Discover a different Riga in its creative quarters

Latvia. Travel | 2014.07.15

Beyond Riga’s Old Town and Art Nouveau district lies the Spīķeri Contemporary Art Center, the Kalnciema Street Quarter, as well as the hipster paradise – Miera Street Republic.

Full of unpretentious cafes and quaint shops selling used items, Miera Street is Riga’s unofficial hipster area and a great place to befriend the locals. With its old cobbled road, Miera Street is a place where various "artsy" projects are located – galleries, clubs, creative workshops, shops selling works from local artists and craftsmen, cafés where various book readings and other similar events take place, and even a hair stylists’ saloon.

Meanwhile, next to the Riga Central Market is the Spīķeri District, where the beautiful old warehouses of the district have been transformed into a contemporary art quarter. The 150-year-old brick buildings have been beautifully restored and given a new lease of life, and the quarter features everything from art galleries, cafes, a theater and a cinema, and even the concert hall of the chamber orchestra "Sinfonietta Riga". The quarter also holds the Riga Jewish Ghetto Museum. The Spīķeri Quarter also hosts many different festivals throughout the year, as well as contemporary music and art events.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the Daugava River is the Kalnciema Street Quarter, which is an ensemble of beautifully restored wooden buildings from the 18th/19th centuries. The quarter regularly organizes arts and crafts fairs, and even free concerts every Thursday in the summer months, cinema nights on Fridays and various other cultural events throughout the year.

Find out more about creative districts in Riga:
Spikeri District
Kalnciema Quarter