Disabled Accessible Tours in Latvia
I can provide wheelchair-accessible and disabled-friendly tours in Riga and Latvia.
To assist people who use wheelchairs full time, I partner with Santa Beitāne from Difftravel. Santa drives a specialised Renault van with seven passenger seats and a wheelchair space in the back.
My Old Riga, Art Nouveau and Soviet history tours, as well as the Jurmala Walking Tour, are available for travellers with restricted mobility with some route modifications. Adapted excursions in Latvia's regions can also be arranged.
For travellers with some mobility, I provide transportation in my VW Passat station wagon. It has plenty of legroom and a large trunk which can comfortably fit a foldable wheelchair or a walker.
We can arrange shipside pick up and return for cruise passengers. Please note this service a permit from Riga Passenger Terminal and an additional fee applies.
Please contact me to tailor a tour specially for you!
Accessibility in Riga
While infrastructure for disabled access in Latvia is lacking in some areas, significant improvements have been made in recent years.
The site wheelchaurtravel.org is an excellent source for persons with disabilities travelling to Riga. Also, scroll down for detailed up-to-date information. I am constantly updating the list of accessible venues.
public transport
Riga International Airport is fully accessible, with wide aisles, a lift between floors and accessible toilets.
Red Cab provides taxis for disabled persons.
Riga buses are wheelchair accessible, with low floors and parking areas. Trams are more hit and miss, with some routes equipped with modern low-floor vehicles and others with aged Soviet ones. See Riga Public Transport for more details.
Latvia's national railway operator ViVi has recently introduced modern trains with space for wheelchairs. However, not all stations have level platforms. Riga Central is particularly difficult to access.
sights and attractions
The most popular areas of Old Riga can be explored on the sidewalk with an electric wheelchair or a manual wheelchair with an assistant. In some places high kerbs or outdoor cafe furniture are a hindrance. The road surface is entirely made of cobble stones and pavers, causing difficulty in many places.
Riga's Art Nouveau district has wide, level pavements making it very comfortable to view the stunning buildings.
Jūrmala's streets, especially pedestrian Jomas iela, are wide and level for comfortable wheelchair access. There is a boardwalk along the beach from Dzintari to Majori.
The following Riga museums are accessible: Riga Art Nouveau Museum, the National Art Museum of Latvia, the Riga Bourse Museum of Foreign Art, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design.
restaurants
Housed in five repurposed First World War zeppelin hangars, Riga Central Market has many bakeries, a large food court and a wonderful selection of fruits, vegetables, cheese, fish and other produce. It is entirely at ground level, has no steps, large doors and wide aisles.
Lido is a chain of cafeteria-style restaurants offering a very big selection of affordable Latvian dishes. Lido Recreation Centre (Krasta iela 76) is the biggest branch, a few km from the city centre. It has ramps, wide doors, wide aisles and a lift connecting the three floors, but the bathrooms are not fully accessible.
Āgenskalns Market south of the river has a nicely restored historic pavilion with lots of eateries and specialty food stands. It has ramps, large doors, wide aisles and a lift to the upper floor. There's a fully-accessible toilet on the first floor - get the key from the Italuan delicatessen just across the aisle.
Bāka (Tērbatas iela 54) is a friendly city centre restaurant serving tasty international cuisine and good value drinks. Its all at street level, with large doors, no steps and an accessible bathroom with handrails.