In Latvia, as in many others European countries, quite strict parking rules. Tourists should familiarize themselves with them in advance before renting a car or traveling around Riga with their own transport.
Parking Features
First of all, you need to know:
- Where are the parking lots?
- How do they work?
- Is there a parking fee?
For example, in residential areas of the city, parking is almost always free, but the closer to the center, the higher the cost. It is noteworthy that you can pay for parking in two simple ways: using SMS or through a payment terminal that is installed in front of the parking lot. The payment is transferred to the municipal enterprise Rigas Satiksme.
Basic Rules
By leaving a vehicle in the wrong place for several minutes, the driver risks receiving a fine. And it doesn’t matter exactly how long the car, scooter, motorcycle or any other vehicle has been standing. Parking areas are marked with a “P” sign, under which there is usually information about the parking hours.
All parking lots are divided into certain zones. It depends on them what the cost of parking will be for a given period of time. If you need to leave your car in guarded parking lots (EuroPark), which are usually located near business centers and offices of various sizes, then you will have to pay a little more than for street parking. However, this is beneficial in cases where the transport will have to stand for a long time (for example, 10-11 hours).
Under each parking sign there is an additional sign that indicates exactly how you can park your car. For example, driving completely to the side of the road or standing on it with only one side.
Local residents almost always strictly observe these rules, since the fines for violations are too high.
Parking hours
Most often, the signs indicate exactly how long the parking lot is open. Almost all municipal (street) parking lots are open in weekdays from 8 am to 8 pm local time. On Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm.
It is noteworthy that during the rest of the time, which is not indicated on the signs, you can use the municipal parking lot for free. In shopping centers there are parking spaces that are available for a certain fee, not much different from the street fee. But this applies only to those shopping centers that are located in the center of Riga. If the complex is located in a residential area or in the suburbs, then parking is usually free, regardless of the time of day.
Find out where shopping centers are located in Riga.
Private car parks
In Riga there is such a thing as private parking lots. They work on the same principle as municipal ones. However, upon entry you will have to pay for them immediately, having determined the time. There are several payment methods:
- Terminal.
- Payment to the guard (if the parking lot is guarded).
- Through the terminal at the barrier, if the parking lot is equipped with them.
The opening hours of a specific private parking lot are indicated upon entry.
Sanctions for non-payment
In Riga, the practice of evacuating cars of violators is not very common. However, there are still penalties. A blocker is attached to the rear or front wheel of the car, which prevents the vehicle from moving. It is impossible to remove it yourself.
In this case, the penalty is a double or triple parking fee.
Even if a traffic blocker was not installed on the vehicle, and the fine was issued by the police, it will not be possible to leave the country without paying the stated amount. Latvian border guards are monitoring this situation quite strictly.
Parking cost
In Riga, all parking spaces are divided into 5 zones: A, B, C, D and R. The latter refers to Old Riga, where the cost is always higher than in any other area of the city. The rest are defined as follows:
- A – the most expensive municipal one.
- D – the most budgetary.
All prices are charged in euros, since Latvia switched to this currency, recognizing it as national. Parking cost:
- In zone A it will cost 2 euros for the first hour, and 3 euros for each subsequent hour.
- In zone B – 1.5 euros for the first hour, 2.3 euros for subsequent hours.
- C – 1.2 euros for the first hour, 1.8 euros – every next hour.
- D – 0.9 euros for the first hour, 1.2 euros for the next hour.
That is why it is considered profitable to leave your car for a long time in the parking lots of business centers, where parking for several hours will cost 3 euros (for example, from 8 am to 8 pm).
Old Riga
You can enter Old Riga by car for free, but getting around will be quite difficult:
- Firstly, the streets are too narrow for two cars to pass each other easily.
- Secondly, many driveways and alleys are one-way, which also causes some difficulties when moving.
- Thirdly, Old Riga is a favorite place for many tourists from all over the world who walk around the city in large groups.
Parking in this part of the city is the most expensive: 4.5 euros for the first hour and 7.5 euros for each subsequent hour.
Free parking
Despite the fact that parking in the city center is almost always paid, there is a chance to save money. Near the center, not far from Old Riga, on the right side of the Daugava River, there is a free parking lot for vehicles. It is almost always packed with cars. You can only get there early in the morning, while working Latvians are just getting ready to leave home.
On the left side of the river there are quite a lot of free parking lots, although their sizes are not too large. The underground parking lot at the Olympia shopping center stands out, as it can accommodate many cars, and there are almost always free spaces.
