Film and TV locations in Latvia
55 places to shoot in Latvia: 8 industrial and derelict locations, 8 theatres, arenas and venues, 6 offices, schools and public buildings and 33 more. 52 have a photo and 25 carry practical details the location publishes itself. Search and put three side by side in the locations search.
What Latvia pays back
Latvia runs the Co-financing programme for foreign film productions, worth 30% as a cash rebate. Work out the net value on your own spend in the incentive comparison, and find a studio, service company or post house in the 9 companies we list in Latvia.
Regions
- Riga 28
- Kurzeme 9
- Vidzeme 8
- Jurmala 5
And single locations in 3 more regions, all of them in the list below.
Industrial and derelict locations in Latvia 8
Factories, warehouses, power stations, mines, depots and abandoned buildings: raw space, hard surfaces and the kind of decay that is impossible to build. All 8 on their own page.
Cesu Alus Brewery
Industrial & derelict
Brewery on the edge of Cesis combining 19th century brick buildings with modern brewhouse and packaging halls, tanks, pipework and a visitor route through production.
Freeport of Riga
Industrial & derelict
Working port on both banks of the Daugava with container and bulk terminals, cranes, rail sidings and quays, plus the older Andrejsala berths close to the city centre.
Freeport of Ventspils
Industrial & derelict
Ice-free cargo port at the mouth of the Venta with oil and chemical terminals, bulk berths, long breakwaters and rail yards on the Baltic coast.
Karosta Northern Forts
Industrial & derelict
Broken concrete coastal artillery forts of the tsarist naval fortress, partly collapsed into the sea, standing on an open beach north of Liepaja.
Official siteFilm commissionCommission listingCompare this one
Port of Liepaja
Industrial & derelict
Cargo and fishing port inside the Liepaja special economic zone, with quays along the trade canal, warehouses, cranes and open yards next to the former naval base.
Riga Carriage Building Works (RVR)
Industrial & derelict
Rolling stock plant north east of the centre with tall assembly halls, overhead cranes, test track and rail sidings, parts of the site standing empty.
Spikeri Quarter
Industrial & derelict
Row of 19th century red brick warehouses between the Central Market and the Daugava, converted to offices, galleries and event halls, with cobbled service lanes between the blocks.
Office space and event areas for hire, open-air courtyards used for markets and screenings
VEF Quarter
Industrial & derelict
Red brick halls and interwar office blocks of the former VEF electrical works on Brivibas gatve, now let as offices, workshops and event space, with long corridors and factory yards.
Theatres, arenas and venues in Latvia 8
Auditoriums, concert halls, opera houses, cinemas, arenas and event spaces, with the backstage, foyers and dressing rooms that come with them. All 8 on their own page.
Dzintari Concert Hall
Theatre, arena & venue
Seaside concert venue in the pines at Dzintari, combining a 1936 timber small hall with an open-sided large hall seating around two thousand.
Great Amber Concert Hall
Theatre, arena & venue
Amber-coloured glass concert hall of 2015 on the trade canal in Liepaja, with a tilted faceted shell, a main hall for about a thousand people and glazed foyers.
Latgale Embassy GORS
Theatre, arena & venue
Concert house of 2013 in Rezekne with two halls, a cinema, glazed foyers and rehearsal rooms, standing on open ground on the edge of the town centre.
Latvian National Opera and Ballet
Theatre, arena & venue
Classical opera house of 1863 beside the city canal, with a colonnaded portico, gilded horseshoe auditorium, foyers, rehearsal rooms and a modern rear extension.
Splendid Palace
Theatre, arena & venue
Cinema of 1923 with a neo-baroque and rococo auditorium, ornamented balcony, chandeliers, marble stair hall and a smaller second screening room.
VEF Culture Palace
Theatre, arena & venue
Factory culture palace of 1960 with a columned front, a theatre auditorium, ballroom, club rooms and wide stone staircases, still used for concerts and classes.
Ziemelblazma Culture Palace
Theatre, arena & venue
Restored culture house of 1913 in Vecmilgravis with a white classical facade, galleried hall, side rooms and a surrounding park near the Daugava.
Dailes Theatre
Theatre, arena & venue
Modernist theatre of 1976 on Brivibas iela with a travertine-clad front, a large fan-shaped auditorium, deep stage and wide concrete foyers.
Offices, schools and public buildings in Latvia 6
Offices, town halls, courtrooms, libraries, universities and schools: the interiors most contemporary drama actually needs. Offices, schools and public buildings across Europe.
Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia
Office, school & public building
Eighty-seven hectares of pine forest on Lake Jugla holding more than a hundred relocated farmsteads, windmills, a wooden church and a fishing village, all pre-industrial.
Latvian Academy of Sciences
Office, school & public building
Stalinist high-rise of 1958 near the Central Market, with a stone-clad tower, marble lobbies, wide staircases and a public viewing terrace on the 17th floor.
