There are several routes by which you can get to Latvia from Russia. However, not all routes - good quality. And at the border it would be nice to know what the fastest checkpoints are.

Moscow-Riga. Which route to choose?

Many people prefer to travel to Latvia by their own car. It’s cheaper, more comfortable, and faster, the main thing is that you’ll have time to see more (you’ll be able to plan trips and excursions without reference to public transport). Practice shows that it is quite convenient to get to Latvia through Belarus, but the busiest and most popular route from Moscow – along the M9 Baltic highway.

Checkpoints at the border. Which points have the least queues?

It houses one of the most popular checkpoints - Burachki - Terekhovo. Quite a lot of transport gathers here. Cars and trucks stand in different queues.

What documents are needed at the border between Russia and Latvia?

When crossing state border You will need to present the following documents:

Foreign passports with visas, medical policies for each traveler (for the period specified in the visa or the period of first entry if the visa is multiple-entry). Insurance, as a rule, is taken out even before the visa is issued - the main thing is not to leave it at home;

A driver's license issued according to an international model (for Russia this is an international license);

Car registration documents, maintenance and power of attorney (if you are not driving your own car);

When entering Latvia you also need a Green Card - green map per car (for the entire stay in Latvia).

What and how much can you import into Latvia?

The list of things that are prohibited for import into Latvia is very strict. You will be checked/questioned especially closely at the border (when entering Latvia).

Traveling to Latvia by car in 2020 - a completely logical decision. Both from the point of view of saving money, and in order to expand your own opportunities for visiting attractions.

• You can also go to Lithuania. From Riga it is only 260 km along the highway to Kaunas. And 290 - up to !

Such a trip will not take much time: with proper planning, you can complete it in 5-7 days. Depending on when to go and how many days to spend at sea. And there will be impressions...

Required documents

To travel to Latvia, you will naturally need foreign passports with. Are you traveling by car? Also a driver’s license, vehicle registration certificate and a Green Card, which is designed to cover your liability in the event of an accident.

• The Latvians have gone further! At the border they check the presence of a valid diagnostic card on the car, that is, technical inspection

Travel insurance policies are usually not looked at. But does it exist in principle? They ask. However, this is easier: today you can literally do it on the go. Exactly for as many days as the trip will last. The electronic version of the policy is enough for all cases

Distances and border

From St. Petersburg to the nearest checkpoint to Latvia Ubylinka-Grebneva is 400 km. You can overcome them in 5-6 hours with a reasonable approach to choosing the time to start. Riga is 300 km from the border.

• You can stand in front of the barrier in Grebneva for an hour, even if there is only one or no cars in front of you. The locals work at such speed...

The distance from Moscow is greater. 650 km to the marked crossing and 620 to the Burachki-Terekhovo checkpoint. Many people blame the latter for its “unreal queues.” Perhaps this is due to the slowness of the Latvian border guards. They really work slowly and thoroughly.

Meat and chicken products, as well as cheeses and yoghurts, as well as sandwiches, cannot be imported into the EU. Because there is an opinion there about constant and never-ending livestock epidemics in Russia. At the Latvian border they ask about the presence of such a “ban”. After which they offer to throw away the food and even show you where.

However, for some reason they do not check execution. You reached the tank, threw something, stuffed the rest into your pockets - move on, dear comrade!

Upon entry, a customs declaration must be filled out and handed in at the window. They are especially interested in the volumes of imported cigarettes and alcohol.

Prices

The cost of 95 gasoline in Latvia in 2019 starts from 1.25-1.27 € per liter. Prices for diesel fuel are more modest: from 1.18 €.

You can have a snack at gas stations relatively inexpensively compared even to Russian realities. A glass of coffee will cost 1.5 €, the same price as a sausage roll or a pie. The latter, however, are sometimes sold for 0.89-0.99.

