What's a good 3-day itinerary for Riga?

Day 1 stays inside Vecrīga, the medieval core on the Daugava's east bank. Start at Riga Cathedral at 8:30am. The building dates to 1201, and the organ inside has 6,718 pipes. You'll hear it during the noon recital if you circle back later. From the cathedral, walk 400 metres south to St. Peter's Church. The lift to the 72-metre viewing platform costs €9 and opens at 10am. Morning light hits the rooftops from the east at a low angle, so 10am beats afternoon for photos. Lunch at Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs on Peldu iela by 1pm. Order the grey peas with smoked bacon, about €8. The portion tastes like a Latvian winter condensed into one bowl, all salt and smoke and starchy warmth. Spend the afternoon at the Museum of the Occupation on Rātslaukums. The permanent exhibition covers 1940 to 1991 and opened in 1993. Allow 90 minutes. Walk to the Freedom Monument on Brīvības bulvāris by 4pm. The 42-metre granite column went up in 1935. End the day at Black Magic Bar on Kaļķu iela for Rīgas Melnais Balzams, the herbal liqueur produced here since 1752. It smells like pine resin and burnt caramel.

Day 2 splits between the Art Nouveau district and Riga Central Market. Walk north from the Old Town to Alberta iela by 9:30am. This street holds the highest concentration of Jugendstil facades in Europe. Numbers 2a, 4, 6, 8, and 13 are the ones to photograph. The Riga Art Nouveau Museum at number 12 opens at 10am, entry €9. After an hour of plaster sphinxes and screaming demon faces, walk south on Elizabetes iela to the Nativity Cathedral. The Russian Orthodox interior glows with gold leaf and candlelight even at midday. By noon, head to Riga Central Market on Nēģu iela. The five pavilions are former Zeppelin hangars, each 240 metres long. The fish pavilion sells smoked lamprey in season and hot-smoked mackerel year-round. Buy a jar of birch sap from the dairy pavilion. Lunch at one of the canteen stalls inside: pork ribs with sauerkraut, under €7. Afternoon at the Latvian National Museum of Art on Jaņa Valdemāra iela, reopened in 2016 after a full restoration. The Rozentāls collection on the third floor is the highlight. Dinner on Kaļķu iela.

Day 3 crosses the Daugava. Take tram 5 from Grēcinieku iela to Āgenskalns Market on the west bank, a wooden market hall from 1911 that reopened in 2022 after renovation. The vendors sell Latvian honey, rye bread baked that morning, and smoked cheese. From there, walk south along Kalnciema iela to the Kalnciema Quarter, a row of restored wooden houses hosting a weekend flea market and craft stalls. If it is a weekday the quarter is quiet but the architecture alone justifies the detour. After lunch, take tram 11 north to Mežaparks. The neighbourhood sits on the shore of Lake Ķīšezers and has a 200-hectare forest park with gravel paths under Scots pines. Riga Zoo is adjacent if you want a slower afternoon. The tram back to the centre takes 25 minutes. For the final dinner, book Vincents on Elizabetes iela. The tasting menu runs about €85 and features Latvian ingredients prepared with French technique. Total walking across all three days comes to roughly 22 kilometres, with four or five tram rides filling the gaps. Budget around €60 to €80 per day not counting accommodation.