Riga Airport (RIX) Transfer Guide: Getting to the City Center Easily

Riga International Airport is about 10 km southwest of the city center. The drive takes 15-25 minutes depending on traffic. Riga is compact and most hotels are in or near the Old Town, so all road transport ends up in roughly the same area. Bus 22 is the budget option at a couple of euros; Bolt is normally the cheapest car; a metered taxi sits above it; and a pre-booked transfer is fixed at booking. We do not quote exact figures on this page — the published sources for the bus fare disagree with each other, and the taxi, Bolt and transfer prices are set on the meter, in the app and at booking respectively. See the pricing section for what is actually knowable.

Riga airport is a single-terminal facility that handles both domestic and international flights. For EU/EEA passport holders, arrival is fast — automated gates process you in minutes. Non-EU travelers go through manual immigration, which typically takes 10-20 minutes.

After baggage claim, you exit into a compact arrivals hall. There are ATMs (Swedbank, SEB), a currency exchange counter, car rental desks, and a small convenience store. Latvia uses the euro, so if you are coming from another eurozone country, no currency exchange is needed.

Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the terminal and works reliably. SIM cards can be purchased from vending machines or the convenience store — LMT and Tele2 are the main operators, and prices are shown at the point of sale. Worth picking one up if you intend to use Bolt.

Pre-booked private transfer: A driver waits for you in the arrivals hall with a name sign. Fixed price, air-conditioned vehicle, direct to your hotel. Particularly useful if arriving at odd hours or with heavy luggage.

Taxi: Official taxis wait outside the arrivals exit. Riga taxis use meters, and the tariff rates should be displayed on the door — read them before you get in, since that is the authoritative price for your ride and it is the reason the meter matters. Make sure the meter is running. Reputable companies include Baltic Taxi and Red Cab. Treat any driver who wants to agree a flat rate instead of using the meter with suspicion.

Bus 22: Runs between the airport and the city centre (Abrenes iela, near the Central Station) every 10-30 minutes, taking about 30 minutes. It is clean, reliable, and the stops are announced. Bus 22 is the airport bus, and it is by far the cheapest way into Riga — a couple of euros against roughly ten times that for any car. We are not printing an exact fare, because the sources disagree: Rīgas satiksme and the Riga city council have published different figures for the single ticket, and we could not confirm which is current. What is consistent and worth knowing is the structure. Route 22 is the only Rīgas satiksme route where you can buy a ticket from the driver, and payment there is by bank card only — no cash. A ticket bought in advance, from the machine at the stop or a Narvesen kiosk in the terminal, is cheaper than one bought from the driver, and the advance ticket is a 90-minute one valid across Riga public transport. Check the current fares with Rīgas satiksme before you travel.

Bolt: The ride-hailing app is the dominant platform in Riga, more popular than Uber here. It quotes your fare in the app before you confirm — that quote is your price — and it is normally the cheapest car option from the airport. You need a data connection to use it. Pickup area is outside the terminal.

Rental car: Available from Sixt, Europcar, Budget, and others at the terminal. Parking in Riga's Old Town is expensive and restricted, so a rental car only makes sense if you plan to explore Latvia beyond the city.

Train: There is no direct rail connection from Riga Airport to the city center. A rail link has been discussed for years but is not operational as of 2026.

This section used to list a price for every option. We have taken those out, because we could not stand behind them, and it is worth being straight about why.

The bus. Bus 22 is the cheapest way into Riga by a wide margin — a couple of euros, against roughly ten times that for any car. But we will not print an exact fare: Rīgas satiksme and the Riga city council have published different figures for the single ticket, and we could not establish which one is current. Rather than pick the one we like and present it as checked, here is the structure, which both sources agree on and which is more useful anyway:

• Route 22 is the only Rīgas satiksme route where you can buy a ticket from the driver.
• Payment from the driver is by bank card only — no cash.
• A ticket bought in advance — from the machine at the stop, or the Narvesen kiosk in the terminal — is cheaper than buying from the driver, and it is a 90-minute ticket valid across Riga public transport.
• Multi-day tickets (24-hour, 3-day, 5-day) exist and are worth it if you will use trams and trolleybuses around the city.

Check the current fares with Rīgas satiksme before you travel.

Everything else is priced at the point of purchase, not in advance.

• Taxis are metered, and the tariff must be displayed on the door. Read it, confirm the meter is running, and that is your answer.
• Bolt shows the fare in the app before you confirm.
• Pre-booked transfers are fixed when you book.

The reliable ranking, cheapest first: Bus 22, then Bolt, then a metered taxi, then a pre-booked transfer. The gap between Bolt and a taxi is real but not enormous; the gap between the bus and anything with a driver is enormous.

Distances and drive times, which are what you are actually paying for:

• Old Town / city centre: 10 km, 15-25 minutes
• Central Station area: 9 km, 15-20 minutes (the Bus 22 terminus is near here)
• Jurmala: 25 km, 25-35 minutes
• Sigulda: 65 km, 55-70 minutes

Riga does not suffer extreme congestion. Rush hour adds 10-15 minutes and nothing dramatic, which keeps metered fares predictable and Bolt surge modest. Time of day affects availability more than price — Bus 22 stops in the late evening, and Bolt driver numbers thin out at night without disappearing.

Riga airport handles flights until midnight, and budget airlines sometimes arrive later due to delays. After 11 PM, Bus 22 stops running. Bolt availability decreases but does not disappear — Riga has enough drivers that you can usually get a ride within 5-10 minutes even late at night.

Taxis remain available outside the terminal 24 hours. Fares do not increase at night — meters run the same rate. A pre-booked transfer is the most guaranteed option for late arrivals, with flight tracking to accommodate delays.

Latvia requires child restraint seats for children under 150 cm tall. Taxis and Bolt vehicles rarely have them. If you are traveling with young children, a pre-booked transfer lets you request appropriate child seats in advance.

Bus 22 can accommodate strollers and luggage, but space is limited during busy periods. If you have more than one large suitcase per person, the bus becomes impractical.

The airport has family restrooms, baby changing facilities, and a small play area near the departure gates. These can be useful if you need to regroup before heading to the city.

Pre-booked transfer drivers wait in the arrivals hall near the exit, holding name signs. The hall is not large, so spotting your driver is easy.

Taxis line up directly outside the arrivals exit — turn left and the rank is visible. The queue usually moves quickly.

Bolt pickups happen from the same area outside arrivals. The app provides real-time driver location.

Bus 22 departs from the bus stop directly outside the terminal — well-signed and impossible to miss.

Choose a pre-booked transfer if: you are traveling with family, have lots of luggage, arriving late, want fixed pricing and zero uncertainty, or heading somewhere other than central Riga.

Choose a taxi if: you want door-to-door service without pre-planning and are comfortable with metered fares.

Choose Bolt if: you have a working phone with data, want the cheapest door-to-door option, and are flexible on wait time.

Choose Bus 22 if: you are traveling light, heading to the center, and want to save money. It is genuinely a good option — a couple of euros against roughly ten times that for a car.

Skip the rental car if: you are only staying in Riga. Parking is expensive and the Old Town is best explored on foot.