Honest Tour Of Riga With The Best Private Guide In Town

Harijs was an incredible knowledgeable guide and was perfect for our introduction to Riga. He willingly met us at the port pier to begin our walking tour. We loved the old Town and legends he shared. And the tour through the Art Nouveau district was breathtaking. Days later as we continued our cruise, we were still talking about Riga -thanks to Harijs.

Very informative, enjoyable day. Harry was entertaining, knowledgeable and made it a memorable day. I highly recommend him

my partner and i have traveled to all seven continents, booked dozens of guides from three different operators. Harijs isn't lying when he says he's the best! Encyclopedic knowledge, humor, human interest ... he delivers it all, brilliantly. Book him -- if you're lucky ...

Wow, wow, wow. What an amazing tour with Harijs. He claimed to provide the best tour in Riga and he could be right. We went as a family of five with children aged 14-21 and he kept everyone engaged for what ended up being a 5 hour plus tour with a short break in the middle. The tour was full of detail, information, funny anecdotes and real engagement - and took us through the old city and the new art nouveau district. His background in teaching and guiding tours really helped in bringing his content to life. Would recommend to anyone who is thinking of taking the tour.

A great tour of a wonderful city with a fantastic guide. Riga becomes even more kaleidoscopic once you begin to see it through its history, expertly told by Harijs. From its late pagan roots, through Germanic, Swedish, Russian, and Soviet rule, to modern independence within the European Union, Harijs reveals Latvia's past through Riga's architecture, urban layout, and the national character of the present-day state. Honestly, our tour with Harijs was perfect!

Our guide was outstanding! Right away he asked how much we wanted to know, and when we said “tell us everything” he kept us informed about the places, buildings and history of Riga through our walking tour. Seeing and comparing the various architectural styles Riga displays throughout its history was a real bonus! As a child who grew up under Soviet domination and has lived in Latvia since they were freed in 1991, he had unique perspectives on life before the change, during the transition, and today as a member of the EU.. You only get what you ask for with guided tours, and small-group ones are the way to really get to know a place and the people who call it home. I can’t thank Viator enough for putting us with our guide, who shared so much with us about his own experiences and the challenges Latvians faced for so many difficult years. This walking tour made this stop truly memorable.

Harijs came up when I searched for the best tours in Riga, and he absolutely lived up to that billing. His business, Honest Tours, offers exactly what the name suggests. We arranged a full day private tour by email, bespoke to our cruise schedule, covering the old town, the art deco neighbourhoods, contemporary Riga and lunch. A mix of walking and being driven around the city. What sets Harijs apart is his storytelling. He draws on his own lived experience to bring Riga to life in a way that no scripted tour could replicate. Childhood memories of the Russians coming for Latvia again, lazy summer afternoons watching hockey in the city centre. It feels personal and authentic rather than rehearsed. We walked the old town, stepped inside a church to see the extraordinary organ, wandered through the market in the old zeppelin hangars and tasted local cheese and bread. The art deco quarter was a real highlight. We also drove through the Soviet era residential blocks, which gave a fascinating dimension to the city’s more recent history. Lunch was at a local restaurant chosen by Harijs, with genuine Latvian food that was excellent. Honestly one of the highlights of the entire cruise. If you are stopping in Riga, do not hesitate.

We had great time with Harijs. He is very knowledgeable and acts and talks like he enjoys what he does. He has an answer for all the questions so this is a perfect way of getting to know Riga and we recommend 100%. Thank you Harijs!

We had a fantastic day with Harijs. He thoroughly covered aspects of Latvian history with humour emotion and personal insight as we walked through the old town and the nouveau district. He also took us to a local kiosk for lovely coffee and pastries. The round trip took us back to our hotel . We loved Riga and would book Harijs without hesitation if we are lucky enough to return.

tour was informative and a great way to see the town. Our guide made it fun as well as educationaland was happy to answer all our questions. We usually get a map and guide book but we would have missed so much. Highly recommend the tour and guide

Best guide. Best van! The guide knows all history and animals and trees! Stopped at lively overlooks. Drinks and snacks on board. Couldn't have had a better experience!

What a great day we had with Honest Tours of Riga. Our guide was so pleasant and knowledgable of the area history and architecture. Love having a local private guide since you get more than a generic tour....great to hear personal experiences from a local. Highly recommend booking this tour!

