Riga Radio and TV Tower
Riga Radio and TV Tower
4
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4.0
193 reviews
Excellent
55
Very good
69
Average
48
Poor
15
Terrible
6
Ben White
Northampton, UK3,308 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
Upon entering the city, we noticed this huge building towering over the city and decided we’d have to visit it as it’s highly likely they’d have a viewing platform.
After researching there’s still the option of purchasing tickets online and it doesn’t mention that the tower is under construction.
We called a number we found and the lady said the tower has been under construction since 2019.
As we had a hire car we still visited the tower, to take some pictures. The drive up to the tower is eerie as there’s not many people around except a lot of learner vehicles and a huge amount of potholes. The bottom half of the tower looks dirty and derelict, with overgrown grass and rotten gates.
Overall, if you have a car, then maybe it’s worth a visit to get some pictures up close, if you don’t I’d suggest giving it a miss.
After researching there’s still the option of purchasing tickets online and it doesn’t mention that the tower is under construction.
We called a number we found and the lady said the tower has been under construction since 2019.
As we had a hire car we still visited the tower, to take some pictures. The drive up to the tower is eerie as there’s not many people around except a lot of learner vehicles and a huge amount of potholes. The bottom half of the tower looks dirty and derelict, with overgrown grass and rotten gates.
Overall, if you have a car, then maybe it’s worth a visit to get some pictures up close, if you don’t I’d suggest giving it a miss.
Written 3 August 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.
googlies99
12 contributions
Jul 2013
This is well worth a visit, yet appears to be undervalued by most locals.
Drove onto island from the bridge, no problem finding entrance.
The tower is an incredible structure and the entry price is very reasonable at 2.60 lats for adults.
Upon arrival in the main reception area we found nobody around, almost likened to an abandoned building but there was a sign in Latvian stating the guide would be back shortly.
She came down in no time and after receiving payment led us towards a lift explaining the history of the tower in latvian.
The lift ride up in on of the curved legs is an experience in itself, taking 42 seconds to travel 97m, rattling along the way but the relaxed nature of the guide helps you realise the lights going off for a split second is the norm.
The views once up the tower are amazing, on a clear day you can see 20km in all directions, best views of Riga by far.
The guide also explained that there is to be major development on the island starting in 2 years that will include an amusement park with roller coasters etc.
Leaving the tower, we discovered the guides cat walking around reception making it rather surreal but giving it a personal touch you would not expect.
Completely different to any experience in a tower in the west which would involve checkpoints and security checks etc.
Would recommend to anyone, great value and an interesting experience in many ways. Not overly exciting but what do expect from something like this.
Well worth a visit.
Drove onto island from the bridge, no problem finding entrance.
The tower is an incredible structure and the entry price is very reasonable at 2.60 lats for adults.
Upon arrival in the main reception area we found nobody around, almost likened to an abandoned building but there was a sign in Latvian stating the guide would be back shortly.
She came down in no time and after receiving payment led us towards a lift explaining the history of the tower in latvian.
The lift ride up in on of the curved legs is an experience in itself, taking 42 seconds to travel 97m, rattling along the way but the relaxed nature of the guide helps you realise the lights going off for a split second is the norm.
The views once up the tower are amazing, on a clear day you can see 20km in all directions, best views of Riga by far.
The guide also explained that there is to be major development on the island starting in 2 years that will include an amusement park with roller coasters etc.
Leaving the tower, we discovered the guides cat walking around reception making it rather surreal but giving it a personal touch you would not expect.
Completely different to any experience in a tower in the west which would involve checkpoints and security checks etc.
Would recommend to anyone, great value and an interesting experience in many ways. Not overly exciting but what do expect from something like this.
Well worth a visit.
Written 9 July 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.
kuu-kanko
Helsinki, Finland848 contributions
May 2012 • Solo
When I saw the TV tower from the city, I decided to check, whether it can be visited. I found their website www.tvtornis.lv and all the information needed for the visit.
The trolley bus stop is over a kilometer away from the tower. Walking from there on a sunny day is not the most convenient experience (and if it's not sunny, you probably don't want to visit the tower, because the visibility wouldn't be that good). The area is deserted, if you don't take the TV tower into account.
