Christmas market in Riga: hours, food and souvenirs
The Riga Christmas market is located in the Old Town, on Dome Square.
The 2025/26 season ran from November 28, 2025 to January 4, 2026 (as of 09/2026, organizer's schedule). The new season opens on the same pattern: late November and the first days of January. Admission is free, no tickets needed.
An hour and a half is enough for the market, and a couple of hours for the Old Town. Below: opening hours, food and drinks, souvenirs, the route from the airport, and the cathedral a stone's throw from the Christmas tree.
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What happens on Dome Square
💡 In short:
- The market is set up around a large Christmas tree on Dome Square, admission is free.
- The season runs from late November to the first days of January (as of 09/2026, season calendar).
- What to try: mulled wine, apple punch, and roasted almonds.
- Opening hours: Mon-Thu 11:00-21:00, Fri 11:00-22:00, Sat 10:00-22:00, Sun 10:00-20:00 (as of 09/2026, official market website).
Wooden stalls stand in a ring around the Christmas tree, with both Riga residents and tourists walking among them. The smell of mulled wine and cookies hangs over the square from late November, even before the first frost. The 2025/26 season was a milestone for the market, its 25th (as of 09/2026, City of Riga).
According to the organizers, last season the market welcomed visitors from more than 50 countries (as of 09/2026, official market website). There is one location: Dome Square in the Old Town, between Riga Cathedral and the old facades. During the day it is quiet here; in the evening the lights come on and the square fills up.
Drinks are served in reusable cups. When you buy one, you pay a small deposit; you can swap the cup for a clean one, and at the end return it at a return point and get your money back (as of 09/2026, market rules).
Opening hours, admission, and address
The hours are the same for the whole market. They change only on holidays.
Day | Opening hours |
|---|---|
Monday-Thursday | 11:00-21:00 |
Friday | 11:00-22:00 |
Saturday | 10:00-22:00 |
Sunday | 10:00-20:00 |
December 24 and 25 | 10:00-20:00 |
December 26 | 10:00-22:00 |
December 31 | 10:00-02:00 |
January 1 | 12:00-20:00 |
The schedule is taken from the organizer's website for the 2025/26 season (as of 09/2026, hours page). Address: Dome Square (Doma laukums), LV-1050, Riga. Admission is free, no tickets are sold, and the hours and address were verified on 12.09.2026 on the market's official website.
In practice this means you only pay for food and souvenirs. If you want to browse the stalls without crowds, come on a weekday before 6:00 PM, when there are almost no people around the huts. On weekend evenings it does not get any less busy.
What they sell at the market
Most of the stalls feature handmade goods: wooden toys, amber jewelry, knitted hats and socks with Latvian patterns. The artisans themselves stand behind the stalls, so you can ask what an item is made of and where it came from.
Homemade jam is a story of its own. Among the jars you will find unusual varieties made from northern berries that you will not find in a supermarket. The jars are glass and heavy, so it is better not to put them in your carry-on: check your airline's liquid rules or pack the souvenir in checked luggage.
Worth buying: amber earrings or a brooch, a knitted scarf, a wooden toy for a child. These are compact gifts that will not take up half your suitcase. Prices are in the mid-range for Latvian fairs, and cash comes in handy at smaller stalls.
What to eat and drink
Hot food at the market means thick soups and stews. For drinks there is mulled wine and apple punch, and the sweets are gingerbread and cookies. The menu is short, and choosing takes a minute: you grab a plate, stand at a high table or take it over to the Christmas tree.
- The catch: you will not get a full dinner here, the selection is limited to soups and snacks.
On weekends a field kitchen operates on the square, with hot food cooked right over an open fire. The smell of gingerbread lingers all day, and it is hard to walk past the cookie stall.
Roasted almonds
The most unexpected stall is the roasted almonds. They are not made with the usual sweet recipe but with onion, garlic and oil, so the flavor is more savory. The almonds are roasted in a large pan and you can try them fresh, straight from the fire.
© karel291 · CC BYPhoto: karel291, CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), Wikimedia CommonsGet a bag if you like bold, savory flavors. Try before you buy: this stall offers free samples, and you will immediately know whether the taste works for you.
