I enjoyed visiting all three Baltic capitals, not least because of their differences. Tallinn with its medieval quaintness, its limestone cliffs, its wooden houses and its seaside location, Riga with its cosmopolitan 'big city' feel, the Daugava opening up to the world and its inner boroughs of stone and Vilnius with its labyrinthic cosiness, its wooded hills and its plethora of pastel coloured, almost Central European baroque churches. They seem to complement each other so well. Personally I was happy with Riga, maybe just because I like trams and art nouveau architecture.
I was recently in Riga and Vilnius. Before I went I knew that I would prefer Vilnius more. But I ended up really liking Riga. The main attraction of Riga was not the Old Town (which is still very beautiful) but the Centrs District, which has some impressive officious buildings and one of the world's largest collection of Art Noveau buildings - I went on a walking tour of this district and it was hugely enjoyable and interesting. Like you, I really liked the park and river running between the Old Town and Centrs as it is beautifully laid out and peaceful. I also took a trip to the beach at Jurmala which was wonderful - the biggest drawback of Vilnius is not being near the beach. However, I prefer Vilnius. It is quite compact but the Old Town there is very extensive and charming and cosy. There are better opportunities for vistas like Gediminas Tower and the Three Crosses. The riverside in Vilnius is different to Riga as it is a much wider river and not a parkland but is very pleasant to walk along. The disadvantages of Vilnius compared to Riga are not being near the beach, the lack of trams and the lack of an extensive suburb of wide streets like Centrs. But while I did enjoy Riga, I would rank Vilnius as one of the best cities I have ever visited.
I just wait, and really hope that it works out, for the Rail Baltica in 2030, so we can go to Riga in 2 hours with a fast train :) As well, there're preparations to finally make full highway road from Vilnius/Kaunas to Riga, but it may take even longer, up to 2035. Good thing that we are going to have a highway from Vilnius to Warsaw in 2024. Basically a highway from Vilnius To Lisbon :DD Such a thing was a wild dream 10-15 years ago :)
Riga seems to be too spread out for the current population, since the area outside of the old town is much bigger due to the fact that Riga was the baltic cultural and industrial hub during the German/Russian period. Now once the population stopped growing it just feels somewhat empty at places. Vilnius old town while being bigger, basically doesn't have an expansive 19th-20th century districts as Riga does and therefore everything happens in the old town. It's much more lively due to that reason and that's great, yet, of course the Soviet era buildings are bordering that old town, while Riga still has Art Noveau or brown brick/wooden houses bordering those districts, which makes Riga richer in terms of architecture, just that the vibes are better in Vilnius (personally)
@@chlorutiz1055 that's your Lithuanian bias kicking in, that's simply not true. Vilnius doesn't have the Hansa/Lutheran, Swedish influences, even the Soviet era buildings are more grand, not to mention the Art Noveau district. Vilnius has a unique style of Vilnian Baroque buildings sure, but that's it.
@@danielius3239 there's no such thing as stupid opinion, just an opinion. Uneducated opinion sure, but it still is simply an opinion. Mine is based on facts, yours is on perception and belief system, social constructs you have, but certainly not facts.
There are roadworks on the main highway! Near Pasvalys, the highway is undergoing major construction, therefore drivers choose to go via Vabalninkas, Biržai instead
Baltic trams seem to have been built to transport workers to factories, such as Kopli in Tallinn and the metal works in Liepaja. Perhaps there was no need to move workers around in Vilnius, so the tram did not develop there. It's interesting to take a trip on a tram and see the old workers' houses in Tallinn and Liepaja.
There was a tram in Vilnius back in the days (horse pulled in the beginning and later with combustion engines, never an electric one). There's still Tramvajų gatvė (Tram street) in Vilnius although there are no rails left.
@kraanz Nobody here said that though.. There is also no more public train line to Liepāja or Ventspils, apparently not rentable. Only buses. However tram lines are what sets Latvia's biggest cities apart simply by having them in Rīga, Liepāja and Daigavpils, (i might have missed some).
@@dannydetonator there are trains from rīga to liepāja so that is an option. but no more to ventspils however the old train station in ventspils is very nice and probably ready to accept passengers
The reason why the bus driver may have chosen a different route is the road works near Pasvalys. They show slow traffic there on Google maps even now, but I remember there were days back in August or September when drivers had to spend like 2 or 3 hours in almost standstill traffic. That's very uncommon in Lithuania though, and even the biggest roadworks usually won't take more than extra 10 or 15 minutes compared to regular travel time. As for Riga, it's a great city and I really can't wait for the Vilnius-Riga train service to be (re)introduced next year. What I did notice in Riga over my last few trips there, is that somehow it feels a bit stuck in the 90s or early 2000s in terms of its restaurant and bar scene with its vibe, service and food quality. Vilnius (ant Tallinn) used to lag behind in this regard back in the day, but now Vilnius is miles ahead and makes Riga feel like Vilnius 15 years ago. Also, the general vibe in the city. Not sure if you noticed it, but somehow Riga has that bad early 2000s vibe in places. Maybe it's the local ethnic Russian population (known as "Rižanins"), or relative lack of large international companies or student population? Not sure what it is exactly, but I hope you see what I mean. Still, Riga is one of the greatest and most interesting cities in the region. And yeah, Riga has a much better public transport than Vilnius :) Also, nice that you noted the advantages of a tram. You're spot on here. And no, "sloping terrain" of Vilnius would not affect it in any way whatsoever. There are cities that have far steeper hills and use regular tram rolling stock and solutions that do not cause any issues. It's solely to do with lack of vision and ambition.
I agree that Riga and LV in general is majorly handicapped by the lack of lookout high spots, relief and such. WE call it Flatvia. I also agree that Vilnius center feels smaller and more cosy. Thanks!
