The Silver Cloud staff provided an excellent walking tour map and shuttle into the center of Riga. We loved using the map to follow the walking tour route and see many of the sites of the old town.
The Silver Cloud had two shore excursions in Riga. The first was a bus tour of Riga's highlights, which provided an excellent overview of the city's sights without much walking. The second tour focused on Riga's Jewish history. It was a very somber look at the plight of the Jewish residents of Riga during World War II.
On a lighter note, the black cat house in the photo above is one of the many interesting stories of Riga. The house has two black cats--one on each of its two cupolas. During the height of the Hanseatic League, the owner of the house was not invited to join the Great Guild for Riga's business leaders. The Great Guild headquarters was directly across the street from his home. He was so insulted by the Guild's snub that he turned the two cats so that their rear ends were pointed towards the Guild building. Eventually the owner was invited to join the Guild and the cats were returned to their original position.
If your cruise ship ports in Riga and you enjoy walking, I can highly recommend the walking tour of the old town. The black cat story is just one of many found in this fascinating Baltic city.
