Riga Soviet History Walking Tour with a Local Guide

Have you ever wondered what life was like under Soviet rule — and how people in Latvia feel about that time today? If so, this tour is for you. During the walk, I’ll share personal stories from my family and friends about everyday life in the Soviet era, while we explore Soviet-era monuments, buildings, and memorials around Riga. At times, the tour takes a darker turn; at others, it becomes lighter and even humorous - reflecting the many layers of Latvian life during the USSR.y.

Some of the sites included on the tour: - Red Riflemen Square and the Monument to the Red Latvian Riflemen - Soviet-era buildings from different decades - Churches and their Soviet-era history and repurposing - Controversial Soviet-era monuments that still stand today - The infamous Hotel Inturist, once a surveilled hotel for foreign visitors - The KGB Corner House - A Stalin-era skyscraper - Memorials dedicated to Latvians exiled to Siberia - The Freedom Monument and the story of how it survived Soviet rule - Key sites and memorials marking the events of the Singing Revolution and the 1991 Barricades