Riga Christmas Markets

Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive in Riga - Upon arrival meet your tour manager and transfer into the heart of the city and your hotel. After check-in, enjoy your first evening in the Baltic States’ largest city. A host of cafés, bars and restaurants caters to all tastes and pockets, and the lights of the festive shops and stores bring colour and warmth to the crisp, wintry air. As this is a short break, we don’t include checked-in hold luggage but do include the airline’s base-level hand luggage so you can choose how much luggage you want to add on when you check in for your flight. Some airlines include a bag under the seat as their base luggage, others include overhead cabin bags – it varies from airline to airline – and there are always different options to increase the allowance. You may wish to add a hold bag if you anticipate buying lots of gifts at the Christmas markets or consider booking one hold bag between two people. The choice is yours, as we know everyone has different needs.

Day 2

Included tour of Riga - A guided tour will lift the veil on Riga’s fascinating past and will showcase the sights of one of Europe’s most rapidly growing cities. Set on the bank of the Daugava River, the city boasts several ultra-modern buildings around its walled central core. The lovingly reconstructed Dutch-influenced ‘House of the Blackheads’, several large churches, Riga Castle with its museums, the towering Freedom Monument and two magnificent cathedrals add to the attraction, which is crowned by the Art Nouveau glories of UNESCO-listed Quiet Centre district and restored Town Hall Square, site of the wonderful Christmas market, with its traditional wares and warming foodstuffs. Spend another evening exploring this vibrant city.

Day 3

Optional Gauja National Park excursion - Discover more of the city today, or join the optional excursion, journeying into the beautiful landscape of the Gauja National Park, a forested, alpine refuge. Keep an eye out as you pass through these sprawling woodland landscapes and you might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of its breath-taking native wildlife. Later on, you'll have the chance to tour the Turaida Museum Reserve which chronicles Latvian history and culture. End your final full day in this wonderful city by having dinner in one of Riga’s many fine restaurants.

Day 4

Return home - Transfer back to the airport for the return flight after a wonderful few festive days. Back to top

Further Information

Hotel transfer times

The transfer time from the airport to your hotel is approximately 30 minutes.

Foreign Office Travel Advice

Visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice to find out the latest Foreign And Commonwealth Office travel advice for your holiday destination, as well as information about passports and visas.

Special requirements

If you have notified us of any special requirements, please check that they have been noted and acknowledged. This is especially important with any dietary needs you may have.

Disabled access

The majority of our tours involve a certain amount of walking, including a short walk from the coach stop to the town, attraction or venue you're visiting. If you are bringing a wheelchair, please let us know at the time of booking so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Combining hotel transfers

We sometimes need to combine transfers to and from your hotel. We always try to keep any wait to a minimum, but you may be asked to wait at the airport for up to an hour, while other incoming flights arrive, before the transfer to your hotel. Similarly, we may need to transfer you back to the airport up to three hours before your flight home departs.

Itinerary changes

Occasionally, for operational reasons, we may have to change the order of the excursions on your holiday. The final day-by-day itinerary will be confirmed on your Final Travel Documents, which you will receive approximately three weeks prior to your departure.

Luggage allowance

As this is a short break, we don’t include checked-in hold luggage but do include the airline’s base-level hand luggage so you can choose how much luggage you want to add on when you check in for your flight. Some airlines include a bag under the seat as their base luggage, others include overhead cabin bags – it varies from airline to airline – and there are always different options to increase the allowance. You may wish to add a hold bag if you anticipate buying lots of gifts at the Christmas markets or consider booking one hold bag between two people. The choice is yours, as we know everyone has different needs.

Visas & Passports

Rules may have changed since you last travelled to European Union countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The following are useful guidelines which will help you prepare for your next adventure. You do require government issued passport to travel. Names - It is very important that all passenger names are exactly as per your passport although we do not require middle names. Passport - Your passport must meet two requirements to travel to an EU country and to Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. It must be: Less than 10 years old on the day you return home (please check the "date of issue") and valid for at least 3 months after the day you return home (please check the "expiry date"). Visa - You do not need a visa for short trips to most EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. You’ll be able to stay for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period.

European Entry/Exit Scheme (EES)

EES is a new digital border management system for registering non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay, each time they cross the external borders of most European countries. Once introduced, when you go through passport control on arrival, as well as producing your passport for checking, you will also have your photograph taken and fingerprints scanned. The system will register your entry on arrival and your exit when departing. You will only need to do this on your first entry into Europe after the scheme starts. The EES scheme is not live yet - the latest information can be found at https://travel-europe.europa.eu/ees_en. We recommend keeping yourself updated on the planned commencement date and, once live, ensure you are familiar with the process. For those travelling via Eurostar, there is a dual British and French/Belgian border in operational at St Pancras International. Therefore the EES system will be in place at the station, you will not need to be checked again on arrival at the other side. For further information please visit the ABTA website here. Please note: Irish passport holders or British Passport holders with an EU residency are currently excluded.

European Travel Information & Authorisation System (ETIAS)

Following the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, changes have been planned which affect the eligibility of citizens of the United Kingdom to have visa free travel to the EU. ETIAS travel authorisation is a new entry requirement for visa-exempt nationals travelling to any of the European Union and Schengen counties. The ETIAS system is not live yet - the latest information can be found at www.etias.com. We recommend keeping yourself updated on the planned commencement date and, once live (and if applicable to you), apply for your ETIAS in good time prior to travel. Newmarket Holidays will not be able to undertake ETIAS applications on your behalf, so have instead instructed the services of the Travel Visa Company to provide help, should you need it. You can find more information about this service here. Please note: ETIAS will not be required for UK citizens travelling on our UK and Ireland tours.

Terms and conditions

Offer Terms & Conditions Save 10% offer applies to select Festive & Christmas Market Breaks. Discount is only valid on new bookings made between the 2nd March 2026 and the 31st March 2026 inclusive, and cannot be applied retrospectively to bookings already confirmed. This offer does not apply to holidays with late availability pricing and excludes other tours. Maximum 10% discount applies to a selection of Festive & Christmas Market Breaks and is not valid on Premier Collection, River Cruise, André Rieu events, Edinburgh Tattoo or Wimbledon. This offer does not apply to child pricing & cannot be combined or used in conjunction with any other discount, promotion or concession. When booking a holiday as described above, price shown will automatically have the discount applied. The discount applies to the original tour price (excluding any discount already applied, extras and holiday insurance) at the time of booking. This offer is subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time. Newmarket Holidays reserves the right to change, cancel or amend any tour. Holidays booked with Newmarket Holidays are financially protected in accordance with ABTA, ATOL & ABTOT regulations. Newmarket Holidays Limited is a company registered in England & Wales. Registered number: 02238316. Back to top