I would love to go to Riga and Tallinn! From the Baltic countries I know only Lithuania, where I have been many times. But I am very drawn to these parts, and I hope someday I will be able to visit Latvia and Estonia as well.
Riga’s story how it was constructed, it’s history during the tsar times is different from Vilnius. Once you are in Riga you should see the city with a guide, it’s so different than just to read in a book and walk around by yourself (my experiences). Riga always had different status in the region than other cities from the Baltic states. Nevertheless living in vilnius myself I love the old towns of both Vilnius and Riga.
I live in Vilnius all my life and I really love the coziness. however, it expanded very recently so it definitely feels like Riga is larger. no tram or metro is a painful topic for me. there were many debates and plans but eventually the outcome was that this project is too expensive and will never pay off. this is sad coz public transport in vilnius is trash, neighbourhoods are spread very widely and far away from each other. maybe in far future there will be better possibilities
You also described myself about staying in hostel dorms, I dont want to wake up anyone with my snoring but I also dont want to be woken up by the party people.
I agree about the river size, Vilnius felt like a really cozy place, I liked the warm and brighter buildings, and how compact and well arranged the city felt
Riga's old town is significantly smaller than Vilnius' old town, but it can give you an opposite impression if you don't walk both of them extensively, because Riga's old town has generally larger and better looking buildings that are more European in style. Vilnius' old town can seem more provincial despite being larger.
@@MrVafflisThe majority of Latvian towns have been founded and built by the Germans whom invaded the lands of modern-day Latvia while Lithuanians successfully resisted against colonization and built their own cities.
@@rds7516Vilnius countains far more architectural styles than Riga does. I'd say it's even more European. Riga is a considerably smaller city by about 100 square kilometers and outside of it's historic center and new town, looks less developed than Vilnius.
It is really funny to call buildings, built in 1900s-1930s "more European" and buildings, built in the 16th century "more provincial" based on a sole thing - the height. What's the point of comparing 400 years old buildings in Vilnius (I assure you, buildings of this age is of the same height and of the same "provincial level" in Prague, Budapest or Vienna too) with buildings of Karlis Ulmanis era like department store in Riga or various ministries and banks? Before the invention of electricity and elevators, the absolute majority of buildings were 2-3-storey, be it Riga, Vilnius or Viena or Prague. The so-called Old Town in Riga is actually no more than 100-120 years old with a few older buildings - 150 years old. What are e discussing there then? Compare it with the University of Vilnius, where the buildings are at least 200 years old and the main building is 7-storey with additional towers or the Presidential palace in Vilnius, rebuilt more than 200 years ago, etc.
Road construction is done every summer at different spans. Personally, I'd rather drive on small roads than wait for half an hour to pass the repair section, all else being equal
1:35 I am a Lithuanian citizen who lives in Latvia. I have a Latvian ID card, but as a resident, not a citizen. It looks almost the same as the citizen's ID card and within Latvia serves as the main identification document for all official things. But bus drivers never accept that and always ask for Lithuanian passport or ID card. Not sure why, though. In Latvia that ID card proves both that I'm a Lithuanian citizen (have a right to enter Lithuania) and my identity. Even EU residency should be enough for the border crossing. But maybe it's because of many Belarusians, Russians, and Ukrainians moving around. 🤷🏻♂️
A travel document is your passport! You may or may not be asked to provide a visa/residence permit so it's useful to have those with you as well. If you're a national of a EU/Schengen member state you can use your ID card instead. When it comes to road construction, unfortunately, whenever it is spring/summer there are a lot of roadworks and they are always painfully slow. This is a thing in Baltics and we're all angry about it. Sorry about that. As for Riga being empty - covid was not kind to the city. It killed off almost half of pubs and restaurants and I'm not sure if that's ever going to recover. Latvia's demographic trends are also much more dire than Estonia or Lithuania and the population is aging significantly faster than the other two. Riga was a city designed for more than a million people and there are only about 600k left. Pair that with recent global events and stagnating economy... we're struggling. It's rough.
I like Riga but I love Vilnius more because Vilnius city center feels like it is made for residents of Vilnius and Riga feels like it is made for tourists and visitors. Like you said you can walk across the bridge and you at home, the most visible pubs and restaurants are not overpriced and as it started as a smaller city there is not need and place for very tall buildings in the middle of it.
What do you mean New town? Riga have old town, which probably is smaler then Vilnius, but also Riga have mutch bigger city centr, build mostly 19 century. City center u can not compare with Vilnius. Its a massive, I prefire city center, then old town. Riga its my home city.
@@Tramigais its just a historical name new and old town. it doesnt apply anymore. both are historic districts. like in liepāja there is new and old liepāja on opposite sides of the river but both could easily be considered the old towns of liepāja these days
On the other side of your hotel was central train station. Or so called Origo. It's the place where all the drug addicts, alcoholics, bums and other lower class citizens like to hang out. No idea why police hasn't kicked them out. It gives bad impression.
I'm Latvian and i have been to Riga more than hundred times and i never feel comfortable there, mostly because of extremely busy traffic, people heavily smoking on streets and barely hearing people speaking Latvian(In Riga almost half of residents are Russian), there are plenty of street beggars, high crime rate and air pollution. I have been to Vilnius only once and i felt way more comfortable! I never had a feeling that i would be lost or being confused by the big city chaos.
Before WWII Vilnius was a Polish city with a very small Lithuanian population, so Vilnius is perhaps more comparable with Polish cities than Riga which has more German and Scandinavian influence. Riga at one point was the third biggest city in the Russian empire and the biggest in the Swedish empire. It's a shame the successive Latvian governments haven't done a better job of developing and preserving Riga.