When planning to visit Riga by car, you should prepare the nth amount in advance to pay for parking. Of course, there are free parking lots, but you can’t always be sure that you will get a space there. Street parking lots are almost always safe, as are guarded parking lots at business centers and offices. The level of car crime in the city is negligible, so you can leave your vehicle in any of the parking lots and calmly go about your business in public transport or on foot.
Find out all the information about traveling to Riga from Moscow by car. Read. You can also get to the capital of Latvia by, or.
Last modified 09/24/2018
Looking ahead, I want to say that I really liked Riga (). There is a desire to come back here again and take a leisurely stroll through the Old Town, and when you get tired, sit in a nice cafe, watching the measured life of Latvians. My only regret is that we didn’t have enough time to go to Jurmala. Well, as they say, there is a reason to come back and later supplement the article with impressions about resort town Latvia.
Let's start as usual with parking. If you travel by car, then this information will come in handy. Riga is full of paid parking lots.
The airport is 3 minutes by car. You need to write a letter in advance and reserve a place. They take you to the airport in a minivan and meet you from the airport.
The parking lot is located in a closed area with video cameras. As I understand it, the owners live there, i.e. they have landscaped their own site and rent out parking spaces.
Cost per day 2.5 euros.
Parking address: Kantora iela 124, Mārupe, Mārupes novads, LV-2167, Latvia
I'm happy with the parking lot and will use it if necessary.
(Visited 9,742 times, 1 visits today)
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In connection with the transition to the Euro, some of the machines for paying for municipal parking were converted to payment by credit card. Everything would be fine, but how can we not remember the classic - we wanted the best, it turned out as always.
The site's editors had to learn from their own experience that the payment procedure is very non-trivial and at some points even complicated.
How to pay for parking in Riga with a credit card?
The file attached at the end of the article describes the payment process, and we strongly recommend downloading and printing it (or taking it with you on your phone - PDF format)
We present the algorithm for paying for parking in Riga step by step, indicating the key features:
1. Insert the card into slot “1” in the diagram. Visa, Maestro, MasterCard are accepted.
2. On terminal “2” an invitation to select a language appears. To select the Russian language, you need to press the number “2” (“1” - Latvian, “3” - English).
3. The language is selected, now we dial the PIN code. So far everything is clear and even logical.
4. The Pin code has been entered, it will take some time to connect to the server, wait patiently.
5. Information about the approval of the transaction appears on the screen of the remote control “2”.
ATTENTION - remove the card from the slot.
6. Now all attention is on remote control "3" with display. Please note that despite the fact that Russian is selected, all information on display “3” is presented in Latvian. We are interested in the word “LAIKS” - “Time” - next to it it is shown until what time the parking payment has been selected.
ATTENTION - the buttons on the remote control “3” are touch sensitive, completely uninformative, you can only understand whether the operation was triggered by the display located above the buttons (the buttons beep quietly when triggered, but if there is busy traffic nearby, you may not hear the signal) that’s just it usability, that is, the convenience of presenting information, is below any criticism. (Who could explain why it was impossible to carry out all the manipulations through the remote control "2"?? All the necessary buttons are there, as is the display, and the buttons on it are much more convenient..).
We try to operate only with the right button (in the top row with the triangle) - it adds several minutes of parking for each press. We look carefully at the display of the remote control “3” - we are interested in the time (remember, indicated by the word LAKS) until which we paid for parking.
After paying for the required time, touch the green button with a circle (located below). The button is again a touchscreen, so it’s not easy to immediately understand whether it worked or not. Therefore, we just wait a few seconds (no need to press the other buttons right away). If everything is in order, then the desired receipt confirming payment should appear in slot 4.
It should be left in a visible place under the windshield of the car.
Let us note once again that for some reason the remote control buttons “3” are made to be touch sensitive, so it is possible to understand whether the operation was only possible on the equally indistinct display. Therefore, take your time, even with known skills, the payment procedure took us about thirty seconds.
However, we are sure that everything will work out for you. Finally, general information about the key points of parking in Riga.
How much does parking cost in Riga?
Street parking in the city center is paid, there are five zones with different tariffs.
Zone tariffs:
zone A* first hour – 1.99 Eur, each next – 2.85 Eur
zone B first hour – 1.42 Eur, each next – 1.2.28 Eur
zone C first hour – 1.14 Eur, each next – 1.71 Eur
zone D first hour – 0.85 Eur, each next – 1.14 Eur
zone R** first hour – 4.27 Eur, each next – 7.11 Eur
The cost of parking a car in Vecaki from January 1, 2014 will be 1.40 euros for the entire period from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
* The cost of zones decreases in alphabetical order (A - more expensive, located closer to the center, and so on).
