Riga City Tour
Riga City Tour
3.5
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3.5
138 reviews
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42
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37
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15
idealisk
Orkelljunga, Sweden242 contributions
Jul 2014 • Couples
We took the city tour and it was ok, even if it wasn't what we expected. They advertise that there are three different tours included in the price, but it's the same tour. The bus goes through three parts of Riga. One good thing is that the ticket is valid for two days, so the first day we took the whole tour and decided where to get off. We bought the ticket from our hotel and the price is 15 Euros for an adult. You can listen to a guide in earphones in ten different languages. That is good.
Written July 26, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew
York, UK210 contributions
We did this tour to get our bearings in the city. First point, be aware the 'hourly' tour only runs two hours out of three in winter. Check the times on the sign in the town hall Square before you base your plans around it (as we did ' grrr!)
Secondly, Riga isn't really big enough to justify this. You can walk to the furthest point of interest inside half an hour with no issues, so whilst the tour is a nice idea, it's a bit of a waste of money.
It's also worth saying that the English recording is pretty poor. The geordie actor they used has gone to no effort to try and correct the poor Latvian to English translation he was clearly presented with, and at a couple of points simply stopped talking when he had messed up his lines. I'm quite surprised he doesn't just say "oh sod it" at these points, as that's clearly what he's thinking.
Credit to the tour organisers for trying to put a 90 minute tour together, but I think it's fair to say there just isn't that much to say about Riga.
Secondly, Riga isn't really big enough to justify this. You can walk to the furthest point of interest inside half an hour with no issues, so whilst the tour is a nice idea, it's a bit of a waste of money.
It's also worth saying that the English recording is pretty poor. The geordie actor they used has gone to no effort to try and correct the poor Latvian to English translation he was clearly presented with, and at a couple of points simply stopped talking when he had messed up his lines. I'm quite surprised he doesn't just say "oh sod it" at these points, as that's clearly what he's thinking.
Credit to the tour organisers for trying to put a 90 minute tour together, but I think it's fair to say there just isn't that much to say about Riga.
Written February 15, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Denise S
Pleasanton, CA3 contributions
Oct 2013
I was hesitant to take this tour given the poor review. However, I have been on several other red bus tours in Europe so I figured I'd give it a chance. The cost is 10 Lats or $20 US for a 48 hour pass. The headset worked fine although the languages were on different channels from what is labeled. At one point the tour info was that it is hot in summer and cold in winter which amused me -- not a lot of info here. The sights are minimal. On a cold day it was a way to keep warm but still get out & do something. I did learn on the bus tour recorded info that there is a cafe on the 9th floor above the train station with a good view. This cafe is not well advertised & the elevator is hidden on the ground floor. It was a good piece of info I may not have otherwise heard. The bus times are not as regimented here as in other cities. It was advertised 3 different times in 3 web sites,10:15, 10:20, & 10:30 for the bus stop in front of the cathedral (katedrale) near the sky scraper Radisson Blu. It was there at 10:20 and did wait there a bit as I got on at 10:26. The bus stops close to the end of the street by the Radisson. I rode for an hour and made a plan to get off the bus at Stockmann (dept store) the next time around. Found a huge outdoor market behind the store. Note, the bus stops at the first/last point & you get off the bus & change to another. Also, not a big deal unless you have asthma, be prepared for a significant diesel/ exhaust smell on the bus for parts of the tour. The driver was friendly, the view from the second level is good. Overall, it was a fair value and a good day.
Written October 22, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Quine183
Aberdeenshire18 contributions
Sep 2023 • Friends
Awful tour - this tour bus is mimicking the larger actual hop on hop off buses. It is a 1 hour tour, the bus only goes if there are new paying customers so it is not a repeat hop on or hop off tour, it does not stop at any points around the city. Driver was rude when we questioned it. Feel totally scammed. DO NOT USE!!
Written September 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cassle
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Couples
The tour was so bad that it was comical. The audio commentary was barely understandable - the guide had a very rudimentary grasp of the English language; the commentary was not synchronized so you were never sure what building exactly they were pointing out - sometimes we would have passed a landmark when the audio attempted to explain it; the ride was so bumpy that it felt like we were on a ride at an amusement park; the driver got mad when we tried asked him a question - I think he was mad bc we were speaking english... The best part about it was that we were cracking up laughing the whole time because it was so amateurish that it felt like we were being video taped for a punked show or a tik tok.
