Airline tickets from Chisinau to Riga

Direct flight from Chisinau to Riga with airBaltic

airBaltic, Latvia's national airline, is the only carrier flying non-stop from Chisinau to Riga, with two flights a week on the current schedule. Chisinau to Riga plane tickets start from €77, and because there are so few flights, your choice of dates matters a lot: check the price calendar on this page and book your round trip straight away. A nice detail: Riga is in the same time zone as Chisinau, so there is no need to change your watch.

Riga is airBaltic's main hub, which makes it easy to continue onwards to northern Europe with the same airline.

Getting from Riga airport into the city

RIX airport is about 10 km from the centre. The main public transport option to the Old Town is bus no. 22.

Option	Cost	Details
Bus 22, 90-minute ticket	€1.50	Sold at machines at the stop, Narvesen kiosks in the terminal and in the Rīgas Satiksme or Mobilly apps. Valid on buses, trams and trolleybuses
Bus 22, ticket from the driver	€1.81	Bank card only, single ride with no transfers
Night bus N22	standard city fare	Hourly, same route to the centre
Taxi or Bolt	about €15-25	Bolt cars wait in the car park behind the bus stop

The bus takes about half an hour to the centre. If your hotel is in the Old Town, get off at 11. novembra krastmala.

Latvian visa rules for Moldovan citizens

Latvia is in the Schengen area, so the rules are the same as for any country in the zone: no visa is needed, but you need a biometric passport, and you can stay up to 90 days within 180. When you first cross the Schengen border, you will be registered in the EES system, which means fingerprints and a photo. ETIAS is not yet in operation.

How much to budget in Riga

The currency is the euro. Restaurant prices in Riga are roughly on par with Hamburg, while public transport is noticeably cheaper.

Item	Guide price
Lunch at an inexpensive café	about €15
Dinner for two at a restaurant	about €60
Cappuccino	about €3.30
Beer, 0.5 l	about €5
90-minute ticket	€1.50

Food prices are based on Numbeo data, October 2026.

What to bring home from Riga

Riga Central Market is housed in pavilions converted from Zeppelin hangars. It is the best place to buy smoked fish, rye bread, honey and cheese, and to see how locals do their shopping.

Among the things that will survive the journey is Riga Black Balsam: at the Christmas market it is usually served not neat but with hot blackcurrant juice. Amber and linen make good gifts, and before Christmas there are piparkūkas gingerbread biscuits. Balsam counts as a spirit, and you can bring 1 litre of such drinks into Moldova duty-free. The general allowance for other goods when flying is €430 per person.

Dates worth flying to Riga for

When	Event	Why it's interesting
15-18 November 2026	Staro Rīga festival of light	Light installations on both banks of the Daugava, timed to celebrate Latvia's national day
27 November 2026 - 4 January 2027	Christmas market on Dome Square	Riga claims that a decorated Christmas tree was first described here in 1510. The market stays open after Christmas
23-24 June	Līgo and Jāņi	Latvia's main summer celebration, held on the night of the summer solstice. The dates are the same every year

It gets dark early in Riga in winter, and Staro Rīga was created precisely for evenings like these. A warm jacket is a must in November, even if it still feels like autumn in Chisinau.