Life in Riga, the City of Culture

Those hoping to escape the chilly Latvian winters will find plenty to fill their time in the numerous museums. Navigation, film, porcelain, foreign art, war, motor, railways, and aviation are just some of the specialist museums and galleries waiting to be explored. When the weather warms up again, you can look forward to a visit to the open air museum of over 100 buildings depicting Latvia's districts and history. Sports fans will find that basketball, hockey, and football are popular in Riga with a particularly successful national basketball team to follow. In the summer, the numerous parks, lakes, and of course the river provide beautiful backdrops to your time in the city. As a key financial and economic center, Riga has a busy job market that is responsible for over 50% of Latvia's GDP. Main industries include exporting of wood, manufacturing, IT, pharmaceuticals and transport, while tourism is also a fast growing industry. Future growth looks promising, English is widely spoken in the business world, and expats with the right experience should find interesting opportunities.

InterNations is the largest global network for expatriates, with communities in 420 cities around the world. Meet fellow global minds in your city of residence or get to know local expatriates before you're moving or traveling abroad and never feel like a stranger. InterNations makes it easy for you to stay in touch with your expat friends, both online and offline, so you can grow your network of friends and contacts from all over the world. Whether they live in Paris or Jakarta, InterNations allows you to be close to them even if they are miles away.

Socializing and Networking with InterNations Groups

When you settle in Riga, our InterNations Groups and Official Events will afford you the opportunities to meet, network and socialize with other expats. Building a circle of friends is an important part of relocation and we encourage you to consider joining one of our groups and share your interests in arts and culture as well as fine dining. You'd like to find other expats in Riga who share your hobbies? Then feel free to create your own group for book lovers, hiking enthusiasts, etc. We know that relocation is both daunting and exciting and with InterNations you have support and reassurance as you build your new life in Riga.