Where to stay

Obviously, independent travel planning begins with selecting suitable accommodation. And here those who are planning to go to (poor) Latvia will face their first disappointment - the price lists in hotels, it turns out, are not bargain prices. This mainly applies to Riga - other cities in the country take a more flexible approach to pricing.

As expected, the general rule applies: the closer to the center, the more ruinous it is. However, if you solve the issue of parking your car yourself or agree to the one offered by the hotel (about 15 € per day), profitable options will inevitably be found.

We recommend the well-located Rixwell Old Riga Palace Hotel with small rooms but impressive and delicious breakfasts. And one more - Rixwell Hotel Konventa Seta. Occupying a renovated ancient building right in the center!

From the point of view of economy, we should recommend the Renau guest house - motorists are unlikely to worry about the fact that it is located on the road to Jurmala. Interesting options include Fair-maids apartaments and Airport Hotel Mara near the Riga airport.

What to see in Riga

The Dome Cathedral and St. Peter's Church, Riga Castle are key attractions. We recommend, however, not to focus only on them. But paying attention to it is a matter of special pride for the townspeople.

Others actively acted in films in Soviet times - only in Latvia were directors able to find a Western European texture so rare in the USSR. In particular, the cult Soviet TV series “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson” and “Seventeen Moments of Spring” were created here.

Many beautiful buildings built at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries have been preserved. The city even has a museum of art nouveau, that is, modernism in the Russian tradition.

And much more: along the way you will discover many interesting things.

What to see in the area

The Munchausen Museum in the Vidzeme region (due north along the E67 highway) is dedicated to the famous teller of incredible stories, Carl Friedrich Hieronymus Baron von Munchausen. Who was first married to the Riga noblewoman Jacobina von Dunten and lived for several years (as stated on the museum’s website - the most beautiful) in a manor house that belonged to his wife. Official website: minhauzens.lv.

A beautiful house, a well-kept park, centuries-old oak trees, 300 meters from the sandy seashore... Are there better ideas for spending a weekend?

Biron's Rundale Palace, 75 km south of Riga, has already been mentioned (rundale.net). If you go in this direction, don’t forget to visit Bauska Castle, a fortress built by the Livonian knights for protection from the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (www.bauskaspils.lv).

The perfectly preserved buildings of the 17th-18th centuries in the town of Kuldiga gave rise to its inclusion in the list World Heritage UNESCO. Ventas Rumba, Venta Falls, is the widest in Europe. Kuldiga and its waterfall are located 150 km along the highway from Riga, and can be visited during a one-day tour.

Jurmala

In the resort suburb of the capital, Jurmala, is located large water park"Livu." A number of attractions are open only in summer, but the entertainment center operates year-round. The pleasure costs 28.9-20 € in high season, discounts are provided for family visits: www.akvaparks.lv.

During the summer season, Jurmala, a large and surprisingly photogenic city, is definitely worth staying for a few days. Especially if you are in Latvia by car and can afford to do some amateur activities.

Kemersky is next door national park. Several walking and cycling routes are available to visitors. Of particular interest are the trails along the Great Kemeri Swamp: www.kemerunacionalaisparks.lv.

Ventspils

The small seaside town of Ventspils is worth visiting oldest castle Livonian Order. As well as the ethnographic Primorsky Museum, dedicated to all aspects of fishing. Small, but very cozy local Old city. And in terms of the number of sculptural portraits of cows, the settlement has no equal in the world.

Ventspils Adventure Park is sure to please fans active rest in nature: www.piedzivojumuparks.lv. Let's pay tribute to the beautiful sandy beach on the seaside, over which the Blue Flag has been proudly flying for 20 years. There is also a small water park near the beach.

Liepaja

At one time, it was supposed to become the main military port of the Russian Empire on the Baltic Sea. Having invested enormous amounts of money in the creation of forts and piers, the idea was eventually abandoned. What has been preserved seriously intrigues tourists today. The Karosta forts and prison are an iconic landmark of Latvia: karostascietums.lv.

Liepaja is a city with delightfully large sandy beaches...

