Gift Items from Latvia

Some Latvian specialty products are:

• Ceramics, particularly blue and smoked ceramics from the region of Latgale
• Wood products, e.g., kitchen utensils or children's toys
• Knitwear, e.g., mittens and scarves
• Linen, i.e., textiles from flax
• Wickerwork
• Amber jewelry

Also the Latvian cuisine has numerous specialties, most notably:

• Rye bread and sourdough bread
• Honey, including honeycombs and pollen
• Sea buckthorn products, e.g., syrups or jams
• Berries, particularly cranberries, lingonberries, blueberries, and cloudberries
• Mushrooms
• Hemp butter
• Birch sap

Shopping Areas in Riga

The main shopping areas in Riga are located around the Old Town and the downtown. The biggest shopping malls are located in the outskirts (see the section on Supermarkets).

In addition to shopping malls and numerous specialty stores, the city centre also boasts wonderful shopping passages with high-end boutiques, e.g., the Basteja Pasaza and the Berga Bazars.

Markets in Riga

Riga Central Market is the biggest and oldest market in Riga. It is spread across four old zeppelin hangars and offers a wide selection of vegetables, fruits, meat and fish, as well as little grocery and specialty shops.

Kalnciems Fair takes place every Saturday in the charming Kalnciems quarter on the left bank of river Daugava. Here you can find not only local food specialties but also various hand crafts, jewelry, and design items.

Riga Flea Market takes place once a month in the Spikeri quarter next to the Central Market, by the river Daugava.

Most districts of Riga have smaller markets for various grocery items. In addition, Riga hosts wonderful seasonal markets, most notably, every year around Midsummer in mid-June the Dome Square at the heart of the Old Town transforms into a giant marketplace with products from all over the country.

Supermarkets in Riga

The two biggest supermarket chains in Latvia are RIMI and Maxima.

Furthermore, in and around Riga there are numerous shopping malls offering numerous stores in all price ranges.

In downtown Riga:

• Galerija Centrs, Audeju iela 16, Riga Old Town
• Galleria Riga, Dzirnavu iela 67
• Origo, Stacijas laukums 2, by the Central Train Station
• Stockmann department store, 13. janvara iela 8

In the outskirts:

• Alfa, Brivibas iela 372
• Domina, Ieriku iela 3
• Elkor Plaza, Brivibas iela 201
• Mols, Krasta iela 46
• Olimpia, Azenes iela 5
• Spice, Lielirbes iela 29

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