The figures of Riga include Daugava river waters as the border runs exactly in the middle of the river. You should exclude this, also exclude many football fields of asphalt on the river banks and near the train station, that are also included in this "Old town" and all that is left is a tiny district of ca. 40 ha, smaller than the Old Town in Kaunas or even Klaipėda!
I actually really like the fact that Riga is kinda hard to orient yourself in. Maybe it's some strange type of masochism, but I enjoy the whole " oh, that's where I am" and "Oh there's a street there" even after living there for multiple years. And Daugava being do wide give each dide it's own cultural identity almost. So much so that a left river bank vs right river bank basketball game is an annual tradition.
Hello. First from looking at the beginning of your video, I want to comment on that Vilnius station square is a shame of the city. The actual train station is stalinist building which looks tragic. I don't understand why they don't change the gates of the Capital city. isn't it the thing they should fix first of all? The same with Vilnius international airport - same stalinist building which puts people in shock. a friend from Ireland, who already has prejudice about Lithuania and knew nothing except that it was communist, came to Vilnius by plane and was disturbed by airport facade. Lithuania conducts expensive projects like building highways and viaducts, bicycle roads, repairs small towns squares etc. why don't they build new airport and train station? Why Belarus which sinks in dictate can build ultra modern train stations or airports, and Lithuania, part of EU, cannot? Second, Riga really feels bigger, you are right. Even today's population of Riga and Vilnius is around 600 people. But Riga at some point was almost a million people city. It was built as a larger city, also the old town was developed by Germans which gave it much more Western looking and feeling city. Riga has much bigger agglomeration than Vilnius which still makes it a million inhabitant. But Latvia only has one large city and their second city is a small town with only 77 000 people. Lithuania in its turn has Kaunas, Klaipeda and Siauliai - towns unprecedented in size as not capital cities in both Latvia and Estonia. Interestingly I think I was in exactly same hotel you stayed in. I think it is not a proper hotel but made inside residential house with apartments converted to a hotel. It was tragic, and yes - I also saw someone sleeping on the staircase which surprised me a lot. Riga is beautiful. Art Noveau style buildings make it look very European. Riga is 308 square km by area; Vilnius is 401 sq km however Riga has much bigger built-up part and 60% of Vilnius are woods. Which not really makes it bigger as a city realistically. Nominally Vilnius is even bigger than Minsk (383 sq km) but Minsk is huge - no comparison to Vilnius. It has metro and massive avenues. Vilnius old town is more influenced by Polish architecture, Riga - German and Scandinavian. Riga has definitely more impressive center than Vilnius. But Vilnius is way ahead of Riga in terms of restoration of things outside the old town. Riga is sketchier outside center. Communism residential so called "sleeping districts" are incomparably more tragic in Riga than in Vilnius. I also like trams and it is very strange that Lithuania has none (well... it was in Klaipeda. It was deliberately demolished in 1950ies). It is more than strange that Lithuania invest hundreds of millions of euros into obsolete vehicles like buses and trolley buses (all together for last 20 years probably close to a billion euros) but does not build a tram line in Vilnius. Which is more ecological and comfortable. Vilnius is greener than Riga. also less polluted. In summer you can really feel car pollution in Riga - huge difference with Vilnius or even more huge with my Klaipeda. It is easier to get around downtown Vilnius. It is cozier, too. Riga is beautiful with striking imposing center part. but it is not comfortable or cozy.
Oh yes! The environment of the Vilnius train station is so depressing! I was shocked that no one cares about the square in front of the station. And those crumbling shopping booths and sleeping drunk people in the square - a nightmare!
@@pun26pun Haven’t you noticed drug addicts pushing themselves right in the underground crossings at Frankfurt am Main Central rail station? Or haven’t you seen drunken young British ladies urinating publicly near Oxford Street? But who cares… As it is said in the Bible: Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Starting from 2026 it will be complete reconstruction train n bus station it will be international bus station for traveling around Lithuania will be a same. They do not start works till Via Baltica is complete then Rail Baltica project triggers From Helsinki to Warsaw!
Вы посетили ВСЕ костёлы, церкви, монастыри Вильнюса, все магнатские особняки, резиденции, все парки вроде Траку Воке, Веркяй, Белмонтас, все природные достопримечательности как обрывы Пучкоряй, Plikakalnis, Зелёные озёра или холм Laimo kalnas, чтобы утверждать сию ересь? 😀
@@arturass3896 Вильнюс очень красивый спору нет! Но именно для меня Рига интересней и красивей. В общем Литва ухожанней Латвии....очень нравится литовский частный сектор!
@@villivald465 Значит, вы мало где были мало что видели в Вильнюсе. Хотя бы в костёл Петра и Павла зашли? Его американцы назвали самым красивым в мире. А библиотека старого университета? Её шведы поместили в календарь самых красивых библиотек Европы, т.е. как одну из 12 самых красивых. Видели ли вы фрески в костёле Бернардинцев? Они одни из нескольких в Европе среди крупнейших готических фресок. А часовную Св. Казимира? Еще в 17-18 веках её называли самой красивой за пределами Италии в стиле барокко. А фрески в костёле Францисканцев? Разве что в Австрии такое есть, но не в Риге. А орган Каспарини в костёле Св. Духа? Он считается наилучшим и наиболее красивым в Европе органом 18 века, поэтому лидирующая в США школа музыки Истман, штат Нью-Йорк, сделала копию органа как «лучшего образца органа барокко из Европы» (выбирали между всеми странами и городами). А гобелены в Дворце Правителей, которые посол Италии назвал «одна из лучших коллекций которую я видел в жизни» или 400 тысяч археологических находок Нижнего Замка - не интересно? Кожанная обувь 13 века - не интересно??? А коллекция кафедры - шедевры ювелирики 13-18 веков в музее Церковного исскуства? Не интересно? Вы шутите? Это была всего лишь малая часть фактов о Вильнюсе и все они не имеют аналогов в Риге. Или вы думаете наоборот? 😀
@@arturass3896 Ужас как это по литовски....вам осталось только обосрать Ригу))) ну честно. Да да вы самые лудшие и самые красивые! И тут таких коментаторов много. Вы очень очень молодцы и всё увас самое при самое лудшее.
