Architecture makes up some of Riga’s best sights, with Art Nouveau, Soviet era and medieval constructions around every corner. The best districts to witness the city’s well-preserved heritage buildings are the Old Town and the Art Nouveau district, the latter featuring hundreds of examples. For something different, visit the opera or the Riga Motor Museum, the largest museum of its kind in the Baltic states.

Art Nouveau District
Riga’s Art Nouveau district houses buildings spanning from the start of the movement in the late 1800s to its peak in the early 1900s. Examples of both decorative and romantic-nationalistic Art Nouveau can be found, with the best examples along Elizabetes (10a and 10b), Alberta (2, 2a, 4, 8 and 13) and Strelnieku streets.

House of Blackheads
While this house was constructed around the turn of the 21st century, to mark Riga’s 800th anniversary, it is a reconstruction of a 14th-century merchant guild house that was destroyed by the Russians following WWII. The house sits in Town Hall Square, close to the Occupation Museum of Latvia, and features a striking, ornamental facade. 
Phone: +371 704 4300

Latvian National Opera
Architecture lovers will want to check out this fine opera hall on their visit to Riga. Constructed in 1863, the hall was originally intended to house the German Theatre but its acoustics proved to be ideal for opera. The auditorium can seat almost 1,000 patrons. Tickets for performances should be reserved in advance. 
Phone: +371 7073777; www.opera.lv/opera.php?lang=2

Riga Motor Museum
Car fans will enjoy this museum, which displays various modern and traditional modes of transportation. More than 100 vehicles can be seen at the facility, which is the largest of the Baltic states’ automobile museums. Also onsite is a shop, a café and a sports club. A 20-minute drive north of the city, this worthwhile museum is located Mežciems suburb. 
Phone: +371 7097170; www.motormuzejs.lv/pub/?lang=eng&id=0

Three Brothers
Among the city’s finest examples of medieval architecture, the Three Brothers is a collective name for three separate houses built between the 1400s and 1700s. They rank among Riga’s oldest buildings and are situated in the historic centre of the Old Town. The White Brother is the oldest of the three houses, while the Green Brother is the youngest. The former houses the Latvian Museum of Architecture.