Whilst Riga airport is modern, convenient, well-signposted, and all the rest of it, it is a boring place.
We were bored, and some friends were forced to spend 4 hours there with small children last week, and it nearly drove them up the wall.
The best thing to do would be to arrive as ... Read review
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Advantages: Modern and convenient Disadvantages: Boring
Whilst Riga airport is modern, convenient, well-signposted, and all the rest of it, it is a boring place.
We were bored, and some friends were forced to spend 4 hours there with small children last week, and it nearly drove them up the wall.
The best thing to do would be to arrive as late as possible so you don't have to spend too much time here. The few shops are pricey - the tourist things for example cost a lot more ... ...that had some old Soviet era souvenirs - caps, badges, cigarette cases etc. But really, once you've had a quick look round everything you need to have a good book to pass the time.
There was a cafe, but it was pricey by local standards. And as the airport has few flights, there weren't many people there to watch.
The airport is about 8km out of the city centre. We had a lot of luggage and so got a taxi. We must have ... more
Whilst Riga airport is modern, convenient, well-signposted, and all the rest of it, it is a boring place.
We were bored, and some friends were forced to spend 4 hours there with small children last week, and it nearly drove them up the wall.
The best thing to do would be to arrive as late as possible so you don't have to spend too much time here. The few shops are pricey - the tourist things for example cost a lot more than in the city. There was a mildly interesting shop that had some old Soviet era souvenirs - caps, badges, cigarette cases etc. But really, once you've had a quick look round everything you need to have a good book to pass the time.
There was a cafe, but it was pricey by local standards. And as the airport has few flights, there weren't many people there to watch.
The airport is about 8km out of the city centre. We had a lot of luggage and so got a taxi. We must have got some sort of pricey one as it cost GBP11. If we'd have got the bus it would have been 20p each!
The main airline here is AirBaltic, Latvia's national airline. But we flew direct from here to Stansted - about a 2 and a half hour flight. It was cheap but you don't get any food or drink - not even water, so you have to go prepared. You can buy stuff onboard tho, if you pay a large price.
Well, maybe it's not fair of me to criticise. I've been used to big airports where there are things to do, big bookshops to look at., etc. Latvia is a small country - it cannot manage such things. After all, everyone was efficient, nothing went wrong, and my departing flight was on time. Maybe I need to search within myself for cures for boredom, not expect stimulus from outside. Or am I being too philosophical.......?
Advantages: Close to city centre; Very clean and efficient Disadvantages: None at all
The airport has recently been completely renovated and is now as modern and efficient as any airport in the world (and far better than most!).
The airport staff are without exception helpful, efficient and pleasant, and both arriving and departing are enjoyable experience.
Even immigration control, which used to be very bureaucratic, is now quick and efficient, and staffed by people with a smile on their face!
There are several duty free shops ...
johnmoffat 29.08.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Riga Airport (RIX), Latvia