@@villivald465 Тоесть, перечень этих фактов вызывает у вас только охоту посрать? Тогда ясно что вы за личность. К тому-же, как выяснилось - очень закомплексованная.
When we talk about bigger things, let us compare apples with apples and oranges with oranges. The so called old town of Riga is just a collection of buildings, built between 1900 and 1939 with a very few buildings from the 1800s and some newest additions from after 2000s. There are also some Soviet buildings. What's the point of comparing buildings, built in 1930s in Riga with these 16th century buildings in Vilnius? According to this logic, we could also compare 4-storey tiny houses of Riga with 27-storey Europa apartments in Vilnius on Europa square and then call Riga "a tiny town". :-D Before the introduction of electricity and elevators, there were practically no houses, be it Riga or Vilnius taller than 2-3 storeys. The so-called old town of Riga should be compared to Gedimino avenue, Jogailos, Basanavičiaus, Šopeno, Žygimantų street as both the buildings in the Old town of Riga and on Gediminas avenue were built at the exact same time. The problem with this is, that almost all the touristic sites in Vilnius are located in the Old town, which is enormous compared to Riga as it stretches 450 ha, while Riga - 40 ha. The size of Vilnius Old Town elderate (Senamiesčio seniūnija) is actually larger than the whole Riga district of Centrs (300 ha) and the whole district Vecpilseta (40 ha)... Combined. You may find slightly larger figures for Riga, but these include Daugava river waters. In case the main spots would be located on Jogailos, Šopeno, Kaštonų streets, Gediminas avenue, it would look somehow different. There are also huge collection of churches in Vilnius, more than 40 and the university quarter in Vilnius is half the size of the so called Old town of Riga with the main building being 7-storey high, with an additional tower, built in the 18th century. Again, the Cathedral square or the Cathedral itself in Vilnius are large, Lukiškės square is 4 ha, the single largest square in the Baltics and so on. :)
It’s literally not that big of deal, it’s just someone’s opinion of their observation. Both towns are good, they are just different, who cares when the buildings were built.
This comparison is just wrong, Old town in Riga was not built between 1900 and 1939, there are several buildings from that period but most of old town consist of things that date back to as far as 13. century. The "Centrs distric" is only one of 7 or 8 districts which have historic buildings built between 1850ish and 1939 in considerable quantities. And at the end of the day historic buildings in Riga are simply bigger and more dense taking up much more horizontal and vertical space .
@@artursnikitenko7333Be so kind and tell us what percent of all the buildings in the so-called Old Town were built before 1900. I assure you, it will be very, I mean, VERY small number. 😮😢
@@artursnikitenko7333Yeah, sure, the Center of Vilnius is many districts as well: The Old town (includes Užupis district, Stepono district and so on), Naujamiestis (including Lukiškės district), part of Šnipiškės with 4-storey late 19th-early 20th c. buildings, etc. Anyway, Vilnius centre (not the 450 ha Old town seniūnija) - Naujamiestis alone (480 ha) is larger by size than Centrs (300 ha) in Riga or Vecriga (ca. 40 ha) and Cents (300 ha) COMBINED. 😂
@@arturass3896 Mate I am not sure how much of this is some chestbeating bs and how much actual misunderstanding of city zoning etc, rule of the thumb is if it looks bigger it is bigger, hystoric center in Vilnius may cover larger area but there are fewer buildings and they are smaller, and there is more empty space between them. Just look at google maps insted of comparing abstact numbers.
I enjoyed visiting all three Baltic capitals, not least because of their differences. Tallinn with its medieval quaintness, its limestone cliffs, its wooden houses and its seaside location, Riga with its cosmopolitan 'big city' feel, the Daugava opening up to the world and its inner boroughs of stone and Vilnius with its labyrinthic cosiness, its wooded hills and its plethora of pastel coloured, almost Central European baroque churches. They seem to complement each other so well. Personally I was happy with Riga, maybe just because I like trams and art nouveau architecture.
I think all 3 capitals look amazing in their own way, but thank you for the kind words!
I was recently in Riga and Vilnius. Before I went I knew that I would prefer Vilnius more. But I ended up really liking Riga. The main attraction of Riga was not the Old Town (which is still very beautiful) but the Centrs District, which has some impressive officious buildings and one of the world's largest collection of Art Noveau buildings - I went on a walking tour of this district and it was hugely enjoyable and interesting. Like you, I really liked the park and river running between the Old Town and Centrs as it is beautifully laid out and peaceful. I also took a trip to the beach at Jurmala which was wonderful - the biggest drawback of Vilnius is not being near the beach.
However, I prefer Vilnius. It is quite compact but the Old Town there is very extensive and charming and cosy. There are better opportunities for vistas like Gediminas Tower and the Three Crosses. The riverside in Vilnius is different to Riga as it is a much wider river and not a parkland but is very pleasant to walk along.
The disadvantages of Vilnius compared to Riga are not being near the beach, the lack of trams and the lack of an extensive suburb of wide streets like Centrs. But while I did enjoy Riga, I would rank Vilnius as one of the best cities I have ever visited.
That’s a great take. I agree!
The Old Town of Rīga and the Center are on the same side of the river, though.