I just can’t heap enough praise on this tour or on Harijs - I’ve done a lot of walking tours in a lot of cities and this is one of the very best, as is Harijs. Witty, informative, entertaining and at times also moving, he was even better than his reviews. He customised our itinerary as we all wanted to add some tastings at Central Market and he made it incredibly simple to do that - he was very quick and easy to communicate with during and after the booking process - and throughout the tour itself responded so willingly to our questions and digressions, clearly adding more information and expanding on things as he - and we- saw where our interests lay. He was very funny and utterly engaging. Some of what he told us was also deeply moving and we ended up with a real understanding of the history of Latvia and particularly what the inter- and post-war decades have meant to its people, and even how it felt to live through some of them. He brought Riga, its life, its culture, its history vividly and often hilariously to life, and he made the rest of our time in the city immeasurably richer. His mother and some of his friends are completely right - he absolutely is the best private guide of Riga. Book him today - you know you want to, and you definitely should.

Our group of 12 spent two days with Harijs, touring Sigulda and Riga's Old Town, and had a wonderful experience. He designed the two days of touring based on our initial input, and continued to be flexible throughout the two days, as we made requests to adjust the schedule and work in one or two changes. We saw a broad range of Riga's highlights, and learned a ton about Latvian history. And we also got a great sense for modern Latvian culture, attitudes, and what life has felt like for the local population during the last couple years. Oh, and we got a taste of Latvia while visiting the market! Harijs was funny, engaging, and the many hours we spent with him seemed to pass very quickly, as his storytelling made the experience a lot of fun. He conducted the tour in flawless English, and was also comfortable switching to Russian for those in our group who speak it. And his love for Latvia came through constantly, even when undercut by his self-deprecating humor about the "lowly" achievements of his little country (e.g. in the olympics, as he introduced us to one of only ~10 bobsled tracks operating anywhere in the world). He clearly loves his country, and nowhere was that more evident than in the closing stages of our Riga Tour when he recounted the history of the Barricades, Latvians' heroic confrontation with Soviet forces sent to clamp down on Latvia's declared independence. Tour logistics were handled smoothly (coordinating a bus for us, managing the timing, breaks, etc.) throughout, and the whole experience worked well for kids and adults in our group. We would absolutely recommend Harijs to anyone looking for a great guide and a great tour, and we'd happily use Honest Tours again in the future!

I was in a group of eight friends, Anete greeted us and apologised for the change of plan in guide. Anete needn't have apologised, as she did an amazing job of showing us around Old Town and explaining the history of the sights, attractions and rich architecture. Everyone in the group was delighted with the experience and impressed with how well Anete kept us informed, engaged and interested, using personal stories from her life and even surprised us with a lovely singing voice to add colour to tour. Thank you to Anete from everyone in our group, Chris.

My extended family (3 generations) spent two fantastic days in the company of (without any doubt) the best private guide in Riga. And to say that Harijs is the best is really to say nothing. He is very knowledgable, very passionate about Latvia and its history, very attentive, has a very nice sense of humor, and has an absolutely great personality. It is possible to list another half a dozen "very" with other Harij's' qualities but it still. will not be enough to describe how good he is. From the very beginning before we even arrived in Latvia when I was arranging the tours Harijs was very helpful with suggestions on how to fit as much as possible into the two days of sightseeings. He combined the historic tour of Riga with the Taste of Riga tour and hired a minibus for the second day to show our group of 12 people Sigulda, the Turaida castle, and a lot of other places in the Latvian Switzerland as the Sigulda area is sometimes called. Although some in our group used to live in Riga and thought that we knew the city well, a lot of facts that we learned from Harijs were new for us. Harijs's English was perfect. And last but not least he was very flexible and accommodating to our requests during the tours although this extended the length of the tours and the time that he spent with us. To those reading this review I can give only one advice: if you want to have the best private guide in Riga go with Harijs. You will not regret!

Hariys was absolutely the best! He is very knowledgeable about his city and very passionate about his country. It was very pleasant to learn about the Art Noveau buildings - something I knew very little about. He managed to get me inside one of the buildings to look at the amazing staircase. He gave a lot of good information about Latvia and the current political climate. He even walked me back to the ship, which was a blessing, as for some reason, I seem to have got lost at a lot of the ports on this trip. I really enjoyed my walk with Hariys and highly recommend it for anybody who wants to learn about Riga and Latvia.

