good starting place for families with autistic children. They are mostly outdoors and provide different options for meeting a range of sensory needs. Making space to include some of these attractions into your itinerary will really help your family make the most of what Riga has to offer. We hope your trip to Riga goes as well for you and your autistic / adhd children as it did for us!
Our favourite autism-friendly family activities in Riga:
Jurmala Beach Resort
Located just 30 mins from by train from the city centre the boys LOVED this seaside town so much we ended up visiting twice! The fact it involved a train ride was an added bonus! The public transport system in Riga is pretty easy to navigate the best thing to do is download the Mobilly App. We found it pretty straightforward after that..
Jurmala has a really laid back vibe, and with kilometers of sandy beach there was plenty to enjoy. For more information on getting the best out of your day be the sea, read our article Visiting Jurmala with Kids.
Dzintari Forest Playground
While technically part of the wider Jurmala region, this forest park was great fun and warrants its own write up. Depending on the sensory profile of your children it would be possible to do both Dzintari and the Jurmala in one long day, rather than splitting it across two like we did. We absolutely loved our visit to the Dzintari Forest Park - find out why in our Dzintari Forest Park with Kids blog article
Central Riga Playground + others
There was a definite theme to this trip and it seemed, more than other holidays, to revolve around playground time! The boys seem to have a sixth sense for a swing set and can sniff one from 200m out - in total we managed to visit 5 different playground spaces during our trip, all of them were lovely in their own way.
But at a whopping 7000 square meters it was the Centre Sport playground that was crowned the winner. It really does have to be seen to be believed. It has 4 separate areas with swings / slides and climbing frames for different ages, 5 different skate / scooter ramp areas, ping-pong tables, clean toilets and security on site. The boys were in total heaven and played happily for nearly 2 hours. Located approx 2km from the city centre it is easiest reached by taking the No 1. tram from the old town. This just added to the boys' sense of adventure and was quite straight forward to do.
Natural History Museum of Latvia
Despite my own love of art and visual culture, unless an indoor attraction involves some combination of transport / vehicles / dinosaurs or animals we have learnt its best to steer clear of most museums. The Natural History museum was a great choice for us - small enough to be manageable in an hour and big enough to have some really interesting exhibits. The boys particularly liked their extensive collection of taxidermy animals, particularly the giant moose, bear and tiger! They also had a great interactive wall map which depicted animals in their natural locations, each with a little light that lit up when the corresponding animal was pressed on the display panel. We all really enjoyed it and it was a great way to do so fun real world learning!
In fact our youngest so enjoyed the underwater and t-rex displays he asked to go back and see them again the next morning. As kids under 7 are free and adults only pay 3.50 euros each, I saw no reason not to oblige him! We were waiting on the doorstep when it opened at 10am and had the place to ourselves until just before 11am when some school groups turned up - our cue to leave!
Riga Central Market
Reputedly the largest covered food market in Eastern Europe, Riga's central market was built in the 1920's and stretches across 5 different pavilions, each with their own theme. They are are connected by internal corridors and outdoor (covered) market square spaces. In 1998 the vast area was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
While I was on the return trip with our youngest son to the Natural History Museum, J took our eldest to explore the market and buy treats. He is not overly bothered by crowds which is great as up to 100,000 people go through its doors each day. They had a great time looking at all the stalls, particularly the bakery hall! It is not necessarily the cheapest place to buy food, but for an authentic taste of traditional Latvian specialities you cant go wrong. The little one and I met up with them at the end of the morning for a whistle stop 15 minute visit, which was as much as C could manage and my purse could cope with!
The Old Town
Riga's old town is a cobbled pedestrianised area filled with cafes, cool bars and boutique shops. It was established in 1201 by Bishop Albert and much of its original architecture from throughout its history remains, and its 500 buildings include interesting examples from the Romantic, Gothic, Mannerist and Baroque periods. In 1997 it was included on the UNESCO's World Heritage List and most of the buildings are considered cultural landmarks. We spent a lovely hour or so wandering around, and treated ourselves to a stop at the quirky Crumble Cake café.
Things to see include: the Black Cat on the Roof, the Golden Dome, the main town square, it's many churches and the imposing Memorial to the Victims of the Soviet Occupation.
Riga Canal side
Encircling the old town is the Pilsetas Kanals. Once the city’s old moat, it is now a lovely meandering waterway bordered by a series of manicured gardens. It used to serve as a barrier between the between the town and potential enemies in medieval times - the other side of the town in bordered by Daugava River.
The parkland now forms a natural border between Old Riga and the modern Central Riga. It is edged by cafes and a smattering of businesses offering 50 minute scenic boat tours. We had gone down there with the intention of taking a trip, but by the time the boys had finished enjoying the canal-side playground in Bastejkalna Park, we'd walked around some of the gardens and had a relaxing afternoon snack in the lovely sunshine it was getting too near to teatime - ah well. It really was a very peaceful place, with lovely flower beds and plenty of families and couples just enjoying being outside together.
Final comments on visiting Riga with Autistic Kids
Riga was great fun and we enjoyed our stay. It is definitely a city of two parts - the old and new town. The Old Town was quaint and picturesque and filled with fun cafes and bars - and the accommodation was priced to match. The New Town was much more ordinary, with supermarkets, shops and the sorts of services that you would need to live your daily life (including some great charity shops). It is perhaps a 20 minute walk between the two areas of Riga.
We found it much more affordable to stay on the other side of the canal in the new town area. We were able to get a two-bedroom apartment for the same price as a studio apartment in the old town. As we were self catering being near a range of supermarket options was also helpful for last minute items.
Sometimes I think it is worthwhile paying the extra money and staying in the Old Town, if only for the ambience and experience. However Riga is compact enough that I didnt feel we missed out on anything by being slightly further away. If anything, we say a lot more of the 'real Riga' than we would have otherwise done.
Wherever you decide to stay, we hope you have a wonderful visit, just like we did!
Happy travels x
