Latvia
Mobilly tickets, Bolt rides and direct Vivi train bookings
Latvia uses euros. Cards work in most hotels, shops and restaurants, but carry a physical card with its PIN and some cash for smaller places and rural stops.
The essentials
What to know before you go to Latvia
Bolt is the practical first taxi app; at RIX use its marked P1 pickup, an official airport taxi with a displayed tariff, or the terminal's Bolt kiosk or prepaid voucher. Riga transport tickets must be bought before travel and registered immediately after boarding. Mobilly is useful, but its current registration accepts only numbers from the EU, UK, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Ukraine, so other visitors should buy a physical yellow ticket. Use Vivi or its website for trains and check the actual operator for regional buses.
If driving, keep right, use front lights and buy the current Jūrmala vehicle entry pass when required. Latvian is the official language. Save essential addresses offline, install 112 Latvija for official alerts and location-aware emergency contact, and call 112 for urgent help.
Ride Hailing
BoltEssential
Latvia's most useful ride app, with upfront pricing and broad city coverage but variable regional driver supply.
Forus
Registered Latvian taxi app to compare when Bolt pricing or nearby supply is poor.
Food Delivery
Navigation
Google MapsEssential
General navigation, address search and offline road maps for Latvian cities, coast and countryside.
Transit
MobillyEssential
Riga code tickets, schedules, regional tickets, parking and Jūrmala passes for users with a supported-country phone number.
Language
Google Translate
Optional Latvian text, voice and camera translation with downloadable language data for simple offline use.
Intercity Transport
Vivi LatvijaEssential
Official Latvian rail app for schedules, direct tickets, live train positions and service changes.
Mobilly
Convenient regional train and bus ticket seller when the traveler's phone number is from a supported country.
Utilities
112 LatvijaEssential
Official emergency calls and structured SMS, safety guidance, alerts and nearby shelter information for Latvia.
Also covered
Internet in Latvia
Mobile internet eSIM Best option when traveling
Guac
RecommendedReliable mobile internet at better prices than most travel eSIMs, with polished iOS and Android apps and support for making and receiving phone calls.
Airalo
One of the biggest travel eSIM brands, with a very large destination catalog.
Holafly
Known for unlimited-data plans in many destinations, at a higher price per gigabyte.
Buying a local SIM card No ID registration needed
- No ID or registration is needed to buy a Latvian prepaid SIM; tourists can pick one up at a kiosk without showing documents. A few guides insist a passport gets checked, so carry it anyway: it costs nothing.
- Very cheap by any standard. Starter SIMs cost around EUR 1 to 5 across all three networks, and a 7-day tourist data bundle with 10-20 GB typically runs roughly EUR 7-15. A ZZ tourist SIM with unlimited internet, calls and SMS for 7 days sells for around EUR 4.50, with LMT offering a near-identical deal.
- LMT, Tele2/ZZ and Bite stores in central Riga and the major malls; the ubiquitous Narvesen convenience stores; plus newsstands, kiosks, filling stations and supermarkets like Rimi and Maxima. Riga Airport sells SIMs too. ZZ also sells eSIM starter packs online with the QR code emailed to you, a genuine buy-before-you-fly option.
- Riga Airport sells tourist SIMs at somewhat inflated prices, but with city SIMs starting near EUR 1, the markup is trivial in cash terms.
- Better than most of the region. Zelta Zivtina sells eSIM starter packs online with the QR code delivered by email, a real pre-arrival local eSIM that needs no store visit and no registration. All three operators support eSIM including on prepaid, but the ZZ online route is the clearest one for visitors.
A Zelta Zivtina SIM without an active package falls back to a poor default rate, around EUR 0.36 per day for just 30 MB, and that rate applies in EU roaming too, so activate a package immediately. When a package allowance runs out, speed is cut to a crawl rather than billing on: workable for messaging, useless for maps. Ignore older guides recommending Amigo, which ceased operating as an independent brand back in 2019. Latvia is in the EU and eurozone, so roam-like-at-home applies to packs that include it, but Baltic operators are inconsistent here: check your specific pack rather than assuming. The ZZ self-service site is only in Latvian and Russian.
Local carriers
LMT
The incumbent, with the best coverage and fastest speeds, and the strongest rural reach toward Sigulda, Cesis and the Latgale lakes. Prepaid is sold as LMT Karte.
Tele2 Latvia
On par with LMT for coverage and often the cheapest for prepaid data. It does not sell prepaid under its own name: look for the Zelta Zivtina (ZZ) brand.
Bite Latvija
The smallest network, fine in Riga and along the coast. Its prepaid brand is Bites Karte.
Frequently asked questions
What are the must-have apps for traveling in Latvia?
The essential apps for Latvia are Bolt, Wolt, Google Maps, Mobilly, Vivi Latvija.
How many travel apps does Latvia have?
We've curated 10 apps across 8 categories for traveling in Latvia, including 6 essential apps.
What is the best ride hailing app in Latvia?
Bolt. Latvia's most useful ride app, with upfront pricing and broad city coverage but variable regional driver supply.
Keep exploring
Also traveling in Europe?
Montenegro
Use licensed local taxis, carry euros, and verify every bus connection
North Macedonia
Skopje taxi apps, official bus tickets and reliable offline backups
Malta
Island travel with live buses, ferry checks and one crucial booking rule
Netherlands
Tap through public transport, plan trains carefully and keep a card plus cash backup
Norway
National transit tools, card-first payments, fjords and fast-changing weather
Poland
City tickets, nationwide trains, regional buses, and payment rules visitors should know