Gauja

Gauja National Park is the largest in Latvia, located just 50 km northeast of Riga. Forests and rivers, rocks, caves and even castles - all this can be seen if you go into the depths of the reserve on foot, by bicycle or by boat: www.entergauja.com/ru/.

Sigulda is the main one ski resort Latvia, and even a non-professional can try the local bobsleigh and luge track: bobtrase.lv. You heard right: cheesecake in your hands and forward to the Olympic records!

On the outskirts of the city there is the Mezakakis Adventure Park (www.kakiskalns.lv), offering walks through the trees, an experience filled with impressions and a ride in a trailer. cable car over the Gauja River valley (cablecar.lv).

Sigulda has its own castle of the Livonian Order, but the main fortification nearby is Turaida Castle, standing on a hill in the thick of the forest: www.turaida-muzejs.lv. Excellent cars are delivered directly from Riga.

The city of Cesis is not part of national park, but in fact located in the same huge forest area (90 km from Riga). A romantic old town where you won’t find noisy tourist crowds, and medieval castle, once the residence of the master of the Livonian Order (ancient Wenden) are the main attractions of Cesis. Castle website:

Updated 2019! Many thanks to everyone who writes in the comments about the current state of the track!

Information about the M9 highway as of May 2019 has been added to the comments.

Travel date: 04/29/2015

Distance Moscow - Riga (via Belarus): 1020 km

We decided to go to Latvia by car, having no previous experience of such long trips behind the wheel. Therefore, our route Moscow - Riga and back included overnight stays, in order, firstly, not to drive along the highway at night, and secondly, to break up the long road while driving.

I will indicate the places where we stayed, maybe it will be useful to someone.

Let me tell you that we were driving through Belarus along the Minsk Highway, because... Having read the reviews about the direct Riga route, we realized that it was better not to risk it. A couple of years ago it was in disrepair, but we couldn’t find any information about how things are now, so we decided to take the route through Belarus, which was praised by drivers.

Route

Moscow (Route M1) - Smolensk (Route P-120) - Vitebsk - Novopolotsk (Route P-20) - Grigorovshchina (border) - Daugavpils - Jekabpils - Riga

Navigator

We used a free offline navigator Maps.me and in principle they were satisfied. It works without the Internet, the route is laid out correctly, except for a couple of times when he decided to take a shorter path and took it along the gravel road. It also correctly indicates all the necessary points - gas stations, hotels, cafes, etc.

GPS coordinates for the route Moscow - Vitebsk - Daugavpils - Riga

• Vitebsk 55.163437, 30.344174
• Daugavpils 55.954601, 26.555401
• Riga 56.931758, 24.194587

We left on April 29 in the evening after work, so we decided to stop for the night before reaching Belarus and continue our journey in the morning. We looked for a hotel on Booking, there was not much choice, based on reviews we chose (Orange) in Yartsevo (Smolensk region), it is located almost on the highway. Late check-in is no problem here. The hotel has a restaurant open 24 hours a day, where you can eat something tasty and not expensive. Good breakfast included (from 7.00 am). The room is not noisy, quite normal renovation. Everything was great, except for the mattresses, which prevented us from getting much sleep. They are very soft and you just sag in the bed. Apart from this convenience, the hotel can be safely recommended for those who need to spend the night on the road. A room for two cost 2100 rubles. on Booking and 2200 rub. the price is in their hotel.

Gas stations on Belarusian highways

This needs to be highlighted as a separate point, because gas stations in Belarus are only available in larger populated areas, after Vitebsk to the border there are only three of them: in Shumilino, Novopolotsk and Verhnedvinsk. Please pay attention to this so that there is a supply of gasoline.

By the way, just before the Russia-Belarus border there are two Lukoil gas stations indicated, but only one of them is working, which is located on the opposite side, so you will have to turn around to refuel.