Written July 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wander43120344158
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Family
I wanted to take green small bus. But the driver was so rude that I didint go. Ryga, seriuos, you have such an awfull drivers? Hi didint answer my questions what Time the bus is going HE was rude and dont speak english. How can a driver for tourists dont talk in english.? When I asked what Time the bus is going HE told me: are you seriuos with these questions? Really? How can work here those drivers?
Written July 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marion G
Andover, UK20 contributions
May 2016 • Couples
We were offered the red bus tour from our hotel. Did the whole circuit the first day which lasted one hour and did help us to become orientated. Waited for a bus at one of the stops at 2pm which never arrived. Went back to the starting point at 3pm to be told the service was ended for the day. The yellow bus was still operating!
Written May 14, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
StijnBrussels
Brussels2 contributions
May 2013 • Couples
We tried the Red Bus city tour first thing in the morning. We were however quickly dissapointed.
The explanation we got through the headset always came too late, which makes you never be able to hop off, since the bus just passes all stops.
Then, the French and English soundtrack cut off in the middle of the tour.
Actually this is a waste of money. Since the city is not that big, it is better to do everything on foot.
The explanation we got through the headset always came too late, which makes you never be able to hop off, since the bus just passes all stops.
Then, the French and English soundtrack cut off in the middle of the tour.
Actually this is a waste of money. Since the city is not that big, it is better to do everything on foot.
Written May 20, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
nick164
Sydney, Australia2,379 contributions
Jul 2018
I opted for Riga City Tour as the buses looked newer. Alas the company has clearly had them repainted but done little else. The ride was bumpy, and audio guide system past its best. They did not take card - only cash - onboard. Cost €20. They only run every 30-60 mins so I wouldn’t recommend hopping on & off too much.
Their information leaflet highlights a red, orange and blue line however in reality it’s one bus that does a 75 min loop that takes in all three lines and many of the main sights (but notably excludes the Motor Museum and TV Tower, which as they are isolated it would be good to have include).
Commentary was a bit weird (some of the grammar and pronunciations were off yet he spoke in a North of England accent, there was some repetition, the background music was monotonous). However they had tried to inject a bit of humour and also some interesting facts & history. Impressively the sync between commentary and your location was spot on. I enjoyed the Orange sector stops the most, given it was the part of town I hadn’t already explored on foot.
Note - There are three main hop-on/hop-off operators in Riga. There’s this one (listed as Riga City Tour), as well as Riga Sightseeing and Red Bus Hop on - Hop off (the later two indicate on their flyer you can use on either’s bus lines). Whilst this one is separate I was bizarrely given “Red Bus” headphones by the driver of Riga City Tour, which seemed to be the unrelated one.
Their information leaflet highlights a red, orange and blue line however in reality it’s one bus that does a 75 min loop that takes in all three lines and many of the main sights (but notably excludes the Motor Museum and TV Tower, which as they are isolated it would be good to have include).
Commentary was a bit weird (some of the grammar and pronunciations were off yet he spoke in a North of England accent, there was some repetition, the background music was monotonous). However they had tried to inject a bit of humour and also some interesting facts & history. Impressively the sync between commentary and your location was spot on. I enjoyed the Orange sector stops the most, given it was the part of town I hadn’t already explored on foot.
Note - There are three main hop-on/hop-off operators in Riga. There’s this one (listed as Riga City Tour), as well as Riga Sightseeing and Red Bus Hop on - Hop off (the later two indicate on their flyer you can use on either’s bus lines). Whilst this one is separate I was bizarrely given “Red Bus” headphones by the driver of Riga City Tour, which seemed to be the unrelated one.
Written July 29, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SJerni
Denver, CO34 contributions
Nov 2016 • Friends
I've generally been a big fan of City Tours, but this one is a complete scam. First, the bus never showed up at any of the given times (even after waiting 30 minutes and calling the company who told us the bus was on its way). Then, trying to find the bus locations was nearly impossible, as the signage does not exist at multiple stops. Finally, the times on the hotel brochures do not match the times on the limited signs. Since we never were able to get on a bus, we called the company regarding a refund, which was not given. Long story short, don't waste your time or money on this company.
Written November 24, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Based on our experience during the Riga City Tour we decided not to get off the bus at any of the stops. There were upset ticket holders standing at more than one of the stops who voiced they had been waiting too long.
Written November 1, 2017
Здравствуйте! Меня интересует экскурсия по Даугаве на закате. Я нашла информацию, что она начинается в 20-00 и длится 2,5 часа. Можно узнать об этой экскурсии поподробнее. Есть ли на ней экскурсионное обслуживание?
Время начала экскурсии в сентябре не меняется? Ведь солнце садится раньше, чем летом.
Written August 18, 2016
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