Harijs’ passion for his country and his depth of knowledge gave us an eye opening few hours and memories which will last a long time. We visited Riga primarily to see the Art Nouveau buildings, but ended up learning so much more. Very highly recommended.

We spent amazing 3.5 hours with Eva. She is very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and has a very warm personality which creates a special atmosphere. Both, my husband and I, enjoyed our tour very much and fell in love with Riga.

Harijs has good communication skills and was very good at personalizing his tour and tailoring stops and discussions to our interests. We had lots of questions and he took the time to answer thoroughly without watching the clock. He ended up spending quite a bit more time with us than promised in his tour description to ensure that we got all of our questions answered, but still didn't miss out on seeing anything.

Harijs, the guide, met me at my hotel on time an immediately started the tour. He was able to share his great knowledge of Latvia and Riga's history but he was also able to share personal experiences and stories that made the tour even more personal. In four hours we covered a lot of the landmarks and attractions in Riga both inside and outside the old town. I would highly recommend using Harijs to help you get the most from your visit to Riga.

This tour was just amazing! For this very reasonable price we got a very high quality experience. Totally private and was almost 5 hours long !!!!! . The guide is really knowledgeable and the time flew by so fast. We all enjoyed the Riga tour ( including our 9 years old daughter). I would very highly recommend this tour.

Fantastic tour led by a knowledgeable and passionate tour guide. Five hours didn't seem very long when Harijs took us around Riga. We saw the Art Nouveau quarter and the Old Town. We didn't go into any Museums, but Harijs was able to advise us on what to see during the rest of our visit over the weekend. What really made this tour for us was Harijs knowledge and passion for Riga and Latvia. It helped make the history more relevant and gave us a closer perspective on current Latvian society and culture. Harijs was great company and happy to help us make the most of our time in Riga.

We had a fun and informative tour, learning a lot about Latvian history and identity. Harris was very knowledgeable and made the history of the people, city and buildings come alive. There was such a lot of information packed into our tour round the city, I am so glad we opted for this tour, it was time well spent.

In five hours we covered the history of Riga in such an interesting way. From looking at the architecture from various periods, the scars left by occupiers and Harijs’s personal stories. The time went so quickly and we discovered so much. I would highly recommended this tour.

I had a great time. The tour guide was very informative and a pleasure to be around. He showed me around the city, explained the history and answered and questions i may have had. I recommend this tour 100%

Viator notes Harijs was a terrific guide, his local knowledge of Riga was matched by his passion for his country’s rich and fascinating cultural and political history. Following the tour we felt like we’d made a friend rather than just been talked at. This tour gives newcomers to Riga a really good overview of both old and new city areas and the magnificent gardens between them. Harijs shares his considerable architectural knowledge blended with entertaining stories of buildings construction and occupation over time. If you only do one tour in Riga make it this one.

Our guide was excellent. The tour was customized to our needs and Harijs was very adaptable since we had a baby with us. My wife is Latvian and she learned a lot from the tour. I would highly recommend his services for anyone looking for a guide of Riga.

Riga is a city with alot of history. Tour guide Harry was able to provide a wonderful comprehensive tour of the old city and modern city. A worthy excursion.

Exceptional private group tour. Harijs was an excellent guide around Riga. His genuine interest in the subject came through, and combined with his research, warm and humourous personality, personal stories, and his professional flexibility to tailor the tour to our group's specific interests it all made for an excellent experience. Some of our group were a little uncertain about the advertised length of the tour being too long (4-5 hours) but we spent over 5 hours with Harijs in the end and the entire group agreed it was absolutely worth the time investment and had a fantastic time. Strongly recommend to anyone considering this.

Fantastic tour. The best waking tour I have had anywhere. Harijs was an excellent guide, enthusiastic and knowledgeable. His passion for Riga and Latvia in general really comes through. We had a private tour for 6 friends in our thirties which took in the old town, main park and art decor area. He also recommended us places to eat and ideas for a day trip the following day which were both great.