Border Belarus - Latvia

At about 8.00 am we drove towards the border along the P-120 highway. The Russia-Belarus border is conditional, basically no one is stopped. Then we went to Vitebsk along R-21, and along it we left Vitebsk and reached borders Grigorovshchina - Paternieki. Because we left before May holidays Having read what was going on at the border on such days, we set aside several hours to go through border control. But to our surprise, we arrived at an empty border; there was only a separate line of trucks. A little later, 2 more cars pulled up behind us.

We passed the border without a queue in 40 minutes. This is despite the fact that we did not declare anything. Sandwiches that remained uneaten were thrown out before the border, because... valid hard limit for the import of meat and dairy products.

It is best to familiarize yourself with the rules for importing goods on the official website of the Latvian Embassy.

Documentation, which are required when crossing the border:

• A green card for a car (we applied for it from RESO) costs 2,060 rubles.
• Medical insurance
• All documents for the car - license, technical passport, diagnostic card
• Foreign passports with valid Schengen visas

There were no interrogations at the border; everything went well.

Traffic police on Latvian roads

Latvia greeted us with all courtesy - 20 kilometers from the border a surprise awaited us - traffic police stopped us for speeding in a populated area. In general, we have heard a lot about the number of traffic cops on Latvian roads. Anti-radars are prohibited in Latvia, so you have to obey the speed limit. In populated areas - max 50 km/h, on highways - up to 100 km/h. After the conversation, the traffic cops issued us a “warning”, i.e. without a fine. You can’t relax further along the road, traffic cops are around almost every corner.

It’s better to familiarize yourself with it first.

Route around Latvia

Now about the road, that is. route around Latvia. When we were preparing for the trip, we found a review from one traveler on the Internet about the best way to travel around Latvia by car. He advised driving along the bottom and then going up, because lower track There are practically no settlements near the border and this way you can get there faster. So we went, although the navigator stubbornly built a route for us only along the top. As a result, this road took us longer than the usual route, firstly because of the quality of the road (it is not very bad, but one-lane, a little broken and wobbling), and secondly, the mileage is longer. We drove back along the E-22 highway, so we can definitely say it is better.

Riga and Jurmala by car

It is not very convenient to travel to Riga by car - in Old Riga You will most likely have problems with parking or it will not be cheap. But driving around Jurmala is a pleasure - the roads are good, there are no traffic jams, there is a lot of parking, both paid and free. Even near concert hall“Dzintari” has a large paid parking lot and a free one nearby along the road, the main thing is that there is a place.

A little bit of Riga in May 2015:)

Riga — Moscow: the way back

On the way back, as mentioned above, we drove along the E-22 highway Riga - Jekabpils - Daugavpils. We left at 16.00 and arrived in Vitebsk at 22.00. Even though we were driving 100-140 km/h, the journey still took 5 hours, we thought we’d get there faster.

Route from Riga to Moscow by car through Belarus

Border Latvia - Belarus

We left Latvia without any problems; at the border there was 1 car in front of us in line. But the Belarusians are conducting an inspection. When entering Belarus, you need to declare everything, even one bottle of beer. We didn’t bring anything from Latvia to avoid unnecessary hassle. But our travel bag was inspected in a way that was not inspected when entering the Schengen zone. So be prepared for some serious border trouble. control.

Stop in Vitebsk

In Vitebsk we decided to stop for the night, because driving along an unlit highway was not at all impressive. We didn’t book the hotel in advance, although we tried. For some reason, hotels in Belarus are practically not represented on Booking.com. And as we understand, there is simply no other site where you can book a hotel in Vitebsk. Therefore, we decided to look locally. Local taxi driver recommended hotel“Dvina” (it is on the Maps.me navigator). This is the oldest state hotel with janitors and all the delights of life under the USSR. Located in the very center of the city, on the river. The rooms are normal, the renovation is not a year old, but everything is clean. Price for a double room 1900 rub. There is a restaurant at the hotel, but it is open until 23.00. We didn’t have time to get there, because... I also had to go to the railway station to change money, by the way there is only one currency exchange point at a late time. The hotel staff suggested that have dinner after 23.00 You can only cross the bridge to the Teatralnoe cafe, next to the theater. This is a kind of “club”, of course very different from clubs in large modern cities. But despite all the sad appearance of this establishment and its contingent, they have a dress code and are not allowed in sportswear.

