Arrival brief · Riga RIX
RIX Arrival Guide: Riga Airport to the City, Without the Traps
Riga Airport is close to the centre and the honest options are cheap — the bus and Bolt. The only way to overpay on arrival is an airport-rank taxi. (The real Riga caution is the nightlife, once you're in town.)
2026-08-26
What to expect after landing
Riga Airport (RIX) is a modern airport close to the centre, and arrival is quick and relaxed with minimal tout pressure. The honest options are cheap: the bus 22 and Bolt. The only way to overpay on arrival is an airport-rank taxi. The real Riga caution is the nightlife, once you’re in town — see the city brief.
Latvia uses the euro; use a bank ATM (choose euros) if you need cash, skipping the airport exchange and Euronet machines.
Option 1 — Bus 22 or Bolt (cheapest)
The city bus 22 runs from the airport into the centre for a low fare (ticket from the machine/driver), and Bolt fixes the fare in-app and is cheap for the door. Either avoids the airport-rank overcharge, and the trip is short since the airport is close in.
Option 2 — Marked metered taxi
If you taxi, use a marked metered taxi with a visible rate card and the meter running — not an unbooked airport-rank cab that overcharges. Agree the fare or confirm the meter first.
What it looks like
At RIX the only arrival tell is the airport-rank taxi with an inflated ‘tourist’ fare — Latvian taxis are much cheaper app-hailed. Bolt or the bus 22 fixes the ride; a bank-ATM euro withdrawal fixes the money. Save your real caution for the city itself: Riga’s Old Town nightlife is the actual trap (clip-joint bills and ‘come for a drink’ invites).
Do this instead
Take Bolt or the city bus 22 into the centre — never an unbooked airport-rank taxi with a vague fare. Withdraw euros from a bank ATM (not Euronet) and pay in euros. That’s the whole RIX arrival — and remember the nightlife rule for town: pick your own bars, never follow a tout or stranger to a venue.
Late-night arrivals
The bus 22 and Bolt operate into the evening (check late bus times), so for a late landing Bolt is simplest — cheap, fixed-price, and the ride into the close-in centre is short. Match your Bolt car to the app, or use a marked metered taxi. Riga is safe at night centrally; use Bolt or a marked cab, not an unbooked rank taxi, and draw euros from a bank ATM if needed.
Quick answers
What's the best way from Riga airport to the city centre?
Riga Airport (RIX) is close to the centre, so it's quick and cheap. The city bus 22 runs from the airport into the centre for a low fare (buy a ticket from the machine or driver), and Bolt operates and is cheap and fixed-price for door-to-door. If you take a taxi, use a clearly-marked metered one with a visible rate card, not an airport-rank cab that overcharges tourists. Bolt or the bus is the simplest, cheapest way in. Latvia uses the euro, and the ride into town is short. Don't accept a driver who solicits you with a vague fare.
How do I avoid taxi overcharging at Riga airport?
Use Bolt — it fixes the fare in-app and is cheap — or the city bus 22 into the centre. The main issue at RIX is airport-rank and unbooked taxis overcharging tourists, sometimes heavily, so avoid grabbing a cab from the rank without agreeing the fare; Latvian taxis are much cheaper app-hailed. If you must take a street taxi, use a marked one with a visible rate card and a running meter. Know the rough going rate, carry some euros, and don't accept an inflated or vague fare. The app is the easiest way to sidestep the taxi issue entirely.
Should I change money at Riga airport?
No — airport exchange rates are poor, and Latvia uses the euro, so if your home currency is the euro you don't need to change anything. Otherwise withdraw euros from a bank-branded ATM (avoid the private Euronet-style machines that push a poor 'dynamic currency conversion' rate), declining any offer to charge you in your home currency. Cards are widely accepted, so you may barely need cash — just always choose to pay or be charged in euros. Note the bigger money risk in Riga isn't exchange, it's the Old Town nightlife clip-joint bill, so save your caution for the bars (see the Riga city brief).
What if I land at Riga airport late at night?
The bus 22 and Bolt operate into the evening (check late bus times), so for a late arrival Bolt is simplest — cheap and fixed-price — and the ride into the close-in centre is short. Match your Bolt car to the app, or use a marked metered taxi. Riga is safe at night in the central areas; just use Bolt or a marked cab rather than an unbooked airport-rank taxi, and draw euros from a bank ATM if needed. Save your street-smarts for the Old Town nightlife rather than the airport.