latvian ethnographic open air museum

CherylN708

loved the historic structures, the natural beauty of this place. A fantastic place to take children too.

Ilona2404

It is a library for hauses- old buildings are gathered together and you can see hov it was hundred years ago. All exponents are real hauses!

OctopusBen

It was FREE to get in with the understanding that the buildings where closed as it was a Latvian public holiday but this never ruined it for me a I purely enjoyed the exterior construction of the buildings and serenity I would imagine kids would love it tooIts perfect for hang overs as you don't have to interact with anyone you can just potter about at your own pace

ZanuDA9715

It's the most unique museum I have ever seen in my life. If you visit Latvia, then you just must check it out. With an exception of the mill that seemed to be not a really safe place to walk in (and it was still quite fun to walk there) everything was just perfect.

eve108

The ride out was only 1 euro for a journey which takes about 30 minutes from the town centre. We went in October and found most of the buildings shut, but you can walk around the forest and see little timber villages.it is quite pleasant just to walk and look at all the old buildings. There is apparently a cafe , but this was also shut. After travelling out of town,and exploring the open air museum, we really wanted a warm drink. There isn't anything in the neighbourhood either, in the way of cafes. Tip- take refreshments ! I imagine that a visit in summer would be better, when there is more open.

486natalies

Over the holiday period the entrance was free as lots of the buildings were closed. It was still great to walk around and showed lots of interesting examples of traditional buildings and gave an insight to traditional manufacturing and building methods in years gone by.

Jscalise2014

I wasn't expecting much because the reviews say this place is more fun during summer, but as I had some time to spare I decided to give it a go ( it's December 29th ). I'm sure it's better in summer time because we can obviously spend more time going around visiting all the buildings and they should be all open, which helps. However, although it's hard to do something outdoors during winter time, and besides not being able to enter the buildings because they were locked, what a magical place! When you get to the lake and you see the sunset, the snow falling, and when all you can hear is the noise of the wind, it does make this place worth visiting. It's really beautiful and the entrance is only €2 euros.

P427AVmartinl

I visited with my wife on a Sunday afternoon in December. It was just over €2 each to get in so very cheap. Easy to get to too. 30 mins on the no.1 bus from Merkela Iela. Unfortunately apart from a couple of houses at the start all the many many buildings were padlocked so it was very much a case off going for a walk in the woods which in itself was quite atmospheric and a pleasant getaway from the city. But after a while you get bored of the outsides of buildings. There was only one person showing off crafts, again near the start. I gather from other reviews that in peak time this place is thriving with exhibits and all buildings are open. I feel there should've been some sort of notice advising of the reduced experience whether on the website or upon entry.I can't really say I've come away from this with an enhanced knowledge of Latvian living back then and factoring in the return journey it's a decent chunk of our weekend away wasted.

Riviman

We visited the Open Air Museum last summer with some Latvian friends and thoroughly enjoyed our time wandering around and exploring the buildings of "old Latvia". No restrictions on entering most of the buildings, one,the church was being decorated for a wedding that was due to be held the following day. A highly recommended visit.

Marleen04

I went by myself on a rainy day, and seemed to be the only tourist walking around. I spent more than 4 hours there, walking from one building to the next. it was wonderful to see all the different styles of windmills, farms and houses from all over Latvia. A lot of buildings were closed while I was there (middle of the week, October). I don't know whether more buildings are accessible during the weekend or the really tourist season. it is certainly worth going, make certain you have enough time to explore the whole museum. Easy bus transportation from Riga center to the museum.

ZD8369

really worths a visit , examples of traditional buildings from all regions in Latvia, spread in Riga's vicinity woods

ben186364

We went on a cold and dark November afternoon. No other visitors were in the park. It was so eerily quiet as even the birds in the trees made no sounds. Everything in the park seemed like it was from some horror movie. Creepy cabins with creaky gates, old abandoned churches, spooky windmills. It was a pretty unique experience! Do not miss out!

detatouage

This Open Air Museum was such a treat to visit. The more you walk around, the more you discover. So many beautiful structures and interesting people. You really feel like you've stepped back in time. Make sure you get a map so you know where to find each different settlement, and make sure you have good walking shoes and water. The restaurant near the entrance was very tasty and not bad value for money, but the selection of drinks on the go was lacking. Lovely place for a tranquil get-away.

HilaryP216

This museum is quite a way out of the city but is on a bus route. You need to be fit in order to see all the exhibits as there is quite a lot of walking to do. The weather needs to be fine and eating al fresco at the little cafeteria near the lake was great value for money [yummy home made cakes etc]

charles911

Loads of old wooden houses from all regions of Latvia in one place. Admission fee really low (4 EUR/adult) if you realise what you get for it. Easily accesible by public transport (Bus No. 1 from Abrenes iela near the railway station). Toilets near the entrance perfect, toilets in the cetral part terrible. No buffet or fast food, only one rather expensive restaurant. Definitely worth visiting