I just wait, and really hope that it works out, for the Rail Baltica in 2030, so we can go to Riga in 2 hours with a fast train :) As well, there're preparations to finally make full highway road from Vilnius/Kaunas to Riga, but it may take even longer, up to 2035. Good thing that we are going to have a highway from Vilnius to Warsaw in 2024. Basically a highway from Vilnius To Lisbon :DD Such a thing was a wild dream 10-15 years ago :)
Riga seems to be too spread out for the current population, since the area outside of the old town is much bigger due to the fact that Riga was the baltic cultural and industrial hub during the German/Russian period. Now once the population stopped growing it just feels somewhat empty at places. Vilnius old town while being bigger, basically doesn't have an expansive 19th-20th century districts as Riga does and therefore everything happens in the old town. It's much more lively due to that reason and that's great, yet, of course the Soviet era buildings are bordering that old town, while Riga still has Art Noveau or brown brick/wooden houses bordering those districts, which makes Riga richer in terms of architecture, just that the vibes are better in Vilnius (personally)
Vilnius is far richer and more diverse in architecture than Riga.
@@chlorutiz1055 that's your Lithuanian bias kicking in, that's simply not true. Vilnius doesn't have the Hansa/Lutheran, Swedish influences, even the Soviet era buildings are more grand, not to mention the Art Noveau district. Vilnius has a unique style of Vilnian Baroque buildings sure, but that's it.
been in both, riga isnt nowhere near to vilnius... stupid opinion
@@danielius3239 there's no such thing as stupid opinion, just an opinion. Uneducated opinion sure, but it still is simply an opinion. Mine is based on facts, yours is on perception and belief system, social constructs you have, but certainly not facts.
Stop this Madness!!! It's an opinion it can't be wrong because it's a opinion I love Both N Tallinn n I'm from Vilnius.
There are roadworks on the main highway! Near Pasvalys, the highway is undergoing major construction, therefore drivers choose to go via Vabalninkas, Biržai instead
Baltic trams seem to have been built to transport workers to factories, such as Kopli in Tallinn and the metal works in Liepaja. Perhaps there was no need to move workers around in Vilnius, so the tram did not develop there. It's interesting to take a trip on a tram and see the old workers' houses in Tallinn and Liepaja.
There was a tram in Vilnius back in the days (horse pulled in the beginning and later with combustion engines, never an electric one). There's still Tramvajų gatvė (Tram street) in Vilnius although there are no rails left.
There was never a tram between Rīga and Liepāja, the distance is just too big. That's what trains are for.
@kraanz
Nobody here said that though.. There is also no more public train line to Liepāja or Ventspils, apparently not rentable. Only buses. However tram lines are what sets Latvia's biggest cities apart simply by having them in Rīga, Liepāja and Daigavpils, (i might have missed some).
@@dannydetonator there are trains from rīga to liepāja so that is an option. but no more to ventspils however the old train station in ventspils is very nice and probably ready to accept passengers
The reason why the bus driver may have chosen a different route is the road works near Pasvalys. They show slow traffic there on Google maps even now, but I remember there were days back in August or September when drivers had to spend like 2 or 3 hours in almost standstill traffic. That's very uncommon in Lithuania though, and even the biggest roadworks usually won't take more than extra 10 or 15 minutes compared to regular travel time.
As for Riga, it's a great city and I really can't wait for the Vilnius-Riga train service to be (re)introduced next year. What I did notice in Riga over my last few trips there, is that somehow it feels a bit stuck in the 90s or early 2000s in terms of its restaurant and bar scene with its vibe, service and food quality. Vilnius (ant Tallinn) used to lag behind in this regard back in the day, but now Vilnius is miles ahead and makes Riga feel like Vilnius 15 years ago. Also, the general vibe in the city. Not sure if you noticed it, but somehow Riga has that bad early 2000s vibe in places. Maybe it's the local ethnic Russian population (known as "Rižanins"), or relative lack of large international companies or student population? Not sure what it is exactly, but I hope you see what I mean. Still, Riga is one of the greatest and most interesting cities in the region. And yeah, Riga has a much better public transport than Vilnius :)
Also, nice that you noted the advantages of a tram. You're spot on here. And no, "sloping terrain" of Vilnius would not affect it in any way whatsoever. There are cities that have far steeper hills and use regular tram rolling stock and solutions that do not cause any issues. It's solely to do with lack of vision and ambition.
I agree that Riga and LV in general is majorly handicapped by the lack of lookout high spots, relief and such. WE call it Flatvia. I also agree that Vilnius center feels smaller and more cosy. Thanks!
I would love to go to Riga and Tallinn! From the Baltic countries I know only Lithuania, where I have been many times. But I am very drawn to these parts, and I hope someday I will be able to visit Latvia and Estonia as well.
Yooo Lux Express best baltics bus experience, my man 🤝
Facts
not having train connection is really shameful
Riga’s story how it was constructed, it’s history during the tsar times is different from Vilnius. Once you are in Riga you should see the city with a guide, it’s so different than just to read in a book and walk around by yourself (my experiences). Riga always had different status in the region than other cities from the Baltic states. Nevertheless living in vilnius myself I love the old towns of both Vilnius and Riga.
I live in Vilnius all my life and I really love the coziness. however, it expanded very recently so it definitely feels like Riga is larger. no tram or metro is a painful topic for me. there were many debates and plans but eventually the outcome was that this project is too expensive and will never pay off. this is sad coz public transport in vilnius is trash, neighbourhoods are spread very widely and far away from each other. maybe in far future there will be better possibilities
You also described myself about staying in hostel dorms, I dont want to wake up anyone with my snoring but I also dont want to be woken up by the party people.
Do not worry, I have watched the whole video.
love from Latvia
Second that ♡
Love bouth Cities a lot
Towards Vilnius Old Town It's biggest in Europe because Užupis it is part of it.
