Riga Stag Do

I’ll be honest, most groups book a Riga stag do because the beer is cheap and the flights are easy. Then everyone lands and realises the Latvian capital is properly good looking, with a medieval Old Town of cobbled lanes, church spires and pastel merchants’ houses that make the lads look even scruffier than usual. It’s compact, it’s walkable and it has been welcoming British stags for years, so nobody blinks when a dozen blokes in matching T-shirts wander into the square.

It suits a group that wants a big night and a daft daytime activity, and doesn’t mind the stag getting a bit of culture between hangovers. Two nights is the sweet spot. Three if your lot have the stamina (they don’t).

Almost everything happens in Vecrīga, the Old Town. Bars and clubs spread along streets like Peldu iela, Vaļņu iela and Kaļķu iela, and the squares around St Peter’s Church and the House of the Blackheads fill up on Friday and Saturday nights. You can do a full pub crawl without anyone needing a taxi, which is handy once the stag can no longer read a map.

The local drink you’ll meet sooner or later is Riga Black Balsam, a dark herbal liqueur that tastes like it was invented to settle bets. I’d get the stag on a round of it early, before his taste buds are fully awake. Latvian beer is decent and very easy to drink, which is both good news and bad news.

A word on the clubs. Some Riga venues run a smart-casual door policy, so dirty trainers, football shirts and novelty stag hats can get you knocked back. Save the costume for the daytime and pack one decent shirt each.

Riga has a reputation for the loud stuff. Shooting ranges are the classic pick, with handguns, rifles and shotguns on offer under proper supervision (and before anyone has had a drink, obviously). In winter you can head out to Sigulda for a run down a real bobsleigh track, which is as close as the stag will ever get to the Winter Olympics. Quad biking in the woods and indoor karting are easy to add on.

If the group needs a gentler morning, wander the Old Town, gawp at the House of the Blackheads and grab something filling at the Central Market. In summer, the beach at Jūrmala is close enough for a lazy afternoon of pretending to swim.

• Getting there. There are direct flights to Riga from several UK airports, and the airport is a short taxi ride from the centre. Use Bolt or a booked taxi rather than whatever is idling outside the Old Town.
• No drinking in the street. Carrying an open bottle in public places isn’t allowed in Riga and you can be fined. Being very drunk in public can get you arrested. Keep the beers in the bars.
• Bring ID. Ages get checked, so everyone carries a passport on the night out.
• Swerve the touts. Avoid any bar that a stranger on the street is very keen to walk you into, especially ones that won’t show prices. Check every bill before you pay.
• When to go. May to September gives you long evenings and terrace weather. Winter is properly cold, though it’s bobsleigh season.

My Riga stag weekend plan is simple. Fly Friday and ease in with dinner and a few Old Town bars. Saturday morning is shooting or quads, Saturday night is the big one. Sunday is for walking slowly, eating something heavy and blaming the Black Balsam. If you want to compare it with the neighbours, Tallinn is a similar Baltic trip with its own medieval charm, and Krakow is another strong shout. Below are the Riga packages from UK stag companies, so you can see what’s included before you book.

This one’s easy. Almost everything happens in Vecrīga, the Old Town, so that’s where I’d put the group. It’s compact and walkable, the bar and club streets like Peldu iela, Vaļņu iela and Kaļķu iela are right there, and the squares around St Peter’s Church and the House of the Blackheads fill up on Friday and Saturday nights. Stay inside the Old Town and you can do the whole weekend without anyone needing a taxi between bars.

It also means the morning after is gentle. You can wander the cobbled lanes, gawp at the House of the Blackheads and stagger over to the Central Market for something filling without planning a route.

My practical tip: the airport is a short taxi ride from the centre, so don’t overthink the transfer, just make sure it’s Bolt or a booked taxi rather than whatever is idling outside the Old Town. Same goes for getting back to your beds late on.

Friday Fly direct from the UK and take a short taxi into the centre. Ease in with dinner and a few Old Town bars. I’d get the stag on a round of Riga Black Balsam early, before his taste buds are fully awake, then switch to Latvian beer, which is very easy to drink.

Saturday Do the loud stuff before anyone has a drink. Shooting is the classic, with handguns, rifles and shotguns under proper supervision. In winter, head out to Sigulda for a run down a real bobsleigh track instead. Saturday night is the big one. A guided bar crawl round Peldu iela, Vaļņu iela and Kaļķu iela takes the stress out of it, and you’ll end up in the busy squares around St Peter’s Church. Pack one decent shirt each, because smart-casual doors turn away dirty trainers and football shirts, and everyone carries a passport. Swerve the touts and any bar that won’t show prices, and check every bill.

Sunday Walk slowly, eat something heavy and blame the Black Balsam. The Central Market is the place for something filling, then a gentle look at the House of the Blackheads. In summer, Jūrmala is close enough for a lazy afternoon on the beach before the flight. Keep it calm on the way: no open bottles in public, and being very drunk in public can get you arrested.