Museums in Latvia
29 museums in Latvia. Most visited: Latvian National Museum of Art.
Top museums in Latvia
Latvian National Museum of Art
Art museum · 208,709 visitors a year
The Latvian National Museum of Art is the place to step into Latvia's visual story. Housed in a grand early 20th-century building in the heart of Riga, the museum feels both stately and welcoming,...
Andrejs Upīts' Memorial Museum
The Riga flat where the writer Andrejs Upīts (1877–1970) spent the last nineteen years of his life is preserved as his memorial museum. Upīts moved into Flat 4 at 38 Brīvības Street with his family...
Arsenāls – Fine Arts Museum
Art museum
A 19th-century customs warehouse at Torņa iela 1 houses Arsenāls, one of the largest exhibition halls in Riga. The building, protected as a national architectural monument of Latvia, was adapted for...
Jews in Latvia Museum
The only museum in Latvia devoted to the history of the country's Jewish community from its beginnings, the Jews in Latvia Museum (Muzejs „Ebreji Latvijā”) was founded in 1989 by Marģers Vestermanis....
Latvian Ethnographic Open Air Museum
Ethnographic or open-air museum
On the lightly wooded shores of Jugla Lake, just outside Riga, the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia (Latvijas Etnogrāfiskais brīvdabas muzejs) presents the country's ethnography outdoors rather...
Latvian Museum of Architecture
The Latvian Museum of Architecture occupies an old medieval building that forms part of the Three Brothers in Riga. Founded in 1994, it belongs to the Latvian Museum Association and holds a...
Latvian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design
Art museum
The oldest surviving stone building in Riga, the former St. George's Church, houses the Latvian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design. As its name indicates, the museum is dedicated to decorative arts...
Latvian Museum of National History
History museum
Housed in Riga Castle since 1920, the Latvian Museum of National History (Latvijas Nacionālais vēstures muzejs) holds more than 840,000 items. It collects material from Latvia and the wider world,...
Latvian Museum of Natural History
Natural history museum
The Latvian Museum of Natural History (Latvijas Nacionālais dabas muzejs) traces its origins to 1845, when it was founded in Riga as the Riga Naturalist Society, or Naturforscherverein zu Riga in...
Latvian Museum of Photography
As the only memory institution in Latvia devoted to photography, the Latvian Museum of Photography in Riga focuses entirely on this one medium. Founded in 1993, it holds a collection of more than...
Latvian Railway History Museum
Transport museum
The Latvian Railway History Museum (Latvijas dzelzceļa vēstures muzejs) holds the largest collection of wide-gauge railway vehicles in the Baltics, meaning vehicles built for track wider than the...
Latvian War Museum
Military museum
Founded in 1916 to collect material on the Latvian Riflemen and World War I, the Latvian War Museum (Latvijas Kara muzejs) is Riga's military museum. Its collection numbers more than 350,000 items....
Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation
Maritime museum
The oldest museum in the Baltic States, the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation (Rīgas vēstures un kuģniecības muzejs) traces its origins to 1773, when it began as the private collection of...
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
History museum
Three occupations in 51 years are the subject of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia (Latvijas Okupācijas muzejs): Soviet rule in 1940–1941, Nazi German rule in 1941–1944, and Soviet rule again...
Paula Stradin̦a Medicīnas vēstures muzejs
Counted among the largest medical museums in the world, the Pauls Stradins Museum of the History of Medicine (Paula Stradiņa Medicīnas vēstures muzejs) in Riga holds a collection of more than 200,000...
Pharmacy Museum
Medicines manufactured in Latvia in the 1920s and 1930s are among the exhibits at the Latvian Museum of Pharmacy, which traces how pharmacy and pharmacies developed in the country. The museum...
Riga Film Museum
Music, film or theatre museum
As the only museum of its kind in Latvia, the Riga Film Museum, also known as the Latvian Film Museum, is devoted entirely to cinema. Its exhibitions explore different aspects of film art, the actors...
Riga Zoo
Zoo or aquarium
Around four thousand animals of nearly five hundred species live at Riga Zoo, which sits on the western bank of Ķīšezers lake in the Mežaparks neighbourhood, beside Mežaparks park. The city-owned zoo...