I agree about the river size, Vilnius felt like a really cozy place, I liked the warm and brighter buildings, and how compact and well arranged the city felt
Riga's old town is significantly smaller than Vilnius' old town, but it can give you an opposite impression if you don't walk both of them extensively, because Riga's old town has generally larger and better looking buildings that are more European in style. Vilnius' old town can seem more provincial despite being larger.
Riga is German city
@@MrVafflisThe majority of Latvian towns have been founded and built by the Germans whom invaded the lands of modern-day Latvia while Lithuanians successfully resisted against colonization and built their own cities.
"more european style"? as opposed to vilnius having what, asian styled buildings? please for the love of god stop doing bath salts lmaoo
@@rds7516Vilnius countains far more architectural styles than Riga does. I'd say it's even more European. Riga is a considerably smaller city by about 100 square kilometers and outside of it's historic center and new town, looks less developed than Vilnius.
It is really funny to call buildings, built in 1900s-1930s "more European" and buildings, built in the 16th century "more provincial" based on a sole thing - the height. What's the point of comparing 400 years old buildings in Vilnius (I assure you, buildings of this age is of the same height and of the same "provincial level" in Prague, Budapest or Vienna too) with buildings of Karlis Ulmanis era like department store in Riga or various ministries and banks? Before the invention of electricity and elevators, the absolute majority of buildings were 2-3-storey, be it Riga, Vilnius or Viena or Prague. The so-called Old Town in Riga is actually no more than 100-120 years old with a few older buildings - 150 years old. What are e discussing there then? Compare it with the University of Vilnius, where the buildings are at least 200 years old and the main building is 7-storey with additional towers or the Presidential palace in Vilnius, rebuilt more than 200 years ago, etc.
Vilnius 😊
They took diferent road becouse of road works i think😊
For my opinion Riga is kind of Baltic Megapolis. It is to big to commute convienently
Road construction is done every summer at different spans. Personally, I'd rather drive on small roads than wait for half an hour to pass the repair section, all else being equal
1:35 I am a Lithuanian citizen who lives in Latvia. I have a Latvian ID card, but as a resident, not a citizen. It looks almost the same as the citizen's ID card and within Latvia serves as the main identification document for all official things. But bus drivers never accept that and always ask for Lithuanian passport or ID card.
Not sure why, though. In Latvia that ID card proves both that I'm a Lithuanian citizen (have a right to enter Lithuania) and my identity. Even EU residency should be enough for the border crossing. But maybe it's because of many Belarusians, Russians, and Ukrainians moving around. 🤷🏻♂️
Bruv Riga has view points on the churches like the Pētera baznīca
I'm from Vilnius for all who are afraid of our Bus Station... 2026 it begin completereconstruction with train station it will be as a Hub.
A travel document is your passport! You may or may not be asked to provide a visa/residence permit so it's useful to have those with you as well. If you're a national of a EU/Schengen member state you can use your ID card instead.
When it comes to road construction, unfortunately, whenever it is spring/summer there are a lot of roadworks and they are always painfully slow. This is a thing in Baltics and we're all angry about it. Sorry about that.
As for Riga being empty - covid was not kind to the city. It killed off almost half of pubs and restaurants and I'm not sure if that's ever going to recover. Latvia's demographic trends are also much more dire than Estonia or Lithuania and the population is aging significantly faster than the other two. Riga was a city designed for more than a million people and there are only about 600k left. Pair that with recent global events and stagnating economy... we're struggling. It's rough.
I like Rīga 100% more
I like Riga but I love Vilnius more because Vilnius city center feels like it is made for residents of Vilnius and Riga feels like it is made for tourists and visitors. Like you said you can walk across the bridge and you at home, the most visible pubs and restaurants are not overpriced and as it started as a smaller city there is not need and place for very tall buildings in the middle of it.
Riga’s old town is smaller than Vilnius old town, but new town is larger.
are you sure?
Total 3.732 km2 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrs,_Riga
Area • Total 4.9 km2 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naujamiestis,_Vilnius
Oh, and count out 70 ha from the Centrs in Riga as it occupies Daugava river (administrative line runs in the middle of the river).
What do you mean New town? Riga have old town, which probably is smaler then Vilnius, but also Riga have mutch bigger city centr, build mostly 19 century. City center u can not compare with Vilnius. Its a massive, I prefire city center, then old town. Riga its my home city.
@@Tramigais its just a historical name new and old town. it doesnt apply anymore. both are historic districts. like in liepāja there is new and old liepāja on opposite sides of the river but both could easily be considered the old towns of liepāja these days
Riga Old town is just to say, older by some 200 years, so it feels also, it has some very narrow old streets, beware of claustrophobics ;)
There are much better hotels in old town for the same price.
On the other side of your hotel was central train station. Or so called Origo. It's the place where all the drug addicts, alcoholics, bums and other lower class citizens like to hang out. No idea why police hasn't kicked them out. It gives bad impression.
I'm Latvian and i have been to Riga more than hundred times and i never feel comfortable there, mostly because of extremely busy traffic, people heavily smoking on streets and barely hearing people speaking Latvian(In Riga almost half of residents are Russian), there are plenty of street beggars, high crime rate and air pollution. I have been to Vilnius only once and i felt way more comfortable! I never had a feeling that i would be lost or being confused by the big city chaos.
Yeah, better go to Liepaja next time🫶
high crime rate? according to what standards?
Before WWII Vilnius was a Polish city with a very small Lithuanian population, so Vilnius is perhaps more comparable with Polish cities than Riga which has more German and Scandinavian influence. Riga at one point was the third biggest city in the Russian empire and the biggest in the Swedish empire. It's a shame the successive Latvian governments haven't done a better job of developing and preserving Riga.
