A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Riga vs. Tartu for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Europe / Comparisons /
Jump to  down-arrow

Should you visit Riga or Tartu?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Should I visit Riga or Tartu? This is a common question asked by many travelers. By figuring out which city has activities that align with your interests along with knowing which is more affordable, you'll understand where you can get more bang for your buck. So, let's dive into the details and 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.

Tartu

Tartu is a university town that is also the second largest city in Estonia. It has a population of about 100,000 and dates back to 1030, making it the oldest city in the country. The Emajogi River passes through town and it has a lovely old town that's pleasant to explore. The city is a great place to see day to day life in Estonia. It is a very real town with people going about their daily lives. If you find yourself here when the weather is nice, you'll be greeted by crowds of happy locals out enjoying the weather. They make full use of the warm, sunny weather with festivals, events, and concerts during the summer. This is easily the most fun and eventful time to visit the city.

Which city is cheaper, Tartu 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 Tartu is €84. 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. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Riga and Tartu in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Riga €42
    Tartu €38
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Riga €84
    Tartu €76

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Riga €12
    Tartu €22

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Riga

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Riga:

  • Riga Tank Ride - 2 Hours - Guided with Return Transfers: $1,192
  • Mercedes-Benz Viano Van Transfer from Riga to Vilnius/Talinn/Any Baltic Country: $425
  • Private Minivan Transfer: Riga to Tallinn: $418
  • Private Minivan transfer from Riga to Kaunas: $413
  • Riga Party Bus Airport Transfer: $382
  • Riga to Vilnius transfer with Sightseeing: $347
  • Riga to Tallinn transfer with Sightseeing: $335
  • Transfer from Riga to Tallinn: $283
  • Private Minivan Transfer from Kaunas to Riga: $215
  • Riga (Sigulda) Winter Bobsleigh "Olympic + Vuchko" Ride - Guided with Transfers: $199
  • Private transfer from Riga to Vilnius via Rundale palace and Hill of crosses: $169
  • Private Taxi Transfer from Riga or Riga airport to Tallinn: $153

Is it cheaper to fly into Riga or Tartu?

Prices for flights to both Tartu 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.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Riga €26
    Tartu €30
Typical Food prices in Riga

Some typical examples of dining costs in Riga are as follows:


  • Fast Food Lunch
    €5.77

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Riga

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Riga.

  • Private Guided Virtual Food Tour of Riga: $12
  • Central Market Latvian Food Tour: $34
  • Riga Medieval Dinner: $102
  • Riga Medieval Dinner: $102

Typical Food prices in Tartu

Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Tartu:


  • Danishes
    €0.76
  • Lunch for Two
    €4.93
  • Ice Cream
    €1.27
  • Cookies
    €0.51
  • Coffee & Cake
    €3.47

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Riga €17
    Tartu €13

Tours and Activities in Riga

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Riga are as follows:

  • "Best of Riga" 6-hour Private Car & Walking Tour: $373
  • 2 Day Gastronomy Tour In Latgale: $267
  • 2 Day Gauja National Park Tour: $199
  • 2 Day Kurzeme Winery Tour: $224
  • ATV-QUAD rent and guided tours: $48
  • All Inclusive Honest History Tour - Āraiši, Cēsis, Līgatne, Sigulda: $248
  • Alternative Riga Photoshoot Tour: $49
  • An audio tour of Old from St Peter's Church to the Monument of Freedom: $5.00
  • Art Nouveau Small Group Walking Tour of Riga: $193
  • Art Nouveau Walking Tour in Riga: $57
  • Beer Bike Experience: $45
  • Best of Riga Walking Tour: $231

Typical Entertainment prices in Tartu

For Tartu, here are some examples of average entertainment and activity prices from previous travelers:


  • Art Museum ticket
    €0.95
  • Movie Ticket
    €3.47

Tours and Activities in Tartu

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Tartu.

  • Tartu Toy Museum Entrance Ticket: $7.46
  • Water Park Entrance Ticket: $11
  • 2-Hour Romantic City Walking Tour: $378
  • Tartu city cultural tour: $479
  • Tartu city cultural tour: $479
  • Guided tour “Love stories of Tartu”: $496
  • The best of Tartu walking tour: $496

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Riga €16
    Tartu €13

Sample the Local Flavors in Riga

Also in Riga, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:

  • Pub Crawl in Riga: $37
  • Pub Crawl- Your best night out in Riga with our local guide!: $47
  • Riga Public Pub Crawl: $60
  • Riga Happy Hour Pub Crawl: $64
  • Riga Brewery Tour: $83
  • Riga Brewery Tour: $83
  • Riga Beer Killer Bar Crawl: $83
  • Riga Wine Tasting Session: $115
  • Gauja National Park Tour: Castles and Wine Tasting: $149
  • Culinary, Historic and Wine Tour to Sigulda and Cesis: $224
  • Exclusive Latvian Wine Tasting In Riga: $380
  • 1.5-Hour Latvian Wine Tasting Experience: $476

Sample the Local Flavors in Tartu

Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Tartu:

  • Private Distillery Tour in Tartu with Tastings: $25

About these numbers

When comparing the travel costs between Riga and Tartu, we can see that Tartu is more expensive. However, the two cities are actually relatively comparable in price, as the difference is somewhat minimal. Generally, this means that you could travel with generally the same travel style and level of luxury in each place. Since both cities are in Europe, it's no surprise that their costs are relatively close, as many destinations here have somewhat similar travel prices overall.

Budget Your Trip

Budget Your Trip has average travel costs for thousands of cities around the world, all provided by other travelers. You can also register to organize your spending by category and location with graphs, maps, charts, and tables.
Sign Up

More City Comparisons
Riga vs. Cesis
Riga vs. Saint Petersburg
Riga vs. Tallinn
Riga vs. Saaremaa
Riga vs. Vilnius
Riga vs. Kaunas
Cesis vs. Tartu
Saint Petersburg vs. Tartu
Tartu vs. Tallinn
Tartu vs. Saaremaa
Tartu vs. Vilnius
Tartu vs. Kaunas
Share This Page
Pin This Page
Riga vs. Tartu Travel Comparison

Some of the links on this website are sponsored or affiliate links which help to financially support this site. By clicking the link and making a purchase, we may receive a small commission, but this does not affect the price of your purchase.