When I reached the tower, I saw it was surrounded by fences everywhere. I almost gave up and started already walking back, but then I saw a tourist bus entering through the gate, which was opened for the bus. I went to the gate and saw there a paper slip of only a few centimeters in size, which had the opening hours. I opened the pedestrian gate myself and walked in the building. There was no one and I stood alone in the lobby for a few minutes, before a lady arrived. She didn't speak any English, but she did speak German, and so she sold me the ticket (had to be paid in cash) and took me up on the elevator, where the busload of people already were.
So getting there was a bit tricky, but the views from the tower were nice, although the observation deck is pretty low on the tower. After the busload left, I was left alone in the tower, so I can't complain it would have been too busy.
The trolley bus stop is over a kilometer away from the tower. Walking from there on a sunny day is not the most convenient experience (and if it's not sunny, you probably don't want to visit the tower, because the visibility wouldn't be that good). The area is deserted, if you don't take the TV tower into account.
When I reached the tower, I saw it was surrounded by fences everywhere. I almost gave up and started already walking back, but then I saw a tourist bus entering through the gate, which was opened for the bus. I went to the gate and saw there a paper slip of only a few centimeters in size, which had the opening hours. I opened the pedestrian gate myself and walked in the building. There was no one and I stood alone in the lobby for a few minutes, before a lady arrived. She didn't speak any English, but she did speak German, and so she sold me the ticket (had to be paid in cash) and took me up on the elevator, where the busload of people already were.
So getting there was a bit tricky, but the views from the tower were nice, although the observation deck is pretty low on the tower. After the busload left, I was left alone in the tower, so I can't complain it would have been too busy.
Written 23 June 2012
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.
MrsAsh21
Accrington, UK900 contributions
We read conflicting reviews on here about this place; the major difficulty seemed to be how to get there.
We walked (5km each way from where we were staying) which isn't for the faint hearted! The hardest part (we imagined) would be crossing the river, but there is an underpass which sits just under the main road.
Once we arrived, we ventured through the main gates (again a few reviews had stated it was hard to find the way in, but this was no issue for us) and up to the main entrance.
A lovely lady took our admission fee and escorted us to the elevator. Her English is non existent (she initially spoke to us in german but then asked if we were Norwegian?!) but we kind of got the gist of what she was saying.
The viewing platform gives panoramic views of the surrounding area and we were lucky to have clear day.
There is a tv playing various informative clips about the tower.
We were given an information card, so to date, this is the advice they give:
Opening times:
Spring/Summer - 15th May til 30th Sept - 10am til 8pm
Autumn/Winter - 1st Oct til 14th May - 10am til 5pm
To get there:
Walk (you must be mad!!!)
Take the trolleybus #19 or #24 or the bus #40 from the city centre.
Get off at stop 'Zakusala' on the island bridge and walk the 20 minute distance to the tower.
Car parking is available on site should you wish to drive.
Entrance fee is €3.70 per person
This is definitely worth a visit if you're in town.
We walked (5km each way from where we were staying) which isn't for the faint hearted! The hardest part (we imagined) would be crossing the river, but there is an underpass which sits just under the main road.
Once we arrived, we ventured through the main gates (again a few reviews had stated it was hard to find the way in, but this was no issue for us) and up to the main entrance.
A lovely lady took our admission fee and escorted us to the elevator. Her English is non existent (she initially spoke to us in german but then asked if we were Norwegian?!) but we kind of got the gist of what she was saying.
The viewing platform gives panoramic views of the surrounding area and we were lucky to have clear day.
There is a tv playing various informative clips about the tower.
We were given an information card, so to date, this is the advice they give:
Opening times:
Spring/Summer - 15th May til 30th Sept - 10am til 8pm
Autumn/Winter - 1st Oct til 14th May - 10am til 5pm
To get there:
Walk (you must be mad!!!)
Take the trolleybus #19 or #24 or the bus #40 from the city centre.
Get off at stop 'Zakusala' on the island bridge and walk the 20 minute distance to the tower.
Car parking is available on site should you wish to drive.
Entrance fee is €3.70 per person
This is definitely worth a visit if you're in town.
Written 14 March 2015
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.
Kristaps S
11 contributions
Jul 2017 • Couples
After visiting the Vilnius TV tower I thought that it's finally time to visit the one in my home city.
