Riga at Night – Watch the Old-World Charm Light Up

There is always something about a city at night. The streets light up and buildings are illuminated. The city takes on a whole other look. When the sun goes down and the lights come on the city looks completely different. You notice things you otherwise may just walk by during the day.

Riga, Latvia was no different. The city is beautiful during the day with plenty of old-world charm and many centuries-old buildings.

At night, the city’s squares light up with people eating and drinking when the weather is warm. Traffic winds it’s way through the cobblestone streets leaving streaks of light in my photos of Riga at night.

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Riga’s most famous building the St. Peter’s tower church towers over the city light up beautifully at night. The green copper tip of the church is more subdued and gives way for the main church building light in a yellow glow. Street lights burn and paint the city in warm tones against a deep blue backdrop of the night sky.

Walking toward the river the city has an abundance of an ornate building from as far back as the 12th centuries. The old buildings are light up at night in ways to accent their architecture and they made for some great subjects of Riga at night.

One of the main features of Riga is the wide Daugava river that flows along the city. Over the river are two major bridges that also photographed nicely at night.

Nighttime is always my favorite times, to take pictures because there are fewer crowds and it’s most interesting. Everyone takes the same pictures during the day, but I like the different things you see when taking pictures at night.

On my night tour of Riga, I used a tripod with a technique of long exposure to photograph the city at night. To learn how to take good night photos, see my long exposure night photography tutorial. Also, check out the rest of my travel photography tips before your next trip.