English
Foto: Viesturs Jūgs
On September 1, an unusual sight could be observed at the passenger terminal berths in the centre of Riga – two ships from the same cruise company called the port of Riga at the same time. The German cruise line AIDA Cruises' vessels AIDAdiva and AIDAmar brought a total of 4,893 tourists to Riga, 97% of whom were cruise travellers from Germany. This year, 28,000 German cruise tourists have already visited Riga, accounting for 37% of all cruise passengers this season.
In recent years, more than a third of all cruise travellers in Riga have been tourists from Germany, and that means that German tourists make up the vast majority of cruise passengers at the Port of Riga. Those visits confirm the attractiveness of Riga as a cruise destination for German travellers, who are also one of the largest target groups for tourism in the city of Riga.
AIDA Cruises is one of the renowned cruise lines in Europe, offering travellers the opportunity to enjoy sea voyages both within Europe and on more distant routes, visiting various countries and regions around the world. According to AIDA Cruises its passengers are people who appreciate comfort, high-quality entertainment, and who love active recreation and adventure, enjoying traveling with family and friends.
This year, AIDA Cruises’ ships have already visited the Port of Riga seven times, and by the end of the year we will welcome a total of 11 ships from this company, which is the highest number of port calls among all cruise operators. In addition to the scheduled calls, AIDA Cruises has announced two more calls by AIDAprima during the off-season - on November 17 and December 17. On both occasions, the ship will stay in port for two days, providing additional benefits to Riga's tourism and hospitality businesses. It has been remarked that Riga residents also like AIDA vessels, which can be recognized by the smile that adorns the bow of the ship.
Overall, the 2025 cruise season has been very successful and interesting so far. 64 cruise ships have already called at the Port of Riga, bringing in close to 80,000 passengers – almost as many as during the entire previous year.
Among the cruise ships such vessels as The Ritz-Carlton's luxury cruise yacht ILMA, the exclusive expedition ship WORLD TRAVELLER from the US cruise line Nicko Cruises, and the legendary Norwegian Vestland Classic fleet expedition ship NORDSJERNEN can be mentioned as the most attractive and interesting ones. It should also be noted that this year's cruise season in the Port of Riga began unusually early, in February, and several ships are also expected in November and December.
In September and October, 19 more cruise ships are scheduled to call Riga. Together with two additional visits by AIDAprima, a total of 86 cruise ships will visit Riga this year, which is 30% more than last year. Meanwhile, 90 cruise ship visits have already been scheduled for 2026.
More information about all vessels expected in September as well as the current cruise ship schedule is provided on the Freeport of Riga Authority's webpage - here.
Information for media
- [email protected], +371 670 308 53
- Freeport of Riga Authority
- 12 Kalpaka blvd, Riga, Latvia, LV-1010