View from the window of the Dvina Hotel room in Vitebsk

The next morning we decided to have breakfast, take a walk and go home. We walked around the center in search of a “national cafe” and finally found it. In the very center of the city, turning onto Gogol Street, there is a pancake shop called “Lida Pancakes”. Everything is very modest inside, but the potato pancake pizza we ordered was simply delicious! If you're in Vitebsk, be sure to try it.

There is probably the main one nearby shopping mall city ​​- "Pyramid". There are clothing and shoe stores here, both local and well-known brands. And on the ground floor there is a large grocery supermarket “Euroopt”. You can buy Belarusian products there. We took something with us, fortunately we passed the border :)

We left Vitebsk at 13.00 along the P-21 - P-120 - M1 highway. The entire journey to the Moscow region took us 4 hours. Then we got stuck in a traffic jam for almost an hour - road work on the Minsk highway + an accident. Because of the traffic jam, the whole journey was delayed and we arrived home at the beginning of eight in the evening.

Gasoline expenses: 8000 rub. for the entire route

This was our road along the Moscow-Riga route and back. We will be glad if this information is useful to someone. And if you have questions, you can ask them in the comments.

The capital of Latvia is close enough to Russia, so traveling by car from Moscow to Riga will not be tiring. Traveling by car is less expensive than flying or taking a bus.

Having your own car gives you freedom of movement, independence from the routes of other tourists and the ability to independently plan your time during the trip. For it to be successful, you need to familiarize yourself with the route in advance, think through stops for rest and meals, prepare your car and take all the necessary documents with you.

List of required documents

To travel to Latvia, the following documents are required:

• Foreign passport with a valid Schengen visa.
• Child's birth certificate.
• A driver's license that meets international standards.
• Vehicle registration certificate.
• Diagnostic card for the car.
• Medical insurance.
• Car owner's civil liability insurance policy (“Green Card”).

A Green Card can be purchased from an insurance company no earlier than a month before the start date of the trip. The minimum period for which insurance is issued is 15 days, while its cost for a passenger car will be 1,670 rubles.

From January 2015, the price of the policy will increase by 23%.

Travel routes

You can get from Moscow to Riga by car along the M9 (“Baltic”) or M1 (“Belarus”) highway. The first route is a direct road to Riga; choosing the second route, you will have to enter Latvia through Belarus.

The length of the route to Riga along the M9 highway (its other name is Novorizhskoe highway) is 919 km, without stopping this distance can be covered in 11-12 hours. The road passes through Volokolamsk, Rzhev, Velikiye Luki to the Burachki-Terekhovo border crossing. The advantages of this route include a small number of settlements, when passing through which you will have to reduce your speed. Among the shortcomings, drivers note:

• Insufficient density of roadside cafes and gas stations.
• The congestion of the checkpoint on the border between Russia and Latvia.
• Queues at border control on weekends and holidays which reaches several hours. Reason: flow increases Russian tourists to Latvia.

Driving along the M1 highway allows 2 options:

• You can move from Moscow along M1 (Minsk Highway), before reaching Smolensk, turn towards Velezh-Nevel. In the Pustoshka area you need to return to the M9 highway and continue in the direction of the Russian-Latvian border.
• Another option involves driving along the Minsk Highway to Smolensk, after which you need to turn onto the road to Vitebsk. The rest of the route passes through the territory of Belarus to the Grigorovshchina-Paternieki checkpoint. The queue at the border here is usually shorter than at the Burachki-Terekhovo crossing.