Žanis Lipke Memorial
Beside the former home of Žanis Lipke on the island of Ķīpsala, this memorial museum marks the place where Lipke hid Jews from the Riga Ghetto during World War II. Signs give its Latvian name, Žaņa...
Museums by city in Latvia
Latvia’s museum landscape is closely tied to its regions and cities, with Riga offering the broadest range of collections. Here you can move from the Latvian National Museum of Art and Arsenāls – Fine Arts Museum to smaller memorial houses dedicated to writers and public figures such as Andrejs Upīts and Krišjānis Barons. On Mooseum, these museums become easier to compare and explore, whether you are planning a focused art visit or a wider cultural itinerary.
Beyond the capital, museums reveal the distinct character of Kurzeme, Vidzeme, Zemgale, and Latgale. Daugavpils Mark Rothko Art Centre connects Latvia to international modern art, while Latgales kultūrvēstures muzejs introduces the language, ceramics, and local traditions of eastern Latvia. Visitors interested in religion, minority history, and education can also find places such as the Ernst Glück Bible Museum and the Jews in Latvia Museum through Mooseum.
Many museums in Latvia are compact and rewarding to visit in combination, especially in historic town centers and older neighborhoods. Exhibitions often balance art, everyday history, literature, and the story of the country’s 20th century. Mooseum helps visitors navigate this variety with digital tours and indoor maps, making it simpler to fit major institutions and smaller specialist museums into the same day.
Map of museums in Latvia
Museums in Latvia: questions
- How many museums are there in Latvia?
- Mooseum lists 29 museums in Latvia. Riga has the most, with 21.
- What are the most visited museums in Latvia?
- By annual visitors reported on Wikipedia: Latvian National Museum of Art (208,709).
- What kinds of museums are in Latvia?
- Of the 17 whose type we know, the most common are art museums (5), transport museums (3), history museums (2) and ethnographic and open-air museums (1).
- Strong art collections in Riga and Daugavpils, including the Latvian National Museum of Art and the Mark Rothko Art Centre
- A notable tradition of memorial museums dedicated to writers, folklorists, and cultural figures such as Andrejs Upīts and Krišjānis Barons
- Regional museums in Latgale and other parts of Latvia that focus on local identity, ceramics, language, and everyday life
- Museums addressing Latvia’s religious and multicultural history, including Jewish heritage and Bible history collections
- A mix of large national institutions and smaller house museums, often set in historic buildings with a strong sense of place
- Many museums in Latvia, especially smaller memorial museums, have shorter opening hours and may close one or two days a week, so check schedules in advance.
- Riga’s central museums are easy to combine on foot or by tram, while regional museums are often best reached by train, intercity bus, or car.
- Look for reduced or free admission days, which are common at public museums, and note that some special exhibitions require a separate ticket.
- Autumn through spring is a good time for museum visits in Latvia, while summer travelers should book ahead in smaller towns where staffing and hours can vary.
From the blog
- Late March Update: TripAdvisor Ratings, Museum FAQs, and Richer Pages
Every museum page on Mooseum now has descriptions, visitor FAQs, admission info, accessibility details, and TripAdvisor ratings. Plus: 46 country guides.
All museums in Latvia
Every museum in Latvia listed on Mooseum. Search by name or type.
