Student Housing Guide by Latvijas Studentu apvienība

This guide is designed to ensure your housing experience is secure and hassle-free, offering essential insights and tips to navigate student accommodations smoothly throughout your studies.

The Latvian Academy of Culture does not have its own student dormitory, however, there are several other options that we recommend:

SPOTAHOME

LAC30 - Latvian Academy of Culture onepager.pptx.pdf (730.0 KB)

Visit: https://www.spotahome.com/s/riga

 

SHED CO-LIVING (8/12 JELGAVAS STREET, RIGA)

Looking for a modern-but-homey place to stay? 

Visit: https://shedcoliving.com/riga/

DUCK REPUBLIC STUDENT HOTEL (1 LAUVAS STREET, RIGA)

At just a 10 minute walking distance from the Latvian Academy of Culture, the Duck Republik student hotel is a revolutionary student accommodation provider with modern, smart facilities where students can meet other students all over the world, experience student life in full – study, work, eat, play, love, sleep.

Each room in Duck Republik is equipped with bathroom and a fridge. The price includes water, electricity, heating and Wi-Fi, as well as weekly room cleaning. 4 spacious kitchens are shared in the hall. Duck Republik also offers studio rooms with a small kitchen and air conditioner.

Prices: https://hotelwebsitebooking.com/ducklong/rooms 

Contact:
support@duckrepublik.eu
+371 22 324 579
duckrepublik.eu

RENT A ROOM OR A SHARED FLAT AROUND RIGA

It is possible to rent a shared flat or a room somewhere in town with the help of a rental agency or on your own.

We recommend using:

• Riga Apartments;
• ESN (Erasmus Student Network) housing platform;
• Global Home rental agency.

It is also possible to look for a room in one of the many Facebook groups. The optional price for a room in a shared flat or a studio apartment is from 250-400 EUR. The average price for a 2 bedroom apartment should not be higher than 700 EUR.

• Student Accommodation Riga; 
• Riga Student’s Apartment Market;
• Riga Apartments for Students.

Each term the LAC students organise a new Erasmus “buddy” support team which takes care of the incoming students during their first steps in Latvia and at the LAC, and helps to subscribe to the ISIC student card and the public transport card. Various exciting welcoming events and excursions are organised especially for our Erasmus guests.

The Erasmus student will receive the information on his/ her “buddy” around mid-August (or mid-January for those applying for the spring semester) via e-mail.

Experience of Latvian students

Paula Spalviņa

Intercultural Relations, Latvia – France

In my very first semester at the Latvian Academy of Culture, I joined the Buddy Program and became a mentor for Lucile, an Erasmus student from France. Together, we shared many memorable experiences. On the very first day we met, we went for lunch at Lido on Krasta street, took a walk through the city centre parks, met her flatmates, and later attended a salsa dance party. 

After the Welcome Week activities, I also invited a group of Erasmus students to a summer jazz and swing concert in Vērmanes dārzs. It turned into a wonderful evening of live music and dancing together in the park. Later in the semester, Lucile, another Erasmus student, two fellow Latvian mentors, and I went to Staro Rīga, the festival of lights, which was a truly blissful experience to share. 

Throughout the semester, Lucile and I often met in cafés or at my place for tea and snacks. We also helped each other with languages—she supported me with French, and I helped her practice Latvian. Since our birthdays were close together, we celebrated around the same time, and when her Erasmus stay came to an end, we exchanged farewell gifts and promised to meet again in the future. 

For me, this was a very positive and enriching experience. It felt meaningful to help an Erasmus student discover Latvia and to exchange thoughts about cultural differences. At the same time, I made a new friend and gained valuable intercultural understanding. 

Rūdolfs Pomerancevs

Culture and Art Studies

I definitely advise being a buddy, it does not require a lot for us, Latvians, but it greatly helps newcomers. In the spring semester of '25, I was lucky to have a buddy, Sid from Germany. With them, I enjoyed wonderful events at the Academy and got to know the best cafés of Riga, but overall, they were such independent and strong character that they didn't need much help from me at all, just a little bit of guidance from somebody who understands the Latvian transportation and healthcare system.  

However, having a buddy encouraged me to join international events where I met other wonderful people, including Mustafa from Turkey, with whom I went to the beach and played football, and Edoardo from Italy, who hosted an Italian dinner for his friends. Buddy network is something just as wholesome as it sounds, and it truly does comfort and uplift foreign students. Now, for the winter semester of '25-'26, I have ended up in Germany on an Erasmus semester myself! And I have a buddy, too! And it does help me feel less alone :) 

Dārta Priedniece

Culture and Art Studies

I was a buddy for a student from Spain who spent 10 months in Latvia. In the Erasmus mentoring program, buddy pairs are selected based on common interests, and we had many of them. We went to art exhibitions together, danced, and went to various events - both events organized by the LAC for Erasmus students and those held outside the Academy. 