Vilnius was a jewish city back then
Tallinn Old Town 1.1 km2 ,Riga Old Town 0.94 km2,Vilnius Old Town 3.5209 km2 Vilnius Old Town more then 3 times bigger than Riga Old Town
Vilnius Old Town is biggest in whole Europe Officially Užupis it's part of it
The figures of Riga include Daugava river waters as the border runs exactly in the middle of the river. You should exclude this, also exclude many football fields of asphalt on the river banks and near the train station, that are also included in this "Old town" and all that is left is a tiny district of ca. 40 ha, smaller than the Old Town in Kaunas or even Klaipėda!
@@arturass3896 the old towns in tallinn and rīga are very similar in size but vilnius has the largest one of all three
As someone who has visited and explored all of Riga multiple times, I can say it is a much smaller and squeezed in city than Vilnius.
Also, if you ever visit Klaipeda, let me know! I would love to show around the city! @edsbits
I actually really like the fact that Riga is kinda hard to orient yourself in. Maybe it's some strange type of masochism, but I enjoy the whole " oh, that's where I am" and "Oh there's a street there" even after living there for multiple years. And Daugava being do wide give each dide it's own cultural identity almost. So much so that a left river bank vs right river bank basketball game is an annual tradition.
NOT Staying in a hostel is a rookie mistake. Always chose hostels.
Why?
Hello. First from looking at the beginning of your video, I want to comment on that Vilnius station square is a shame of the city. The actual train station is stalinist building which looks tragic. I don't understand why they don't change the gates of the Capital city. isn't it the thing they should fix first of all? The same with Vilnius international airport - same stalinist building which puts people in shock. a friend from Ireland, who already has prejudice about Lithuania and knew nothing except that it was communist, came to Vilnius by plane and was disturbed by airport facade. Lithuania conducts expensive projects like building highways and viaducts, bicycle roads, repairs small towns squares etc. why don't they build new airport and train station? Why Belarus which sinks in dictate can build ultra modern train stations or airports, and Lithuania, part of EU, cannot?
Second, Riga really feels bigger, you are right. Even today's population of Riga and Vilnius is around 600 people. But Riga at some point was almost a million people city. It was built as a larger city, also the old town was developed by Germans which gave it much more Western looking and feeling city. Riga has much bigger agglomeration than Vilnius which still makes it a million inhabitant. But Latvia only has one large city and their second city is a small town with only 77 000 people. Lithuania in its turn has Kaunas, Klaipeda and Siauliai - towns unprecedented in size as not capital cities in both Latvia and Estonia.
Interestingly I think I was in exactly same hotel you stayed in. I think it is not a proper hotel but made inside residential house with apartments converted to a hotel. It was tragic, and yes - I also saw someone sleeping on the staircase which surprised me a lot.
Riga is beautiful. Art Noveau style buildings make it look very European. Riga is 308 square km by area; Vilnius is 401 sq km however Riga has much bigger built-up part and 60% of Vilnius are woods. Which not really makes it bigger as a city realistically. Nominally Vilnius is even bigger than Minsk (383 sq km) but Minsk is huge - no comparison to Vilnius. It has metro and massive avenues.
Vilnius old town is more influenced by Polish architecture, Riga - German and Scandinavian. Riga has definitely more impressive center than Vilnius. But Vilnius is way ahead of Riga in terms of restoration of things outside the old town. Riga is sketchier outside center. Communism residential so called "sleeping districts" are incomparably more tragic in Riga than in Vilnius.
I also like trams and it is very strange that Lithuania has none (well... it was in Klaipeda. It was deliberately demolished in 1950ies). It is more than strange that Lithuania invest hundreds of millions of euros into obsolete vehicles like buses and trolley buses (all together for last 20 years probably close to a billion euros) but does not build a tram line in Vilnius. Which is more ecological and comfortable.
Vilnius is greener than Riga. also less polluted. In summer you can really feel car pollution in Riga - huge difference with Vilnius or even more huge with my Klaipeda.
It is easier to get around downtown Vilnius. It is cozier, too. Riga is beautiful with striking imposing center part. but it is not comfortable or cozy.
Oh yes! The environment of the Vilnius train station is so depressing! I was shocked that no one cares about the square in front of the station. And those crumbling shopping booths and sleeping drunk people in the square - a nightmare!
@@pun26pun Haven’t you noticed drug addicts pushing themselves right in the underground crossings at Frankfurt am Main Central rail station? Or haven’t you seen drunken young British ladies urinating publicly near Oxford Street? But who cares… As it is said in the Bible: Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Starting from 2026 it will be complete reconstruction train n bus station it will be international bus station for traveling around Lithuania will be a same. They do not start works till Via Baltica is complete then Rail Baltica project triggers From Helsinki to Warsaw!
@@ugnikalnis
😮😮😮
@@markust7709 260KM/H you can find At google Zaha Hadid Architects. Green Connect
Like (Lietuva Vilnius)
Vilnius has 100 m of height difference of terrain. Ryga on the other had is flat. So trams can ride on flat terrain not so on hills
Trams can definitely ride on hills. Look at San Francisco.
@@blueeyedbaer And Lisbon :)
@@blueeyedbaer There are NO trams in San Francisco on these hills, but cable cars. Learn the difference.
@@pun26pun These are cable cars in Lisbon on these hills, that are closer to funiculars, not trams. Learn the difference. :)
Idk I prefer Rīga more, cause of the city's wide spaces and parks everywhere
What a surprise!! Latvian prefers Riga 😂
Rīga ir drausmīga, tur centrā ikdienā uzturoties var plaušu vēzi dabūt. Visi vienaldzīgi smēķē, bezpajumptnieki un ubagotāji visās malās! Drausmīgi! 😔
@@LukasSRR don't be childish, it's not a teenage beauty competition.