The road leading there is mildly put, terrible. If you're going via public transportation, be prepared to walk as the closest bus stop is a kilometer away.
The tower interior itself looks straight out of the 80s with torn up leather chairs and old school 80. The "reception" has an abandoned bar which adds to the "stuck in time" impression.
When we arrived there on Saturday afternoon, there was nobody at the reception table and no hint on what we're supposed to do. Calling the info number just rang the phone at the vacant reception desk. When, after 20 minutes, the lady finally came back, we were told that tickets are purchasable with cash only. We left without going up and don't regret it one bit.
Compared with the TV towers of Tallinn and Vilnius, this is a dilapidated wreck. No cafe, water puddles in the access corridor and tiles falling off the walls.
Don't bother going there unless you're an enthusiastic city-scape photographer, and even then other spots might be better suited. If you're a tourist, go to either Pēterbaznīca and take the elevator to the top of the tower, or to the Skyline bar on the 26th floor of Hotel Latvia.
P.S. If anyone from the tourism bureau reads this, stop advertising the tower as a "must-see" attraction. It's not fair to visitors to hype it up so much when the reality is nowhere near as bright.
The road leading there is mildly put, terrible. If you're going via public transportation, be prepared to walk as the closest bus stop is a kilometer away.
The tower interior itself looks straight out of the 80s with torn up leather chairs and old school 80. The "reception" has an abandoned bar which adds to the "stuck in time" impression.
When we arrived there on Saturday afternoon, there was nobody at the reception table and no hint on what we're supposed to do. Calling the info number just rang the phone at the vacant reception desk. When, after 20 minutes, the lady finally came back, we were told that tickets are purchasable with cash only. We left without going up and don't regret it one bit.
Compared with the TV towers of Tallinn and Vilnius, this is a dilapidated wreck. No cafe, water puddles in the access corridor and tiles falling off the walls.
Don't bother going there unless you're an enthusiastic city-scape photographer, and even then other spots might be better suited. If you're a tourist, go to either Pēterbaznīca and take the elevator to the top of the tower, or to the Skyline bar on the 26th floor of Hotel Latvia.
P.S. If anyone from the tourism bureau reads this, stop advertising the tower as a "must-see" attraction. It's not fair to visitors to hype it up so much when the reality is nowhere near as bright.
Written 6 July 2017
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.
Ali K
Zhongshan District, Taipei67 contributions
May 2017 • Solo
I love engineering and I love buildings,which is why I felt a strong attraction to this building bordering on obsession as soon as I (accidentally) saw it from a distance on my way to see a different sight.
I too found it really odd that this gem of architecture and engineering with such amazing views available to the public for such a small price (€3.70), is not mentioned in a single tourist guide inside or outside Latvia, including on Lonely Planet. It's also run-down and badly neglected, which IMO, only adds to its charm and character (I really hope the lift is being maintained).
I have a theory about lack of love for this building (only speculating): Latvians (and Baltic countries in general) are not too fond of the Soviet era, and rightly so, considering the Soviets really did a number on these countries and their people. That's why almost all of references to that time are in the form of "look what those bastards did to us!", like the Museum of Occupation, or the KGB corner house museum, etc.
This building, as fascinating and impressive as it is, represents everything that was wrong about the Soviet Union: especially if you walk all the way from the city centre via Maskavas iela and surrounds, you'll be put in a time machine and sent back to the Soviet Riga, and I don't mean the nice rose-coloured glass version of it; I mean run-down buildings and dusty roads, rusty Soviet-ish trams and buses, old men looking for rubbish on the island where the tower is, the dilapidated roads that lead to the island and the tower, with concrete bridges and underpasses ugly as sin, and quite a few (usually older) people who look, dress and walk like they're still living in that era. In my hour-long walk, I had at least two people stop me and ask for change, first in Latvian and then when I said I don't understand them in English, they said in broken English, "Sir, please, some money!". I can imagine it was exactly the same (minus the gradual gentrification of course), when the tower had just opened: the mighty CCCP spending millions on a huge structure for the sole purpose of propaganda (in this case literally, since this is a TV/radio tower), while the "masses" that were supposed to be the focus of the communist system were suffering under the weight of poverty, corruption, and a thuggish KGB...
So, leave the comfort of the tourist track and the gentrified and sterilised central Riga and see the real Riga, as it was, and as it still seems to be for many people in the former Soviet republics.