** Zone R – Old Town only.
When do you not have to pay for parking in paid parking lots in Riga?
Zone R (Old Riga) – parking must always be paid.
For other zones, parking is paid -
On weekdays - from 8:00 to 20:00
On Saturdays - from 9:00 to 17:00
At other times (including Sundays) you do not need to pay for parking
Finishing the series of stories about Riga, I would like to show you some details from the city roads. Latvia has fairly law-abiding citizens (or are the fines high?). There is no other way to explain such total observance of the rules. For example, look 
Although sometimes you come across such cool things on Lexus 
Riga is full of parking payment terminals. Signs notifying this are also located everywhere. Everything is very accessible, simple and clear. The Moscow administration does not need to reinvent the wheel. Let them just go to Riga and be done with it 
Everything is very simple and clear
All parking lots in Riga are divided into zones. The price is determined depending on this. You can also pay by phone 
The parking machine is the most ordinary. Very easy to use
And closer. One hour in this parking lot in the city center costs 0.8 lats (45 rubles)
The city also has a sufficient number of guarded parking lots under the EuroPark brand. Such parking lots are located near business centers and small office buildings. The cost from 8:00 to 21:00 is about 230-240 rubles. Hourly parking here is not profitable (80 rubles per hour). Payments are also made via automatic machines. No dirty men in shirtfronts and galoshes for you 
There are easier and cheaper parking lots. This one is for local residents V residential area. Cost per day - approximately 150 rubles 
Of course, Riga is a relatively small city, but they have not yet adopted bicycles here. There are a lot of cars and they need to go somewhere. During my visits to the capital of Latvia, I never saw much less a traffic jam, or even a small congestion. And why? Because where there are two lanes for traffic, cars will drive in two lanes. What about us? On one lane there are parked cars, on the other there is slow traffic with all that it entails. Drivers in Russian cities You can also understand that little is being done for them. But the administration must somehow get involved. After all, we got out of the situation in some major cities Europe by restricting entry into the central regions... After all, you just need to turn on your brain
Other photo stories about Riga and Latvia:
On the right side of the Daugava (where Old Riga is), almost everywhere you need to pay for parking, or you will have to leave the car quite far away and get to the center by public transport.
The only exception is the free parking shown on the map below (check-in through the Statoil gas station) and located three minutes from.
Despite the fact that the parking lot is quite large, during working hours it is packed to capacity. Therefore, you need to arrive before nine in the morning to leave the car. This place is simply ideal to start walking.
1) The only free parking near the Old Town, access from the embankment through Statoil, landmark - the STARGOROD restaurant - we should go there (shhh, just don’t tell anyone about this):
Pay attention to the “quality” of parking your car - you need to park only in the area covered by the “parking is permitted” sign (there is a green zone with prohibitory signs nearby, although at first glance there is more than enough space), in no case in the green zone, and also under prohibitory signs - the municipal police know about this place and fine it only in this way, fortunately they are not far away.
As mentioned above, finding a place after nine in the morning is extremely difficult here.
At the same time, pakrovka on the left bank is free almost everywhere, so we can recommend the following places:
2) Parking – you can walk to the Old Town in 10-15 minutes across the Cable-stayed Bridge. Plus, you can always find a free space (underground parking), and after a walk you can have a snack and buy groceries in the very mall. If the weather permits, then this is the easiest way to leave the car for the whole day.
Minus - not so long ago a restriction on the time a car could be parked was introduced in the parking lot.
3) Valguma Street, adjacent to the Stone Bridge. The downside is that you’ll have to wander around looking for a free space, and besides, there’s quite a lot of traffic here. The walk to the city will take 5-7 minutes.
(mosmap lat=’56.941761’|lon=’24.093812′)
4) Parking near the bowling center Zelta Bowlings. It takes about 10 minutes to get to the city; in addition, there is a tram and bus stop right opposite the center (no need to cross the street). Entry to the parking lot is free.
5) Parking near the Bellevule Park Hotel. The city center is about 15 minutes on foot, but right next to the hotel there is a tram stop that will take you to the center in three minutes. Entry to the parking lot is free; in addition, we would recommend using it if you need to leave your car not far from the Old Town for several days.
In conclusion, we would like to add that parking in residential areas is free at any time of the day, and there will be no problems with where to leave the car.