Рига реально красивее больше чем Вильнюс😊
Вы посетили ВСЕ костёлы, церкви, монастыри Вильнюса, все магнатские особняки, резиденции, все парки вроде Траку Воке, Веркяй, Белмонтас, все природные достопримечательности как обрывы Пучкоряй, Plikakalnis, Зелёные озёра или холм Laimo kalnas, чтобы утверждать сию ересь? 😀
@@arturass3896 Вильнюс очень красивый спору нет! Но именно для меня Рига интересней и красивей. В общем Литва ухожанней Латвии....очень нравится литовский частный сектор!
@@villivald465 Значит, вы мало где были мало что видели в Вильнюсе. Хотя бы в костёл Петра и Павла зашли? Его американцы назвали самым красивым в мире. А библиотека старого университета? Её шведы поместили в календарь самых красивых библиотек Европы, т.е. как одну из 12 самых красивых. Видели ли вы фрески в костёле Бернардинцев? Они одни из нескольких в Европе среди крупнейших готических фресок. А часовную Св. Казимира? Еще в 17-18 веках её называли самой красивой за пределами Италии в стиле барокко. А фрески в костёле Францисканцев? Разве что в Австрии такое есть, но не в Риге. А орган Каспарини в костёле Св. Духа? Он считается наилучшим и наиболее красивым в Европе органом 18 века, поэтому лидирующая в США школа музыки Истман, штат Нью-Йорк, сделала копию органа как «лучшего образца органа барокко из Европы» (выбирали между всеми странами и городами). А гобелены в Дворце Правителей, которые посол Италии назвал «одна из лучших коллекций которую я видел в жизни» или 400 тысяч археологических находок Нижнего Замка - не интересно? Кожанная обувь 13 века - не интересно??? А коллекция кафедры - шедевры ювелирики 13-18 веков в музее Церковного исскуства? Не интересно? Вы шутите? Это была всего лишь малая часть фактов о Вильнюсе и все они не имеют аналогов в Риге. Или вы думаете наоборот? 😀
@@arturass3896 Ужас как это по литовски....вам осталось только обосрать Ригу))) ну честно. Да да вы самые лудшие и самые красивые! И тут таких коментаторов много. Вы очень очень молодцы и всё увас самое при самое лудшее.
@@villivald465 Тоесть, перечень этих фактов вызывает у вас только охоту посрать? Тогда ясно что вы за личность. К тому-же, как выяснилось - очень закомплексованная.
When we talk about bigger things, let us compare apples with apples and oranges with oranges.
The so called old town of Riga is just a collection of buildings, built between 1900 and 1939 with a very few buildings from the 1800s and some newest additions from after 2000s. There are also some Soviet buildings. What's the point of comparing buildings, built in 1930s in Riga with these 16th century buildings in Vilnius? According to this logic, we could also compare 4-storey tiny houses of Riga with 27-storey Europa apartments in Vilnius on Europa square and then call Riga "a tiny town". :-D
Before the introduction of electricity and elevators, there were practically no houses, be it Riga or Vilnius taller than 2-3 storeys. The so-called old town of Riga should be compared to Gedimino avenue, Jogailos, Basanavičiaus, Šopeno, Žygimantų street as both the buildings in the Old town of Riga and on Gediminas avenue were built at the exact same time.
The problem with this is, that almost all the touristic sites in Vilnius are located in the Old town, which is enormous compared to Riga as it stretches 450 ha, while Riga - 40 ha. The size of Vilnius Old Town elderate (Senamiesčio seniūnija) is actually larger than the whole Riga district of Centrs (300 ha) and the whole district Vecpilseta (40 ha)... Combined. You may find slightly larger figures for Riga, but these include Daugava river waters.
In case the main spots would be located on Jogailos, Šopeno, Kaštonų streets, Gediminas avenue, it would look somehow different.
There are also huge collection of churches in Vilnius, more than 40 and the university quarter in Vilnius is half the size of the so called Old town of Riga with the main building being 7-storey high, with an additional tower, built in the 18th century. Again, the Cathedral square or the Cathedral itself in Vilnius are large, Lukiškės square is 4 ha, the single largest square in the Baltics and so on. :)
It’s literally not that big of deal, it’s just someone’s opinion of their observation. Both towns are good, they are just different, who cares when the buildings were built.
This comparison is just wrong, Old town in Riga was not built between 1900 and 1939, there are several buildings from that period but most of old town consist of things that date back to as far as 13. century. The "Centrs distric" is only one of 7 or 8 districts which have historic buildings built between 1850ish and 1939 in considerable quantities. And at the end of the day historic buildings in Riga are simply bigger and more dense taking up much more horizontal and vertical space .
@@artursnikitenko7333Be so kind and tell us what percent of all the buildings in the so-called Old Town were built before 1900. I assure you, it will be very, I mean, VERY small number. 😮😢
@@artursnikitenko7333Yeah, sure, the Center of Vilnius is many districts as well: The Old town (includes Užupis district, Stepono district and so on), Naujamiestis (including Lukiškės district), part of Šnipiškės with 4-storey late 19th-early 20th c. buildings, etc.
Anyway, Vilnius centre (not the 450 ha Old town seniūnija) - Naujamiestis alone (480 ha) is larger by size than Centrs (300 ha) in Riga or Vecriga (ca. 40 ha) and Cents (300 ha) COMBINED. 😂
@@arturass3896 Mate I am not sure how much of this is some chestbeating bs and how much actual misunderstanding of city zoning etc, rule of the thumb is if it looks bigger it is bigger, hystoric center in Vilnius may cover larger area but there are fewer buildings and they are smaller, and there is more empty space between them. Just look at google maps insted of comparing abstact numbers.