Riga's Most Fascinating Museums
Riga, the colorful capital of Latvia, offers all sorts of interesting activities, both indoors and out. Take a look at the top five museums you must see when in this burgeoning city.
Art Nouveau Museum
This stunningly beautiful museum is a true gem for all art and design enthusiasts. The museum is actually an apartment, richly decorated in Art Nouveau styles, from its furniture to the paintings to the cutlery and other bits and bobs. It even includes live human exhibits who walk around or sip tea from little porcelain cups, dressed in clothes that were typical of the Art Nouveau and Jugendstill eras. The apartment once belonged to an architect and his family, who lived there in the first decades of the 1900s. One of the most impressive exhibits in the museum is a gorgeous spiral staircase that leads to the artist’s garret on the top floor.
Art Nouveau Museum, Alberta iela 12, Riga, Latvia, +371 67 181 464
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
Building, Memorial, Museum
One piece at the World of Hat Museum | Courtesy of the World of Hat Museum
World of Hat Museum
Museum
Sun Museum
Riga’s Sun Museum is quite odd and quirky but that also makes it a really fun place to visit and a good travel memory, too. The name is pretty self-explanatory: the museum provides detailed information about the sun and astronomy in general, with various interactive activities to boot, including painting your own little sun. Though the museum is quite small, it has four different sections: an interactive painting area, an astronomical information room, a section telling visitors about the culture of the sun and its worship and a final section displaying artwork depicting the sun. In short, this one is a lot of fun, especially for families with small kids.
Sun Museum, Valnu iela 30, Riga, Latvia, +371 67 225 587
Latvian Ethnographic Open Air Museum
Museum