Discover Riga airport on Your Own Terms: Car Rental Guide and Tips
Riga Airport is the main Latvia airport and is also the largest airport in the Baltics. Passenger traffic per year is more than 7 million people. Official website: www.riga-airport.com.
Airport contact details
- Address - P133, Mārupe, LV-1053, Latvia.
- Contact phone: +37129311187.
- GPS coordinates: 56.9226554, 23.9733129.
- IATA code: RIX.
The airport has only one terminal, but it is divided into four zones: A, B, C, E. Zones A and C serve passengers arriving from countries outside the Schengen area. In zone B, passengers who fly to the Schengen countries are served. The last zone E is arrivals service.
The airport has a duty free zone, various cafes, vending machines with drinks and food, a room for mother and child, pharmacy kiosks, currency exchange offices. There are also three car parks at the airport. One is short-term (P1), and on the rest (P3, P4), the vehicle can be left for a long-term parking.
Lounge storage is available on the ground floor in the waiting room. The first 12 hours of storage cost 2.5 euros. Also, opposite the 10th check-in counter, you can additionally wrap your luggage in a film, which will protect it from moisture and various damages. The price of the service is 12 euros for standard luggage (suitcase, bag).
How to get to the center of Riga
You can get to the center of Riga by bus. It is necessary to follow to the stop following the signs “Sabieriskais transports”. It is located next to parking lot P1. Bus 22 will take you to the center (the final stop is the bus station). If you buy a ticket from the driver - the price will be 2 euros, if you take it in advance - 1.15 euros. You can buy a ticket in advance at the airport information center, as well as at specialized vending machines at the bus stop, printed kiosks. The bus runs about 1 time in 15 minutes.
You can get to the center by small minibuses No. 341, 322. Route 341 will allow you to get to the bus station and the railway, and 322 - to Esplanade. They stop at the airport bus stop.
Also, there is an option to drive to the center Rigi by taxi. Travel time will take approximately 20 minutes, it depends on the route and traffic congestion. Taxi can be ordered online, get into a car near the airport, or ordered at the airport itself. There are taxis currently licensed to operate at the airport - these are Baltic taxi, Taxsilv and Ted Cab. They have a transparent pricing policy and the corresponding quality of service. Before taking a taxi, you should find out the price of the trip in advance, because some carriers may raise it unreasonably high. On average, a trip to the city center will cost 12 euros.
Renting a car at the airport is another way to travel comfortably. It can be rented in sectors E and C. There are a lot of companies providing this service (Avis, Europcar, Alamo etc.). Renting a car will allow you to be independent and comfortably move around the city.
How to find a car rental office at Riga Airport
In order to rent a car at the airport, you need to go to zone E or C (zones that respond to the arrival of passengers ). And head according to the “Car rental” signs.
There are many firms dealing with this issue. In Riga it is Hertz, Top rent, Sixt etc. Each office has its own schedule, but most of them are adjusted to the time of arrival of flights. Link to contact details of companies providing this service: goo.gl/maps/.
Car parking, which are rented, are located at the airport on P4. The cost of renting a car depends on the brand of car, rental time, as well as on the company that provides it. Most companies provide the opportunity to book a car rental in advance online. This function will allow you to easily select the desired car and assign it to yourself.