Latvian National Museum of Art
Office, school & public building
Baroque revival museum of 1905 in the Esplanade park, with a grand marble staircase, top-lit galleries and a modern basement extension under the forecourt.
Latvian War Museum
Office, school & public building
Museum inside the medieval Powder Tower and an adjoining 1930s wing at the edge of the old town, with thick stone walls, vaulted rooms and period exhibition halls.
National Library of Latvia
Office, school & public building
Glass and concrete library of 2014 on the left bank of the Daugava, with a full-height atrium, tiered reading rooms and long river-facing windows.
University of Latvia main building
Office, school & public building
Nineteenth century academic building on Raina bulvaris with a columned Great Hall, galleried staircase, lecture theatres and corridors lined with dark panelling.
Transport and infrastructure in Latvia 5
Stations, airports, ports, bridges, tunnels, metro lines and rolling stock, including disused stretches that can be closed off for a shoot. Transport and infrastructure across Europe.
Gulbene to Aluksne Narrow Gauge Railway
Transport & infrastructure
Working 750 mm narrow gauge line of 33 km through forest and farmland, with period stations, a depot at Gulbene, steam and diesel locomotives and wooden coaches.
Historic locomotives and coaches, depot and turntable at Gulbene, intermediate stations along the line
Latvian Railway History Museum
Transport & infrastructure
Museum in a former locomotive depot on the left bank with steam and diesel locomotives, wagons, a snow plough and track on an open yard beside the line.
Historic rolling stock, depot building, outdoor track and yard
Oskars Kalpaks Bridge
Transport & infrastructure
Steel swing bridge of 1906 over the Karosta canal in Liepaja, carrying road traffic on a riveted span that pivots to let ships pass.
Riga Central Station
Transport & infrastructure
Main railway station of Latvia, a 1960s concourse rebuilt with a glass shopping level over the platforms, with a clock tower and long open platform canopies.
Riga Radio and TV Tower
Transport & infrastructure
Concrete tower of 1986 on Zakusala island in the Daugava, 368 metres high on three splayed legs, with a public observation deck at 97 metres.
Film studios and backlots in Latvia 4
Sound stages, backlots, water tanks and virtual production volumes you can hire, with the crew base and power that go with them. Film studios and backlots across Europe.
Cinevilla Studio Backlot
Studio & backlot
Outdoor backlot of about 150 hectares in flat farmland, with medieval and 19th century streets, a railway platform and tram, prison, church, ship and metro sets, plus five pavilions.
Seen in: Defenders of Riga, Blizzard of Souls, Sisi, Raven's Hollow
Five pavilions, make-up and dressing rooms, green screen, cinema, cafe, on-site hotel and camping
Riga Film Studio
Studio & backlot
Latvia's oldest studio, with three sound stages of 1,248, 1,067 and 223 square metres, working heights of 12, 9 and 5 metres, a water tank, workshops and a costume and prop store.
Stage 1: 42 x 29.7 m, height 12 m, with water tank. Stage 2: 35.94 x 29.68 m, height 9 m, green screen. Stage 3: 17.43 x 12.81 m, height 5 m....
Aerodium Vertical Wind Tunnel
Studio & backlot
Open vertical wind tunnel beside the Riga to Sigulda road, used for free-fall and flying shots with performers held in a controlled air column.
Baltic Sound Stage
Studio & backlot
Single-stage rental facility in a Riga industrial area: a clear floor of 48 by 24 metres with a 7 metre working height, blackout, heating and four make-up rooms.
Stage 48 x 24 m (1,150 sq m) inside a 1,500 sq m building, working height 7 m, two 3.5 x 5 m gates, 300 kW power, smoke extraction, heating, prop and...
Bars, restaurants and shops in Latvia 4
Cafes, bars, restaurants, markets, shops and shopping streets, the everyday interiors a schedule eats through quickly. Bars, restaurants and shops across Europe.
Berga Bazars
Bar, restaurant & shop
Late 19th century shopping arcade of linked brick courtyards between Elizabetes and Dzirnavu streets, with small shops, cafes and passageways off the street.
Kalnciema Quarter
Bar, restaurant & shop
Restored block of 19th century wooden houses in Pardaugava, with a cobbled yard used for a weekly market, a bakery, wine shop and small event halls.
Peter's Market (Petertirgus)
Bar, restaurant & shop
Liepaja's market on Kursu laukums, with an 1910 brick and iron hall, outdoor stalls and surrounding shopfronts in the older part of the town.
Riga Central Market
Bar, restaurant & shop
Market of 1930 built from five reused Zeppelin hangars, with steel-ribbed halls for meat, fish, dairy and produce plus open stalls, night storage cellars and a rail siding.
Hotels and interiors in Latvia 3
Hotels, spas and their lobbies, ballrooms, bars and corridors, including closed or seasonal properties that can take over a whole unit. Hotels and interiors across Europe.
Baltic Beach Hotel
Hotel & interiors
Large seafront hotel and spa at Majori with a 1960s block extended in the 2000s, a glass-fronted restaurant, pools, treatment rooms and direct access to the dune beach.