I also helped my buddy with practical things, for example, I met her at the airport and helped carry her heavy suitcases to the apartment, helped her understand the transportation system, gave recommendations on where to go, what to see, etc. 

For me, it was a cool opportunity to meet students from another country, practice my Spanish skills, and occasionally go to an interesting event, for example, the International Dinner and a hike in Sigulda. 

I still keep in touch with my buddy. Since I'm now on an Erasmus exchange to Spain, we're planning to meet up in her hometown of Seville soon! 

Laura Jegorova

Intercultural Relations, Latvia – France

My first time being an ERASMUS mentor was truly an experience not only of entertainment and fun but also a lot of learning. Being a mentor in your country for somebody for whom your home is a strange tide has its challenges. My ERASMUS buddy was from Poland, and even though Latvia and Poland are not that far apart, I cannot describe how many times I found myself amazed by the cultural differences that our countries have. We made each other our national meals, thought each other about our traditions, culture, manners, history, and so many other interesting things, which makes you want to dig deeper into it once you grasp it. I remember myself realising the beauty of the diversity so many times we spent time together, and that difference is indeed the most beautiful and unselfish thing in the world.  

Despite all of this, my favourite part is when my buddy and I attended ERASMUS events together. It felt like home, even though I was not the one away from mine. It felt like something so real and so full of good energy, people. Things like these always made me feel better about everything else on this earth, and the best thing about it – with ERASMUS, things like these are on every corner. 

It's your time to shine through, too. 

Erasmus Student Network Latvia (Erasmus Studentu Tīkls Latvija) is part of the largest student association in Europe; called the Erasmus Student Network (ESN AISBL), it is present in more than 500 Higher Education Institutions in 42 counties. ESN Latvia serves as a link between ESN AISBL and the 3 Latvian sections.

The Goals of ESN Latvia:

• Enhancing the academic and social integration of international students and the reintegration of local studens after their return from academic exchange
• Advocacy of the interests of the international students and students who have been involved in exchange programmes in Latvia
• To create an environment of understanding between different cultures within different nationalities by using informal education methods
• Promote the study and traineeship mobility as part of the study process in Latvia
• The internationalisation of Latvian Higher Education and making Latvian Higher Education more popular and accessible for international students
• Support and promote the development and cooperation of the member sections of ESN Latvia

More information

 

The official student card of the Latvian Academy of Culture is joined into one with the International Student Identity card (ISIC), thus allowing the student to enjoy all the benefits of an ISIC card. ISIC (International Student Identity Card) is the only internationally recognized full- and part-time student identity card, every year used by 5 million students from 130 countries.

Use your ISIC

• Prove your student status worldwide
• Get discounts in 42 000 locations around the world;
• Get discounts in more than 550 locations in Latvia.

More information

• The card is valid for up to 16 months (from the beginning of an academic year - September);
• The card costs 8,00 €;
• To apply you need a proof of your student status, your personal ID and a photo.

 

Contacts

24/26 Kr. Barona Street, 3rd floor, Riga, LV-1050

+371 67223000, info@isic.lv

PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN RIGA In Riga, public transport services are provided by buses, trams, trolley-buses, and minibuses. Riga public transportation works from around 5 a.m. every morning and up until shortly before midnight. Night buses ply some routes during the nighttime hours on weekends. Rigas satiksme website offers public transport timetables, a map, and a route planner. Buying tickets, ticket prices The most convenient way to buy public transport tickets is at Narvesen outlets and at stops equipped with ticket machines (then it will cost you EUR 1,50) or buy a code ticket, which allows to make payments for the trips with a smartphone in online mode. The code ticket can be purchased on several apps. The procedure for purchasing a ticket may vary between apps but registering it in transport is the same for all apps! The application can be downloaded: Rīgas Satiksme, Mobilly, Narvesen. There are several ticket types to choose from.

BUSES

Latvia has very good and very regular bus connections, making it is one of the most convenient means of transport for anyone who wants to get to know Latvia’s cities, towns and its vast countryside.

Information about buses in Latvia, including timetables, journey times, routes, ticket fares and other information, is available on information boards at the bus station, as well as online in Latvian, Russian, and English, on websites such as Autoosta.lv and 1188.