The distance from Moscow to Riga in this case will be just over 1000 km, travel time – 13-14 hours. Along the entire length of the M1 highway you can find a sufficient number of cafes and gas stations. The last gas station in Belarus will be near Polotsk. Considering the high cost of gasoline in Latvia, it is better to fill it with a full tank. The average cost of 1 liter of gasoline in Latvia is 1.2 €.

Features of traveling around Latvia by car

When planning a road trip to Latvia, you need to take into account local rules:

• In populated areas the maximum permissible speed is 50 km/h, outside them – 90 km/h. For speeding you can pay from 7 to 570 €.
• At any time of the day, while the car is moving, low beam headlights must be turned on.
• The permissible level of alcohol in the blood is 0.5 ppm, that is, the driver can drink 1 glass of beer or glass of wine. For drivers with less than 2 years of driving experience, the maximum permissible level is reduced to 0.2 ppm.
• Studded tires are allowed only from October 1 to May 1.
• The use of seat belts is mandatory for all vehicle passengers. The fine for this violation is 30 €.
• Children under 14 years of age and less than 150 cm tall must be transported in special restraints. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in a fine of 15 €.
• The car must have: a warning triangle, a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit and a reflective vest. For the absence of any item from this list, a fine of 7 € is imposed.
• The use of radar detectors is prohibited within the country. Otherwise, the device is confiscated and the car owner is issued a fine of 55 €.

The import of meat and meat products, dairy products into the territory of Latvia is prohibited (except baby food), animal feed containing meat or milk.

Without paying customs duties, you are allowed to import into the territory of Latvia:

• 2 packs of cigarettes or 10 cigars.
• 1 liter of strong alcohol, or 2 liters of alcohol with a strength of no more than 22%, or 4 liters of non-sparkling wine and 16 liters of beer.
• A full tank of gasoline and 1 canister of fuel with a capacity of no more than 10 liters.

Travelers who carry excise goods in larger quantities must pay customs duties. To do this, they need to fill out a declaration, select the “Red Corridor” at the customs post and present their luggage for inspection. Cash in amounts exceeding €10,000 is also subject to mandatory declaration.

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When visiting Latvia by car, Russian citizens need to collect a standard package of documents: application form, certificate of employment, bank statement on account balance Money, Hotel reservation, medical insurance. And also a certificate of registration vehicle, driver's license, green card for the car.

Having collected the above package of documents, you can apply for a Schengen visa to Latvia.

Documents for the car include copies of the license, registration certificate and green card. When traveling in a company car, you need a general power of attorney with the right to travel abroad. The power of attorney must be certified by a notary.

Border guards may also request a diagnostic card for a car with Russian registration older than 3 years, since according to the laws of Latvia (and Lithuania), an entering car must be in good condition according to the country of registration.

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To enter the territory of Latvia with your own car, the following documents are required:

• International passports of all travel participants with valid Schengen visas pasted into them (a child under 14 years of age can be entered in the passport of one of the parents; if independent trip- must have your passport and consent to leave certified by a notary);
• Birth certificates of children;
• Medical insurance for each travel participant with a coverage amount of at least 30,000 EUR;
• International driving license;
• Vehicle registration certificate;
• Green card valid in Latvia. Civil liability insurance can be purchased in Russia no earlier than a month before the trip; the minimum validity period of the document is 15 days

A driver crossing the Latvian border must have a driving license that meets international standards. This is a plastic card, where the full name is indicated on English language. For a corporate car, a general power of attorney is additionally required to travel the car abroad, certified by a notary.

You can drive into Latvia by car with tinted front side windows (at least 80% traffic capacity). Rear and side rear windows may have lower capacity. In European countries, you cannot cross the border if the car windows are cracked or the body is damaged. If car window tinting is factory-made, then there are no problems.

When traveling to Latvia by car, keep in mind that the republic has restrictions on the import of the following things: you can import into Latvia no more than 40 cigarettes, 1 liter of strong alcohol and 156 liters of beer, 10 liters of motor fuel in any appropriate container. In addition, it is prohibited to import meat and meat products, including stew, into the republic.