Hotel Bergs
Hotel & interiors
Hotel in the Berga Bazars courtyard block, mixing a restored 19th century brick facade with plain contemporary suites, a glazed atrium and a quiet inner yard.
Kemeri Resort Park and Kemeri Hotel
Hotel & interiors
Empty neo-eclectic spa hotel of 1936 by Eizens Laube standing in a laid-out resort park with sulphur springs, timber pavilions, canals and footbridges.
Castles and estates in Latvia 3
Castles, fortresses, manor houses and country estates, usually with grounds, outbuildings and period interiors in one place. Castles and estates across Europe.
Birini Castle
Castle & estate
Neo-gothic manor house of 1860 in red brick beside a lake, with a tower, wood-panelled halls and a park, run as a hotel and event venue.
Cesis Castle
Castle & estate
Ruined Livonian Order castle of the 13th century with towers, cellars visited by lantern, an adjoining 18th century new castle and a landscaped park.
Turaida Museum Reserve
Castle & estate
Red brick castle of 1214 with a round tower above the Gauja valley, set in a reserve with a wooden church, manor outbuildings and a sculpture park.
Hospitals, prisons and institutions in Latvia 3
Working and disused hospitals, clinics, prisons, barracks and asylums: corridors, wards and cells that are close to impossible to fake convincingly. Hospitals, prisons and institutions across Europe.
Corner House (former KGB building)
Hospital, prison & institution
Art nouveau corner block on Brivibas iela used by the Soviet security service, with preserved cells, interrogation rooms, corridors and a closed inner courtyard.
Daugavpils Fortress
Hospital, prison & institution
Complete early 19th century fortress town on the Daugava with earth ramparts, brick gates, parade ground, barracks and an arsenal, much of it still in everyday residential use.
Karosta Prison
Hospital, prison & institution
Former naval garrison prison built in the early 20th century, in use until 1997, with cell blocks, solitary cells, guard corridors and a bare exercise yard kept as found.
Cells, punishment cells, visitor centre, canteen, overnight stays in cells
Houses and apartments in Latvia 3
Private houses, villas, apartments and period interiors available for filming, from workers' housing to architect-designed homes. Houses and apartments across Europe.
Krimulda Manor
House & apartment
Classical manor house of 1822 on the high bank above the Gauja valley, with a colonnaded front, plain plastered rooms, outbuildings and a park, run as a guest house.
Mentzendorff House
House & apartment
Merchant house of 1695 in the old town with painted wall and ceiling decoration, a dark kitchen, tiled stoves, cellars and an attic, furnished as an 18th century home.
Riga Art Nouveau Centre
House & apartment
Restored apartment of 1903 at Alberta iela 12 with original spiral staircase, tiled stove, panelled dining room and period furniture, in the middle of the art nouveau district.
Coast and beaches in Latvia 2
Beaches, cliffs, harbours and coastline, including stretches that can be closed off in the off season. Coast and beaches across Europe.
Cape Kolka
Coast & beach
Sand spit where the Gulf of Riga meets the open Baltic, with shallow water, drifted tree stumps, a wide empty beach and pine forest of Slitere National Park behind.
Jurmala Beach
Coast & beach
Some 25 km of flat white sand backed by low dunes and pine woods, with wooden resort villas and the pedestrian Jomas iela a short walk inland.
Forests and lakes in Latvia 2
Woodland, forests, lakes and rivers, with the access tracks and permits that shooting in them needs. Forests and lakes across Europe.
Gauja National Park
Forest & lake
Broad forested valley of the Gauja with red Devonian sandstone cliffs and caves, river bends, castles and manor parks, the largest national park in Latvia.
Kemeri National Park
Forest & lake
Raised bog with pools and boardwalks, wet forest, sulphur springs and the shallow Lake Kanieris, close to the coast west of Jurmala.
Palaces and landmarks in Latvia 2
Palaces, state rooms and recognisable landmarks, the places an establishing shot is built around. Palaces and landmarks across Europe.
Jelgava Palace
Palace & landmark
Large baroque palace of the 1730s on an island in the Lielupe, now the main building of the life sciences university, with a long symmetrical front and inner courtyard.
Rundale Palace
Palace & landmark
Baroque summer palace by Rastrelli, built from 1736, with a gilded Golden Hall, White Hall, long enfilades of restored rooms and a formal French garden.
Seen in: Catherine the Great
Historic towns and streets in Latvia 2
Old towns, squares and streets that can double for a period without dressing out a modern skyline. Historic towns and streets across Europe.
Kuldiga Old Town
Historic town & street
Small Kurzeme town of low wooden and brick houses on a regular street grid, listed as a world heritage site, with the Venta rapids and a long brick road bridge.
Riga Old Town
Historic town & street
Compact medieval core on the Daugava with cobbled lanes such as Jauniela, merchant houses, guild halls, church spires and squares, listed as a world heritage site.