Buying Bus Tickets

Tickets for domestic and international routes may be bought at the following places:

• At ticket desks at the bus station during office hours between 6:00am and 10:00pm;
• Last minute from the bus driver, although you may find that there are no seats available;
• At the ticket sales terminal or ticket machine at Riga International Bus Station which operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week;
• On the website Bezrindas.lv or on international routes - Buseurope.eu.

The ticket will display the journey number, time and place of departure and seat number. A paper or SMS ticket should be presented to the driver or inspector, if any, and so it should be kept until the end of the trip!

Useful

Large luggage and pet transportation will cost extra. The ticket desk employee or the bus driver should be informed of these items beforehand.

Buses do not have toilets, but long routes include a stopover at a bus station with public toilets. New buses on long routes have free wi-fi.

In Riga passengers with reduced mobility are guaranteed specially-equipped buses and even companions who should be booked 36hrs before the journey. Outside Riga, the availability of these services should be enquired about at the bus station or with the bus company.

RAIL

Latvia’s rail network system connects the Latvian capital with lines to seven different directions – terminating in Tukums, Liepāja, Daugavpils, Zilupe, Gulbene, Valga and Skulte.

The only rail-line which does not go through Riga is the one which connects the towns of Gulbene and Alūksne – the historical narrow-gauge rail-line.

Timetables can be found at each station, as well as online at https://www.vivi.lv/lv/  and 1188.lv   

Rail tickets

It is possible to purchase rail tickets at station ticket offices. If the station ticket office is closed, or a certain station does not have a ticket office, tickets can be purchased inside the train from the onboard conductor. However, the easiest way to purchase a ticket is online - https://www.vivi.lv/lv/ or VIVI app.

Available ticket-types:

• one-time tickets (without an assigned seat)
• baggage ticket
• ticket with a 50% or 90% discount for categories of recipients of fares reduction with 3+ Family Card or Honorary Family Certificate
• tickets within zones in two routes through Rīga, Torņakalns, Zemitāni
• time tickets (1-day ticket, 3-day ticket, 5-day ticket, 30-day ticket)

Tickets must be presented to onboard conductors and also inspectors in case of an inspection. This is why tickets must be kept until the end of the journey!

EMERGENCY HOTLINE The single emergency Hotline number 112 will provide information on what to do in certain situations, or connect you to the appropriate service – emergency medical, fire department, natural gas emergency, or the police. The number 112 is toll-free and reachable from land lines as well as from mobile phones.    INFORMATION HOTLINE The Hotline 1188 provides information about business addresses, hours, service providers, state institutions, public transport timetables, concerts and events, the location of the nearest service provider, as well as all vital tourism information – about accommodations, museums, attractions, restaurants and cafes, and medical centers. The Hotline is reachable 24 hours per day. Information is provided in Latvian, Russian, and English.

TOURIST POLICE IN RIGA

Riga Municipal Police has a specialised Tourist Unit, which ensures public order, as well as provides information to foreign visitors about the opportunity for assistance in case of incidents like theft, lost property and fraud.

A 24-hour information Hotline +371 67181818 has been introduced for foreign nationals. Information is provided in Latvian, Russian, and English.

MEDICAL HELP

If you are an EU citizen who requires medical attention while in Latvia, make sure that the medical centre accepts the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The EHIC confirms the right to receive the necessary and/or emergency medical treatment to the same extent as would be received by a local resident.

If you are not an EU citizen and do not have an EHIC card, but require emergency medical assistance, you will have to pay the full cost of the services. Acquiring a travel insurance policy is recommended.

Twenty-four hour emergency assistance is provided by any regional hospital:

• Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital, Pilsoņu iela 13, Rīga;
• Rīga East University Hospital, Gaiļezers Clinic, Hipokrāta iela 2, Rīga;
• Daugavpils Regional Hospital, Vasarnīcu iela 20, Daugavpils;
• Liepāja Regional Hospital, Slimnīcas iela 25, Liepāja;
• Northern Kurzeme Regional Hospital , Inženieru iela 60, Ventspils;
• Vidzeme Hospital, Jumaras iela 195, Valmiera;
• Jelgava City Hospital, Brīvības bulvāris 6, Jelgava.

EMBASSIES AND CONSULATES

Tourists can turn to the embassy of their country whenever they find themselves in an extreme situation, for example, losing a passport, being left with no means of subsistence, or the occurrence of a serious illness or death. Depending on each country's legal and financial capabilities, those dealing with mishaps will be assisted. For contact information about foreign missions in Latvia, visit the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia.

Information source: http://www.latvia.travel/en