I suggest walking all the way there, but as others have said, you'd be able to take the bus half-way and then walk the rest. I also saw a family catching a taxi that then came back and picked them up on the way back, which may be a good option for people with limited mobility or elderly people.
I too found it really odd that this gem of architecture and engineering with such amazing views available to the public for such a small price (€3.70), is not mentioned in a single tourist guide inside or outside Latvia, including on Lonely Planet. It's also run-down and badly neglected, which IMO, only adds to its charm and character (I really hope the lift is being maintained).
I have a theory about lack of love for this building (only speculating): Latvians (and Baltic countries in general) are not too fond of the Soviet era, and rightly so, considering the Soviets really did a number on these countries and their people. That's why almost all of references to that time are in the form of "look what those bastards did to us!", like the Museum of Occupation, or the KGB corner house museum, etc.
This building, as fascinating and impressive as it is, represents everything that was wrong about the Soviet Union: especially if you walk all the way from the city centre via Maskavas iela and surrounds, you'll be put in a time machine and sent back to the Soviet Riga, and I don't mean the nice rose-coloured glass version of it; I mean run-down buildings and dusty roads, rusty Soviet-ish trams and buses, old men looking for rubbish on the island where the tower is, the dilapidated roads that lead to the island and the tower, with concrete bridges and underpasses ugly as sin, and quite a few (usually older) people who look, dress and walk like they're still living in that era. In my hour-long walk, I had at least two people stop me and ask for change, first in Latvian and then when I said I don't understand them in English, they said in broken English, "Sir, please, some money!". I can imagine it was exactly the same (minus the gradual gentrification of course), when the tower had just opened: the mighty CCCP spending millions on a huge structure for the sole purpose of propaganda (in this case literally, since this is a TV/radio tower), while the "masses" that were supposed to be the focus of the communist system were suffering under the weight of poverty, corruption, and a thuggish KGB...
So, leave the comfort of the tourist track and the gentrified and sterilised central Riga and see the real Riga, as it was, and as it still seems to be for many people in the former Soviet republics.
I suggest walking all the way there, but as others have said, you'd be able to take the bus half-way and then walk the rest. I also saw a family catching a taxi that then came back and picked them up on the way back, which may be a good option for people with limited mobility or elderly people.
Written 22 May 2017
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.
Vanessa Duarte
Valencia, Spain142 contributions
Dec 2015 • Friends
If you went to other TV towers (like in Berlin), or just towers, this one becomes a delusion. First it is not easy to get there. There is only bus during the week. In the weekend you need to take another that leaves you in the middle of a street with nothing, only cars in high velocity. Next, after discovering how to get to the other side, you have to walk, walk, walk to arrive there. Arriving there you pay 3.7€ (cheap), but for nothing. Windows dirty, the view is nothing special. Then you decide to come back by taxi to the center of the city (plus 9 euros for a taxivan - 6 ppl). I wouldn´t visit again.
Written 15 December 2015
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.
AronPearson
Sandbach, UK60 contributions
Aug 2015 • Couples
We went up the tower on a sunny day in August. The price was very reasonable, you need cash!! You pay in the ticket office on the ground floor and a lady takes you up to the viewing area in the lift. The lift goes up one of the legs of the tower. Once there you can see for miles in all directions and the views are stunning, even better than I expected, it really was a wow moment when we walked out of the lift. It is true that the windows are dirty but I don't think it ruined or restricted our view it just made it a little harder to get a good photo. Well worth a visit if you have a spare hour or so.
Written 3 September 2015
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.
MainzBerlinSantiago
Mainz, Germany5 contributions
Jun 2015 • Friends
It's not that easy to get there. We took the bus to a bridge on the island and then walked about 15 minutes. The woman at the ticket office was really nice and talked to us a couple of minutes. For students the entrance fee is about 2 euros. We took the elevator up to the viewing platform and we were the only ones there for about half an hour. Although the platform is not that high (97m) we still had an amazing view on this very sunny day.
Written 29 June 2015
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.
Vlad L
Brasov, Romania36 contributions
Dec 2018
Worst experience. No public transport,no light in the road to the tower,the entrance in a shady dark tunnel,hours there do not fit the ones on their website
Written 17 December 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.
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