Common tourist scams in Latvia and how to avoid them

Latvia does not have a big tourist-scam industry. The country's own advice to visitors, repeated by foreign governments, is that crime against travellers is mostly petty and concentrated in Riga, especially the Old Town at night. That means the practical work is small: control how you pay, how you get from the airport, and how much you drink in bars you have not checked.

The classic Old Town pattern is a bar with touts outside, no visible prices, and a bill several times what you expected. The fix is simple: read the menu before sitting down, ask for the total before ordering another round, and pay by card so there is a record. If a venue refuses to show prices, walk on. The same applies to strip clubs and late-night clubs that advertise cheap drinks; the risk is not the drink, it is the bill and the card machine.

Taxis are the second recurring complaint. At Riga airport and the central bus station, unlicensed drivers approach arrivals inside the terminal and quote a flat price. Legitimate taxis wait at marked ranks outside, and app-based rides give you a fixed price before you get in. If you do take a street taxi, check that the meter starts at the official rate and is visible, and note the licence plate.

Pickpocketing is uncommon but not zero. The places where it happens are the predictable ones: crowded trams and buses, the Central Market halls, and the Old Town on weekend nights. Keep your phone and wallet in a front pocket or a zipped bag, and do not leave a bag on the back of a chair. Card skimming at ATMs is rare; use bank ATMs inside branches or shopping centres rather than standalone machines, and cover the keypad.

Two smaller traps are worth knowing. Currency-exchange kiosks in tourist areas can advertise a good rate but apply a commission that changes the effective price; exchange at a bank or just use your card. And unofficial 'guides' or ticket sellers around the Old Town sometimes offer tours or event tickets that are not connected to the venue; buy at the official ticket office or online.

If something does go wrong, the process is straightforward. Call 112 for police, ambulance or fire; 110 reaches the police directly. For a disputed card charge, ask for a printed receipt, photograph the menu and the bill, and contact your bank, which can raise a chargeback. Travel insurance usually covers theft if you file a police report, so do that the same day.

Pay by card wherever you can. Contactless is standard in Latvia, and a card payment leaves a record that cash does not. Carry a small amount of euro cash for markets and small cafés, but do not carry a thick wallet.

Book airport transfers before you land or use a ride-hailing app at the rank. The price is fixed in the app, which removes the negotiation that unlicensed drivers rely on.

Drink where you can see the prices. In Riga, that usually means a bar or restaurant with a printed menu at the door rather than a venue with a promoter on the street.

Keep your passport and a backup card in a hotel safe, and carry a photo of your passport page on your phone. Latvian police can ask for ID, and a photocopy speeds things up.

Learn three numbers: 112 for any emergency, 110 for police, 113 for an ambulance. English is widely spoken among under-45s, including in Riga police stations and hospitals.