Look closely at an early car and you may see more carriage than motor vehicle. Put it beside a streamlined racer or a Latvian minibus and the differences tell a story of their own. At the Riga Motor Museum, you can spend a rainy afternoon following those changes through the shape of a headlamp, a running board or a whole body designed around speed.
The museum is at 8 Sergeja Eizenšteina iela in Riga. It makes a good destination for a mixed group: car enthusiasts can get absorbed in the details, while everyone else can pick a few objects and follow the stories behind them.
🚗 Start with the early experimenters
In the early motoring section, look for the car built by the Krastin Automobile Company. Latvian-born Augusts Krastiņš founded the company in the United States, and the museum presents its car as a surviving example of early automobile manufacture. It gives Riga’s collection a personal connection to an industry that was taking shape on both sides of the Atlantic.
Try looking at the car from the side before reading its label. Where do the passengers sit? How would they climb aboard? Which details look familiar from a modern car, and which still belong to the age of the carriage? It’s a simple way to make the earliest displays interesting for children as well as adults.
🛠️ Follow the vehicles made in Latvia
The Made in Latvia section is a good second stop. The museum highlights a Russo-Balt fire engine, a Ford Vairogs V8 assembled in Latvia in the 1930s and an RAF 977E tourist minibus. Seen together, they show how differently designers approached a working vehicle, a passenger car and a minibus intended for group travel.
Look at the RAF’s shape and think about how you would lay out a small vehicle carrying several passengers. The museum describes an interactive exhibit where visitors can make their own RAF minibus design. Give younger visitors time to try it if it’s operating on the day.
🏁 Compare two approaches to speed
In the motorsport section, look for the Auto Union V16 Typ C/D and the OSCar, a Latvian-designed rally raid vehicle associated with the Paris–Dakar rally. Compare their silhouettes and wheel clearance. One gives you a starting point for thinking about hill climbs, the other about what a vehicle needs over a long and demanding route.
If you’re visiting as a family, let each person choose the vehicle they would most like to see in motion and explain why. It gives the racing displays a point of focus even if nobody in the group follows motorsport.
🎟️ Hours, tickets and getting there
| Address | Sergeja Eizenšteina iela 8, Riga |
|---|---|
| Regular hours | Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00–18:00. Closed Mondays. Ticket sales end at 17:30. |
| Admission | Adults €12. Reduced admission €6 for eligible visitors. Children aged 6 and under enter free. |
| Family tickets | €17 for one parent or €24 for two parents, with one to four children under 18. |
The museum sells admission at its ticket desk and links to online sales for adult and group tickets. Compare the prices for your group before buying. For a holiday visit, check the hours for your chosen date and look up the route from your accommodation in advance.
Official hours and ticket information · Made in Latvia exhibition · Motorsport exhibition
🏡 Make it part of a Riga weekend
Give the museum its own morning or afternoon, with time to revisit a favourite display. A visit early in the day leaves the evening free for dinner back in central Riga. Compare MIRO Rooms Center, Skolas and French to find an apartment that suits your group and the rest of your itinerary.
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Exhibition details, regular hours and admission checked on 3 November 2026. Check the museum’s current information before travelling.