Riga Hen Night Ideas

Riga's partygoers don't do anything in small doses - the entire city is big, vibrant, and full of nightlife flavour! Nearly half of all Latvians live or work in Riga it's clearly the place to be, with hundreds of bars and clubs throughout the city. In summer you'll see parties making the most of the warmer weather and taking things outside, and the Riga hen nightlife is liable to keep going well into the days whilst the sun rises, as the Latvian clubs party solidly from Thursday evening to Sunday morning.

Your guide to hen nights in Riga

Bars, Pubs and Clubs

You've got a lot of variety on offer in Riga when you head out with the girls. Cocktail bars, wine bars, student bars… you'll even find a few cigar bars if you're feeling particularly dapper. Largely though, the nightlife in Riga is split into two main areas, which is handy when you're headed out with the girls. The Old Town and the city centre are the busiest areas, but Old Town, with its historic charm, just wins out as the best Riga hen nightlife area. Gather the girls and get yourselves there, where you'll find areas like Dome Square, which is full of great cafes, al fresco dining, and a selection of lively bars - all the things you need to get a hen party off to a good start! On warm evenings the atmosphere here is incredible and you can easily spend a few hours with the girls sipping wine and having a good gossip. When you're ready to move on, a Riga hen night wouldn't be complete without a trip to the intriguingly named Sinners Street, home to some of the best bars in Riga. The bars start to get busy around 8-9pm. Some Riga bars have a reputation for seriously overcharging tourists, so if you want to avoid getting trapped anywhere with extortionate rates, pre-book with GoHen for an English-speaking local to guide you around the best bars and pubs in the city.

The fantastic nightlife doesn't stop with the bars either, as the clubs are no less busy, and buzzing, and they're absolutely bursting with life! Riga bucks the general Eastern European trend for smaller nightclubs and goes all out with some massive multi-room super clubs, with an emphasis on techno, house, and thumping bass lines. In general, the nightclubs open around 10-11pm, getting busy around midnight. If you want to be sure you find the best, rather than wasting your time in Riga in any sub-par clubs, ask for GoHen's guest list nightclub entry. You'll get to skip the queues, skip the entry fees, and skip any language confusion with the bouncers!

Planning ahead

As good as the club and bar scene is, you don't want to spend your entire Riga hen night just on the dance floor. It's great fun, but there are dance floors back home, and a whole world of other evening entertainment options to enjoy in Riga. Booking in advance saves you money, as well as saving you the hassle of trying to work out how to say 'is it sold out?' in Latvian*. Our three top picks are:

• Limousine why would you bother with trying to direct a large group of girls around the winding, cobbled Riga streets when you could just pile them all into a limousine, and sit back and enjoy the party with a glass of champagne and some banging tunes? Simple you wouldn't.
• Casino we never need an excuse to pull on a cocktail dress and flash our cash.
• Banquet- you and the girls will have to eat at some point (we've learned the dangers of drinking on an empty stomach, thanks), and this just happens to be the very best way to do it. A three-course meal, a few drinks, and a show adds up to a start to the night that gets the entire group pumped up and ready to party.

*'Tas ir izprdots?', if you really need to know.

Getting around at night

Taxis in Riga can be a bit dubious if you're not careful, and the drivers can be keen to charge extortionately high amounts from unwary foreigners. Don't resign yourself to navigating the cobbled streets of Riga in your heels just yet though, as there is another way. The vast majority of Latvians are only too happy to help, and there are numerous ranks that can be trusted with the girls on a hen night. Red Renault taxis are a good bet and can be found around the airport or hotels, or yellow Fords are a little cheaper and can be ordered in advance. Any white Fords are also completely reliable, but the drivers frequently don't speak English, so take your phrasebook with you. If all of this is sounding a little too complicated, just ask GoHen. We can arrange all your transport from the hotel to the activities and nightlife you've pre-booked, as well as to and from the airport.