- The catch: the garlic smell stays on your jacket and gloves until the next day.
Stage, dancing and what to do with kids
In the evenings Latvian folk music plays on the square. Couples dance right on the cobblestones, and it is the best free attraction at the market.
There are several areas for children: a Santa Claus house with visiting hours, a carousel, pony rides and a gingerbread workshop where cookies are decorated with icing (as of 09/2026, holiday program). Nearby there is a pen with sheep that you can approach. If you are visiting with a child, plan the market for the first half of the day: by evening it is mostly adults.
On December 31 the market is open until 2:00 AM, with DJs and the band Focus 5 performing on stage (as of 01/2026, market news). If you are celebrating New Year's in Riga, this is an option with no tickets and no dress code.
What to see nearby: Riga Cathedral
Riga Cathedral stands right on the square, between the stalls and the Christmas tree. Admission is paid, children under 10 enter free.
© Chris06 · CC BY-SAPhoto: Chris06, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), Wikimedia CommonsSite | Admission | Hours |
|---|---|---|
Riga Cathedral | 5 €, children 11-18 3 € | Mon-Sat 10:00 AM-5:00 PM, Sun 2:00 PM-5:00 PM |
As of 09/2026, cathedral's official website. After the market it makes sense to walk through the Old Town: it is compact, and you can cover the main streets in a couple of hours. For guided tours of Riga, see GetYourGuide, which offers evening walks through the Old Town.
Tours and tickets in Riga
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Where to stay and how to get from the airport
Bus 22 runs from Riga Airport to the city center in about 40 minutes (as of 09/2026, Riga Airport). The stop is in parking lot P1, between exits E and C. A ticket from the driver costs €1.81, card payment only (as of 09/2026, Rīgas satiksme). At night, the same route runs once an hour as N22, and tickets must be bought in advance.
Choose a hotel in the Old Town or near the Central Market. From there you can walk to Dome Square, no taxi or transfers needed. Hotels in central Riga on Trip.com can be filtered by dates, price, and breakfast.
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⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions
When does the Christmas market in Riga open?
The 2025/26 season market ran from November 28, 2025 to January 4, 2026 (as of 09/2026, organizer's page). The organizers publish the exact start date of the new season on their website. If you want fewer crowds, plan your trip for the first half of December.
How much does market entry cost?
Entry is free, no tickets needed. You only pay for food, drinks, and souvenirs. One detail: you pay a deposit for a mulled wine cup, and the money is returned when you bring the cup to a return point. Cash comes in handy at small stalls selling jam and gingerbread.
How does the market operate on December 24 and 31?
On December 24 and 25 the market is open from 10:00 to 20:00, on December 26 until 22:00. On December 31 the stalls run from 10:00 to 02:00 at night, and on January 1 they open at 12:00 and close at 20:00 (as of 09/2026, market schedule). So you won't miss the holiday days.
What should you try at the market first?
Get a bowl of hearty soup, a cup of mulled wine or apple punch, and a bag of roasted almonds. Buy gingerbread and cookies to take home: they travel well in a suitcase.
How do you get from the airport to Dome Square?
Bus 22 runs from Riga airport to the center in about 40 minutes (as of 09/2026, airport transport). From there the square is nearby, you walk through the Old Town.
What is there to do with kids at the market?
For kids there's a Santa Claus house, a carousel, and a gingerbread workshop (as of 09/2026, children's program). Come during the day: in the evening the square has more adults, and the carousel lines are longer.
In short: what's worth booking
The market itself requires no preparation: you show up, walk around, eat. What requires preparation is accommodation and travel. A hotel in the Old Town saves you taxi rides: you can walk from your door to the Christmas tree in a few minutes. If you're going for 2-3 days, one guided walk through the Old Town is enough, the market and the cathedral cover the rest on their own.
You can book an Old Town tour on GetYourGuide in advance, and choose accommodation after you compare hotel prices in the center.
A small editorial team writing guides for independent travel. We travel ourselves, but we haven’t been everywhere, so we check prices, opening hours and how to get there against official sources.