| Name | Type | Website | Links | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Andrejs Upīts' Memorial MuseumThe Riga flat where the writer Andrejs Upīts (1877–1970) spent the last nineteen years of his life is preserved as his memorial museum. Upīts moved into Flat 4 at 38 Brīvības Street with his family... | — | www.upisamuzejs.lv |  | — |
Arsenāls – Fine Arts MuseumA 19th-century customs warehouse at Torņa iela 1 houses Arsenāls, one of the largest exhibition halls in Riga. The building, protected as a national architectural monument of Latvia, was adapted for... | Art museum | www.lnmm.lv/lv/ars | | — |
— | www.rothkocenter.com | | — | |
Religious museum | visitaluksne.lv/visit/ernsta-glika-bibeles-muzejs | | — | |
Jews in Latvia MuseumThe only museum in Latvia devoted to the history of the country's Jewish community from its beginnings, the Jews in Latvia Museum (Muzejs „Ebreji Latvijā”) was founded in 1989 by Marģers Vestermanis.... | — | ebrejumuzejs.lv | | — |
— | www.baronamuzejs.lv | | — | |
— | rezekne.lv/latgales-kulturvestures-muzejs/#link_tab-1510659878634-3-3 | | — | |
Latvian Ethnographic Open Air MuseumOn the lightly wooded shores of Jugla Lake, just outside Riga, the Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia (Latvijas Etnogrāfiskais brīvdabas muzejs) presents the country's ethnography outdoors rather... | Ethnographic or open-air museum | brivdabasmuzejs.lv | | — |
Latvian Museum of ArchitectureThe Latvian Museum of Architecture occupies an old medieval building that forms part of the Three Brothers in Riga. Founded in 1994, it belongs to the Latvian Museum Association and holds a... | — | www.archmuseum.lv | | — |
Latvian Museum of Decorative Arts and DesignThe oldest surviving stone building in Riga, the former St. George's Church, houses the Latvian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design. As its name indicates, the museum is dedicated to decorative arts... | Art museum | www.lnmm.lv/en/dmdm/misc/about/museum | | — |
Art museum | lnmm.lv/lv/mmrb | | — | |
Latvian Museum of National HistoryHoused in Riga Castle since 1920, the Latvian Museum of National History (Latvijas Nacionālais vēstures muzejs) holds more than 840,000 items. It collects material from Latvia and the wider world,... | History museum | lnvm.lv | | — |
Latvian Museum of Natural HistoryThe Latvian Museum of Natural History (Latvijas Nacionālais dabas muzejs) traces its origins to 1845, when it was founded in Riga as the Riga Naturalist Society, or Naturforscherverein zu Riga in... | Natural history museum | www.dabasmuzejs.gov.lv | | — |
Latvian Museum of PhotographyAs the only memory institution in Latvia devoted to photography, the Latvian Museum of Photography in Riga focuses entirely on this one medium. Founded in 1993, it holds a collection of more than... | — | www.fotomuzejs.lv | | — |
Latvian National Museum of ArtThe Latvian National Museum of Art is the place to step into Latvia's visual story. Housed in a grand early 20th-century building in the heart of Riga, the museum feels both stately and welcoming,... | Art museum | www.lnmm.lv/en/lnmm | | — |
Latvian Railway History MuseumThe Latvian Railway History Museum (Latvijas dzelzceļa vēstures muzejs) holds the largest collection of wide-gauge railway vehicles in the Baltics, meaning vehicles built for track wider than the... | Transport museum | www.railwaymuseum.lv | | — |
Latvian War MuseumFounded in 1916 to collect material on the Latvian Riflemen and World War I, the Latvian War Museum (Latvijas Kara muzejs) is Riga's military museum. Its collection numbers more than 350,000 items.... | Military museum | www.karamuzejs.lv | | — |
— | www.liepajasmuzejs.lv/lv/lm | | — | |
Museum of the History of Riga and NavigationThe oldest museum in the Baltic States, the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation (Rīgas vēstures un kuģniecības muzejs) traces its origins to 1773, when it began as the private collection of... | Maritime museum | www.rigamuz.lv | | — |
Museum of the Occupation of LatviaThree occupations in 51 years are the subject of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia (Latvijas Okupācijas muzejs): Soviet rule in 1940–1941, Nazi German rule in 1941–1944, and Soviet rule again... | History museum | okupacijasmuzejs.lv/en | | — |
Paula Stradin̦a Medicīnas vēstures muzejsCounted among the largest medical museums in the world, the Pauls Stradins Museum of the History of Medicine (Paula Stradiņa Medicīnas vēstures muzejs) in Riga holds a collection of more than 200,000... | — | www.mvm.lv/lv | | — |
— | www.pedvale.lv/en | | — | |
Pharmacy MuseumMedicines manufactured in Latvia in the 1920s and 1930s are among the exhibits at the Latvian Museum of Pharmacy, which traces how pharmacy and pharmacies developed in the country. The museum... | — | fm.mvm.lv | | — |
Art museum | porcelanamuzejs.riga.lv | | — | |
Transport museum | airmuseum.lv | | — |