Updated in October 2026, this Museum of the Occupation of Latvia guide covers ticket prices, opening hours, parking or transport, accessibility and what to see.
The Museum of the Occupation of Latvia is a history museum on Latvian Riflemen Square in the Old Town of Riga, directly behind the House of the Black Heads. An adult ticket costs €8, and children under 18 enter free. This guide was last updated in October 2026 and confirms the daily opening hours, the current ticket prices and the five free admission days each year.
Quick facts: the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Opening hours | Every day, 10am to 6pm. Closed 1 January, 23 and 24 June, and 24, 25, 26 and 31 December. |
| Ticket prices | Adult €8. Students €5. Children under 18 free. |
| Address | Latviešu strēlnieku laukums 1, Riga, LV-1050 |
| Nearest transport or parking | Old Town walking zone. Embankment parking is about 5 minutes’ walk away. |
| Typical time needed | About 1.5 to 2 hours |
Museum of the Occupation of Latvia opening hours
The main exposition is open every day from 10am to 6pm. It is closed on 1 January, 23 and 24 June, and 24, 25, 26 and 31 December. The hours are the same all year, and there are no seasonal changes.
The museum also runs the KGB Building, also called the Corner House, at Brīvības iela 61. It is open daily from 10.30am to 5.30pm. It closes on 1 January, 23 and 24 June, 18 November and 24, 25, 26 and 31 December.
Phone the museum on +371 67229255 to check the hours on the day.
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Museum of the Occupation of Latvia ticket prices
An adult ticket to the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia costs €8. Tickets are available online or at the museum.
- Adult: €8.
- Students: €5.
- Children up to 18 (except in groups): free.
- Other free groups: politically repressed persons, persons with disabilities and their companions, employees of other Latvian museums, ICOM members, people serving in the Latvian military and citizens of Ukraine.
- Free admission days: 25 March, 4 May, 14 June, 4 July and 18 November.
- Guided tour: €15 for adults, €9 for students and €5 for schoolchildren. Children up to 7, repressed persons and Ukrainian citizens are free.
- Audio guide: about €4, in 10 languages including English, German, Italian, Ukrainian, Estonian, Lithuanian, French, Spanish and Russian.
- Friend’s card: €80, for unlimited visits for two people.
Opening hours and ticket prices were checked on the official website and last updated in October 2026.
The museum is not part of a city pass scheme such as Go City or CityPass. The ground-floor exhibition at the KGB Building is free to enter.
How to get to the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
The museum is on Latvian Riflemen Square, between the House of the Black Heads and the Latvian Riflemen monument, in the middle of the Old Town.
- From the House of the Black Heads: the museum is about 125 m north, around a 2-minute walk.
- From Riga Cathedral: the walk through the Old Town takes about 5 minutes.
- From the railway and bus stations: the walk is about 12 to 15 minutes.
- From the Freedom Monument: the walk is about 10 minutes.
- To the KGB Building: it is about 15 minutes’ walk from the main museum, or two stops on tram 11 from Brīvības bulvāris.
Parking at the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
The museum has no car park of its own. The Old Town is largely a pedestrian zone, so most visitors arrive on foot.
Car parking is available on the Daugava embankment, about 300 m from Town Hall Square. From there it is a short walk through the Old Town to the museum.
How long to spend at the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
Plan about 1.5 to 2 hours for the main exposition. With the audio guide, visitors often spend over an hour reading and listening. Allow up to 2 hours if you join a guided tour.
The museum covers heavy subjects, so allow time to pause. A visit to the KGB Building adds about an hour, because the cell tour is separate.
Accessibility at the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
The museum is in a modernised building reopened in 2022. It is generally stroller and wheelchair friendly, with lifts between floors. Contact the museum on +371 67229255 to confirm access for your visit.
The cells in the KGB Building are not accessible to visitors with limited mobility. The tour of the KGB Building is not recommended for children under 12.
The museum deals with sensitive and often distressing content. Audio guides in several languages are available.
What to see at the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
The museum tells the story of Latvia under two occupations in the 20th century: by the Soviet Union and by Nazi Germany. It covers the period from 1940 to 1991, including the independence regained in 1991.
The exhibition has 11 chapters, from the interwar republic through the Soviet and Nazi occupations to the restoration of independence. The visitor takes the stairs to the second floor, where the exhibition starts with the history of independent Latvia from 1918 to 1940.
The exhibits are built around objects, documents and personal stories. They include intergovernmental agreements, letters from the Gulag, forged papers and photographs of the “Forest Brothers”, the partisans who kept fighting after the war.
The museum has more than 60,000 exhibits and more than 2,300 video testimonials in its collection. Materials about individual fates include diaries, letters, personal documents and artworks.
The building was constructed by the Soviets in 1971 and originally housed the Museum of the Red Latvian Riflemen. A renovation designed by the architect Gunnar Birkerts ran from 2018 to 2021, and the new exhibition opened on 1 June 2022.
The Tactile of History memorial to the victims of Soviet occupation stands beside the museum. It was unveiled in summer 2021. The Latvian Riflemen monument stands in the square in front.
The KGB Building is the former headquarters of the Soviet secret police, where people were interrogated, imprisoned and executed. The ground-floor exhibition is free to walk through, and the cells and upper floors are seen on a guided tour.
Practical visitor tips
| Topic | Tip |
|---|---|
| Timing | The museum is open 10am to 6pm every day. Allow at least 90 minutes. |
| Crowds | Free admission days are 25 March, 4 May, 14 June, 4 July and 18 November. |
| Layout | The exhibition starts on the second floor and follows a chronological order through 11 chapters. |
| Entry process | Buy tickets online or at the museum. Children under 18 enter free. |
| On-site logistics | The audio guide comes in 10 languages. The KGB Building is a separate site on Brīvības iela. |
Frequently asked questions about the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How much does it cost to enter the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia? | €8 for adults and €5 for students. Children under 18 are free. |
| Is the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia suitable for children? | Children under 18 enter free, but the subject is heavy and some content is distressing. |
| Do you need to book tickets in advance for the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia? | No. Tickets can be bought at the museum or online. |
| Is the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia open on Sundays? | Yes. The museum is open every day from 10am to 6pm, apart from a few holidays. |
| Is the KGB Building part of the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia? | Yes. It is a second site at Brīvības iela 61, open daily from 10.30am to 5.30pm. |
Things to do near the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia
- The House of the Black Heads: a rebuilt 14th-century guildhall on Town Hall Square, about a 2-minute walk away.
- Riga Cathedral: the largest medieval church in the Baltic states, on Dome Square, about 5 minutes’ walk away.
- The Three Brothers: the oldest group of houses in Riga, on Mazā Pils Street, about 7 minutes’ walk away.
- The Riga Art Nouveau Center: a restored Art Nouveau apartment museum at Alberta iela 12, about 15 minutes’ walk away.
- The Latvian National Museum of Art: a museum of Latvian art on Kr. Valdemāra iela, just north of the Old Town, about 15 minutes’ walk away.
Alternative attractions
- Corner House (KGB Building): the former KGB headquarters at Brīvības iela 61, run by the same museum.
- Latvian Riflemen monument: the granite monument in the square in front of the museum.
- Latvian War Museum: a museum in the Powder Tower in the Old Town, with free entry.
- Freedom Monument: the monument known as Milda, about 10 minutes’ walk away.
- St Peter’s Church: a Gothic church in the Old Town, near Town Hall Square.