"The best private guide in town" is almost underselling the knowledge and local insight that Harijs (Harry) brought to our walking tour of Riga. Due to the pandemic and bad weather, I had been talking to Harijs for over 2 years trying to get the tour finalised.... both he(and his wife) and I, probably thought the trip would never happen, but at a 4th attempt, flights and hotel confirmed, we were finally able to visit the fabulous city of Riga. So glad we stuck it out, and kept with Harijs - he was an absolute professional, and so knowledgeable and engaging with his stories. I wont say too much about the actual tour, so not to spoil it for anyone else - just book it - you will not be disappointed.

The art noveau buildings. Where I found a new interest and understanding of architecture. Lots of interesting facts and personal accounts.

What a brilliant tour ‘Harry’ gave us all. He took us to all the important & interesting places within the City and took his time explaining in great detail, the history of Riga. We highly recommend taking a tour with him should you ever find yourself here 👍

Where do I begin, my husband had found Harijs on trip advisor and it was the best decision we made for our trip to Riga and the surrounding areas. We were a group or 8 and we booked 2 days with Harijs and both days were fantastic. Harijs is a very passionate and informative guide and he certainly made our trip to Riga very special, we can’t thank him enough, especially as it had taken 4 attempts to get there due to Covid! I would highly recommend if you want to make your trip to Riga very special❤️🇱🇻

A detailed 4.5 hour tour of the old town and art nouveau districts. Our guide Harijs was very informative and also flexible to accommodate some additional places we wanted to see. We also stopped halfway through for coffee & cake which helped spread the tour nicely. We did this on our first day in Riga so leant s good deal about the city and how to find our way around.

We really enjoyed our tour which covered the old town & art nouveau districts of Riga but was also made bespoke by our guide including other things we wished to see. Our guide was called Harijs and he was extremely informative and friendly and flexible to cater for our requirements. We also stopped for a break halfway through the tour at a lovely French cafe for a coffee and cake. Highly recommend this tour.

I had a fantastic day out with my honest tour guide. He was very good at giving me details about Riga. From the art Nouveau architecture details to historic details about the city. I highly recommend.

What an absolutely wonderful Saturday - Harijs went above and beyond to customize the tour to our liking and ensure we got to see all we wanted, he was very knowledgeable and we learnt loads about your lovely city!

What a fantastic experience! We booked a private tour and were more than happy with the outcome. Harris personalised the tour and tailored it to our requests. The given information was very interesting and it covered a lot of facts about the city as well as some „fun facts“. I highly recommend this tour!

I discovered some many cool hidden gems in this personalized tour. Wow. I thought I knew the city, but Harijs showed me places that I had never known about and uncovered hidden corners of the city's rich history that are hard to find (by non-Latvian speakers). The tour was 100% designed to fit my interests and my timelines and yet we were able to slow down when we needed to or my interest was sparked, to really enjoy the cool places we went too. Harijs has a way of inquiring about what you know about Latvian history and building your understanding of this city's rich history (instead of repeating what I can read in guide books). I am sad that I discovered this guide at the end of my stay here in Latvia, and not at the beginning because he would have been my go-to guide for all my city and country adventures. Couldn't recommend him enough!

We had a lot of private guides in our holidays around the world, in almost 20 countries and every time we had at least two or three of them. Harijs, our today's guide, was for sure one of the best. Warm, friendly, even thrilled to show us Riga and to explain us a lot of very interesting stories and anecdotes. Four and half hours passed in a while. He speaks a perfect English and was always helpful to answer a lot of questions. If you are a family o a small group of friends, Harijs is the perfect guide to introduce you to Riga beauties. Thank you for your comprehensive and professional job!

I felt compelled to write this review based on solely the booking process alone ( not taken the trip yet) With so much choice for walking tours, it is sometimes difficult to source a good one. After spotting this tour, reached out to the operator to see if we could change the itinerary slightly, and nothing was a problem for Harijs. He offered to help with activities for the rest of our trip, which fantastic service. Looking forward even more to the trip now. Thank you, you are a true gentlemen.

Wer in Riga ist und eine tolle, informative Stadtführung mit viel Hintergrundinformationen und der persönlichen Sicht eines Einheimischen möchte muss unbedingt diese individuelle Tour buchen. Mein Tipp ist lieber ein paar Euro mehr ausgeben und dafür so viel mehr aus dem persönlichen Gespräch mitzunehmen. Ich kann die Tour vorbehaltlos empfehlen.