And don’t run away at the word museum. In this list I have included only the ones that have left a permanent impression on me. In one of Rigas museums, you will have the opportunity to play games. In another, you will travel in time. And in yet another, you will work your imagination and admire some art.
Come – let’s turn a rainy day in Riga into an adventure!
If you already know which theme is closer to your heart’s desire click on one of the links:
Or read the whole article to evaluate all the candidates.
What To Do In Rainy Weather In Riga For Retro Video Game Enthusiasts
Riga Video Game museum
Location: Enjoy the game
Cost: There is entrance fee. Check prices here.
Lenght: ~30min (or more if you love to play)
Help! Which button should I press?
In the past, consoles were a bit different. In the Riga video game museum You might just stare at the old consoles and puzzle over which button to press to make the main character move. Or the same as I – randomly press all the buttons and hope that Mario survives.
The Riga video game museum is hidden on the second floor of a game store. It still has some growing to do to match the size and experience of the game museum in Krakow. But you can play several old consoles and a couple of arcade games. As well as see the exhibition of computers, Tamaguchi, all kinds of control input tools, and other gadgets from the gone by era.
This rainy weather activity is, of course, a matter of taste. While I was playing the games, I had a man on one side very enthusiastically telling his wife: “Oh look, this game is from the 80s…” But on the other side were a bunch of teenagers doing some button-smashing and admitting it wasn’t as interesting as they had expected.
And if we talk about the minuses – there is very little space and the air is a bit stuffy. But I can live with that.
What to do in Riga if it rains for those who always wanted to time travel
Riga Art Nouveau Center
Location: Riga Art Noveau Center
Cost: There is entrance fee. Check prices here.
Lenght: ~1h
Congrats – you now have a super power. You can travel in time. So on a rainy day use this power to visit a luxury Art Nouveau apartment from 1903.
This is not a museum where everything is hidden behind a glass. It’s a place where a day in families life has truly frozen in time.
Intrigued? Read the full article.
What to do in Riga if it rains for history enthusiasts
House of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads in Riga
Cost: There is entrance fee. Check prices here.
Lenght: ~1h
The House of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads is, for sure, one of the most eye-pleasing buildings in Old Riga.
But have you ever been bothered by the question – what is inside the House of Brotherhood of the Blackheads? Rumour has it that it’s a museum. And a rainy day in Riga is a perfect chance to explore it.
Inside the House of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads of Riga you will find three floors – historical cellars, staterooms, and luxurious ballrooms.
The cellars have a somewhat intriguing, labyrinth feel and breath of history. You will see exposed ancient walls and a fire burning in a furnace somewhere deep down. To establish the vibe there are also various ancient objects – scales, barrels, and statues.
In the staterooms and ballrooms you will find luxurious interiors with decorative ceilings and beautiful stoves.
Usually, when I travel, I see such views in palaces that are turned into museums. Here in Riga, it turns out that you can find them in the House of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads instead.
Fun fact!
Here you can fond a collection of some naughty tabaco boxes. On one, there was a person whose pants had been torn off by a dog, and his bottom was showing.
What to do in Riga in rainy weather for the dreamers
Digital Art House
Location: Digital Art House
Cost: There is entrance fee. Check prices here.
Note: You have to book a specific time slot in advance
When the paintings around you come alive it no longer mathers if it is rainy or if there is a blizzard outside. You have left the streets of Riga and entered into the land of dreams.
From the exhibitions available ir Riga Digital Art house I recommend choosing “From Monet to Kandinsky”. In short – it’s a remix of popular modernist artworks turned into an animation that is then displayed on the walls, ceiling and floors. Complimented by pleasant music. And optionally (for extra charge) – a glass of wine.
You’ll see glittering ballerinas turning into star dust and Scream fading in smoke.
Do you have to be an art lover to enjoy this? No. If it is quite difficult for you to concentrate on static paintings in frames, Digital Art House in Riga could be a slightly dreamier and slightly more dynamic option for you.
But if you are an art enthusiast – when you see the works in different sizes and from other angles, nuances that you had not noticed before may be revealed. In my opinion, it’s quite good, dreamy relaxation for a rainy day in Riga.
And if you have already seen the Modernists, as I understand, Digital art house offers other exhibitions that change from time to time. But don’t skip your research. My friend ended up in an exhibition with a lot of naked buts and wasn’t too thrilled about it.
Rain and cold cannot defeat those who have an adventurer’s spirit!
Overall, there are many interesting museums to explore in Riga (I as a local haven’t even been to all of them yet), and the number of cultural and entertainment opportunities in the capital of Latvia continues to grow. So I will extend the list of things to do in Riga in rainy/cold weather whenever I try something new that is worth telling you about.
Other things to see and do in Latvia