Taste Riga - Private Tour of Latvian Flavour
Overview
A private tour through the tastes and flavours of people of Latvia. Through centuries Latvians have absorbed traditions and cuisines from all the cultures that has ruled in these lands - Germans, Swedes, Russians - and after all, even Soviet Union had it's own way of doing kitchen stuff. Maybe because of taste, but probably because of necessity latvians have acquired their own distinct taste for stuff and this tour is all about that. First we'll wander through the central market and have a taste of whatever seasonal products are available (around 10 different types of foods/drinks) and then move on to an post soviet style "cafeteria" where you'll be able to enjoy a proper meal of Latvian traditional foods. So if you choose to book this tour please come hungry:) Keep in mind - we mostly eat seasonal stuff, therefore the foods can vary greatly from tour to tour, so the attached pictures are just an exam
Inclusions
- Everything except alcoholic beverages
- Lunch
What to expect
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Central Market (Centraltirgus), Negu iela 7, Riga 1050 Latvia
This is one of the very few main bazaars of European towns that still functions as an actual grocery market instead of being converted to a tourist trap selling souvenirs. Here you can have a peek in what local people actually shop for. You'll explore the world of Latvian cuisine by tasting a few traditional things depending on the season and - if you like them - shop for items to bring back home with you. You'll hear the stories of how and why the largest market of Europe at the time (and still) was built, and how it has managed to survive the otherwise victorious march of supermarket chains.
You'll also be getting a sneak peek into local eating habits. You'll get to enjoy a proper multi-course Latvian home meal along side traditional cuisine in a post soviet setting.
Duration: 3 hours
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Central Market (Centraltirgus), Negu iela 7, Riga 1050 Latvia
This is one of the very few main bazaars of European towns that still functions as an actual grocery market instead of being converted to a tourist trap selling souvenirs. Here you can have a peek in what local people actually shop for. You'll explore the world of Latvian cuisine by tasting a few traditional things depending on the season and - if you like them - shop for items to bring back home with you. You'll hear the stories of how and why the largest market of Europe at the time (and still) was built, and how it has managed to survive the otherwise victorious march of supermarket chains.
You'll also be getting a sneak peek into local eating habits. You'll get to enjoy a proper multi-course Latvian home meal along side traditional cuisine in a post soviet setting.
Duration: 3 hours
Additional information
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- All staff members are either vaccinated or will be vaccinated as soon as it is permitted after recovering from covid19. Face mask use indoors enforced depending on the authority issued rules at the time of experience (masks provided if needed). Single use paper/wood cutlery and plates provided.
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
Texascountess
September 2023
Our guide, Harrisy, was amazing. He checked in with us prior to the tour to be sure we knew what to tell the cab driver. Very thoughtful. Interesting stories. Wonderful food. Very generous samples. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and would recommend it very highly, particularly with this guide (...
Our guide, Harrisy, was amazing. He checked in with us prior to the tour to be sure we knew what to tell the cab driver. Very thoughtful. Interesting stories. Wonderful food. Very generous samples. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and would recommend it very highly, particularly with this guide (whose name I am sure I misspelled.zo_f196
August 2023
Harijs was such a lovely tour guide! Not only did he show us some traditional Latvian food at the market but the knowledge behind everything was amazing, nice to know why some food is popular and how it came about. I would definitely recommend this tour, and definitely recommend to try everything...
Harijs was such a lovely tour guide! Not only did he show us some traditional Latvian food at the market but the knowledge behind everything was amazing, nice to know why some food is popular and how it came about. I would definitely recommend this tour, and definitely recommend to try everything! My favourite is still the pie!C6674DKjamieb
August 2023
The highlight of our trip by far. Harijs was so lovely and informative for the whole tour. Not only explaining the food we were eating and seeing but also telling us about Riga and Latvia as a whole. The market is very interesting to see and the food was all lovely and different. We done this on ...
The highlight of our trip by far. Harijs was so lovely and informative for the whole tour. Not only explaining the food we were eating and seeing but also telling us about Riga and Latvia as a whole. The market is very interesting to see and the food was all lovely and different. We done this on our last day at Riga but I would recommend doing this day 1 as the information we got from this tour was better than the walking tour we had done around the city of Riga for understanding the culture and the people.szalrita
April 2022
Harijs is one of the best, if not the best, guides I’ve ever come across. He is a very intelligent, polite and friendly person. He has extensive knowledge on culture and history (and not limited to local history). His speech is very informative but as well entertaining. We were a private group an...
Harijs is one of the best, if not the best, guides I’ve ever come across. He is a very intelligent, polite and friendly person. He has extensive knowledge on culture and history (and not limited to local history). His speech is very informative but as well entertaining. We were a private group and he adjusted the program to our needs. Though it must have been difficult to take a group to a place like the central market where everybody wants to wonder around and see the things they want to which definitely slows down a program, I haven’t noticed the slightest sign of impatience on him. It was a very comprehensive tour on Latvian food, history and everyday life of locals. Though most of these tours are carefully advertised as the amount of food is equal to a light lunch, on this tour we ended up with a full stomach. I can’t even count how many things we sampled and ate. All in all, I highly recommend any of his tours, you won’t be disappointed. It wouldn’t be nice to say something about guides in Riga since I don’t know any other than him but on the basis of my plenty of experiences in different countries I do believe that he is the best choice in Riga. I hope we’ll have the chance to go on a tour with him again. Ps: ‘honest tours’ might sound strange but what I understood is that he is really honest on a way that he wouldn’t recommend anything like places or merchandise that he himself didn’t go to or didn’t buy. His priority is your experience and he avoids tourist traps.