Should you visit Riga or Interlaken?
Should I visit Riga or Interlaken? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the data, which all comes from actual travelers.
Riga
Riga is the vibrant capital city of Latvia. It continues to gain popularity as a tourist destination in part because it is the base for the airline Air Baltic. This affordable airline offers discount flights around Europe and most of these flights pass through Riga with a forced overnight layover. This encourages travelers to visit this fascinating city for at least a night or two.
Interlaken
Interlaken is a small city that is located in the Bernese Highlands Region of central Switzerland. It sits pleasantly between two Alpine Lakes, Brienzersee and Thunersee. This scenic setting and its easy accessibility make it a popular base camp for travel into the Bernese Oberland Alps. It has become a top tourist destination in Switzerland and it is also a hub for outdoor sports enthusiasts, as there are plenty of things to do in Interlaken in the summer. Interlaken is a great hoping off point to explore many of the nearby mountains, lakes, and valleys. It offers easy transportation to most major Swiss cities by train or car.
Which city is cheaper, Interlaken or Riga?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
The average daily cost (per person) in Riga is €82, while the average daily cost in Interlaken is €156. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each city. Below is a breakdown of travel costs for Riga and Interlaken in more detail.
Accommodation
If you're traveling alone, you may be able to find a budget hotel or hostel for around €42. But for two people in a standard two-person hotel room in Riga the cost is €84 on average.
Double occupancy rooms typically run around €180 in Interlaken For nicer amenities and a premiere location, you can expect to pay a bit more.
Food
Riga food costs typically run travelers around €26 per day. Eating every meal in a nicer restaurant will drive the cost up, and grabbing fast food or casual meals will help you save money.
The average traveler spends about €43 per day in Interlaken for food, but obviously this is dependent on the type of restaurant and the amount of food ordered. To save money you can grab a lighter lunch or dinner, or you can try fast food or street food.
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Food
Meals for one day
Riga €26
Interlaken €43
Typical Food prices in Riga
Some typical examples of dining costs in Riga are as follows:
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Riga
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Riga.
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Private Guided Virtual Food Tour of Riga:
$12
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Riga Medieval Dinner:
$102
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Riga Medieval Dinner:
$102
Typical Food prices in Interlaken
For Interlaken, here are some examples of average food and meal prices for travelers:
Local Transportation
The average price of local transportation around Riga is €12 per person, per day. As this average includes both taxis and public transport, keep in mind that the prices of private drivers and taxis are significantly more expensive than public transportation.
To get around in Interlaken, the average visitor spends €8.76 per day, per person. This includes the costs of taxi rides and private drivers as well as public transportation, which tends to be much more affordable.
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Riga
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Riga:
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Transfer service Riga airport:
$37
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Taxi Transfer:
$42
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Riga to Vilnius transfer with Sightseeing:
$347
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Riga to Tallinn transfer with Sightseeing:
$335
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Riga Tank Ride - 2 Hours - Guided with Return Transfers:
$1,192
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Riga Return Airport Transfer:
$66
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Riga Party Bus Airport Transfer:
$382
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Riga Limo Airport Transfer:
$133
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Riga International Airport RIX Luxury Van Private Departure Transfer:
$54
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Riga International Airport RIX Luxury Van Private Arrival Transfer:
$54
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Riga (Sigulda) Winter Bobsleigh "Olympic + Vuchko" Ride - Guided with Transfers:
$199
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Private transfer from Riga to Vilnius via Rundale palace and Hill of crosses:
$169
Typical Local Transportation prices in Interlaken
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Interlaken are as follows:
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Interlaken
Also for Interlaken, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
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Private Transfer from interlaken City to Lucerne City:
$174
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Private transfer from Interlaken to Zurich Airport:
$485
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Private Transfer from Interlaken to Geneva Airport:
$670
Is it cheaper to fly into Riga or Interlaken?
Prices for flights to both Interlaken and Riga change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Entertainment
Riga's costs for entertainment, tickets, attractions, and tours will often cost around €17 per person, per day. This cost can vary widely by the type of activity, however, as this includes admission tickets, day tours, museums, and other things to do.
In Interlaken, the costs for things to do, activities, admission tickets, and other sightseeing expenses are on average €70 per person, per day.
Tours and Activities in Riga
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Riga are as follows:
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"Best of Riga" 6-hour Private Car & Walking Tour:
$373
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2 Day Gastronomy Tour In Latgale:
$267
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2 Day Gauja National Park Tour:
$199
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2 Day Kurzeme Winery Tour:
$224
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ATV-QUAD rent and guided tours:
$48
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All Inclusive Honest History Tour - Āraiši, Cēsis, Līgatne, Sigulda:
$248
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Alternative Riga Photoshoot Tour:
$49
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An audio tour of Old from St Peter's Church to the Monument of Freedom:
$5.00
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Art Nouveau Small Group Walking Tour of Riga:
$193
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Beer Bike Experience:
$45
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Best of Riga Walking Tour - Highlights and Hidden Gems:
$31
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Best of Riga Walking Tour - Regular Walking tours:
$25
Tours and Activities in Interlaken
For Interlaken, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
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Funicular Ticket to Harder Kulm:
$19
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Private Lake Thun and Lake Brienz Express Tour from Interlaken:
$30
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High Ropes Adventure Park Admission in Interlaken:
$46
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Trümmelbach Waterfalls Small-Group Tour from Interlaken:
$80
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Aare River Gorge Walk Small-Group Tour from Interlaken:
$106
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Schilthorn Piz Gloria (James Bond Location) Small Group Tour from Interlaken:
$159
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GAILY TOUR in INTERLAKEN - Gay & Lesbian Tour:
$187
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Tandem Paragliding Experience from Interlaken:
$196
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Tandem Paragliding Experience with Transport from Interlaken:
$196
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Self-Guided Tour: Schilthorn Piz Gloria (James Bond world) from Interlaken:
$217
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Aare River Gorge Walk Private Tour from Interlaken:
$238
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Aare River Gorge Walk plus Lake Brienz Cruise - Private Tour from Interlaken:
$238
Alcohol
The average person spends about €16 on alcoholic beverages in Riga per day. The more you spend on alcohol, the more fun you might be having despite your higher budget.
Typically, people visiting Interlaken spend on average €11 on alcoholic beverages per person, per day.
Sample the Local Flavors in Riga
Also in Riga, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
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Pub Crawl in Riga:
$37
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Pub Crawl- Your best night out in Riga with our local guide!:
$47
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Riga Public Pub Crawl:
$60
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Riga Happy Hour Pub Crawl:
$64
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Riga Brewery Tour:
$83
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Riga Brewery Tour:
$83
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Riga Beer Killer Bar Crawl:
$83
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Riga Wine Tasting Session:
$115
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Gauja National Park Tour: Castles and Wine Tasting:
$149
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Culinary, Historic and Wine Tour to Sigulda and Cesis:
$224
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Exclusive Latvian Wine Tasting In Riga:
$380
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Exclusive Latvian Wine Tasting in Riga:
$765
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Riga and Interlaken, we can see that Interlaken is more expensive. And not only is Riga much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Riga would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Riga and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Interlaken would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Interlaken than you might in Riga.
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