For more detailed Riga escorts tips and information we recommend Riga Escorts Net. It features tips, warnings and reviews about specific Riga escort agencies and websites!

Riga has some of the hottest girls you will find anywhere. One of the main attractions of Riga is the fact that you can get an escort of very high “fashion model” quality at a cheap price by western standards. Unfortunately the quality can be extremely variable and there are many scams to avoid.

We have learned from first hand experience that randomly calling an escort service can often result in a disheveled, alcoholic, older woman with bad hygiene showing up at your door. To make things worse they will often demand at least 20 Ls to go away. There are also many internet sites which show pictures and give a number which you can contact the woman directly. Unfortunately these pictures are often not real and usually the number is for the woman’s “manager.” Usually they speak little or no English and making arrangements can be very difficult as well as risky. It is quite common for the women or their managers to change the price once they have arrived and try to intimidate you into paying more than was agreed.

You also need to very wary of the friendly girls who approach you on the street asking you if you want some “company” as typically this will result in you getting ripped off, or in some cases, a meeting with her manager who will demand a very large “donation.”

The best way to avoid these problems is to find a reputable escort service with an English speaking staff. The good agencies will not only provide you with a high quality escort but they will also make sure you are not ripped off and get what you pay for. While finding a good escort agency can be difficult, if you find one you will often be able to experience one of those “dream girls” that Riga is famous for. The best way to find a good escort agency is to get a referral from another client. If you have had a good experience with an escort agency or escort please post in the comments section and let everyone know. If you have had any bad experiences with any agencies let us know as well!

(Update April 2010!!! The old days of the police not helping tourists in Riga are gone. Now if you have any problem you can call the tourism police at +371 67181818 and you can be certain that they will assist you. See this post for more details!)

Unfortunately most stripclubs in Riga are set up to squeeze the most money out of you as quickly as possible. They will try to lure you in with the promise of free drinks but once you are inside you will find yourself quickly set upon by a few pretty women who will chat you up and try to get you to order for them as many cocktails as possible. Be very careful as these drinks for the women can sometimes cost as much as 30 to 50 Lats each!!! Typically after about 1 hour you will have spent 300 Ls and not have received even so much as one table dance for you trouble!

Especially avoid the “Private Rooms”! It is very typical for the women to try to talk you into a private room for a “special show.” Most often you will get nothing “special” but it is quite common for the girls to set an open bottle of champagne on the table as part of the “party.” Only later do you find out that you are being charged as much as 2000 Lats for the bottle!!!! This is very common scam unfortunately. If you refuse to pay the club will often call the police who will force you to pay. Do not expect the police to assist you in Riga! They quite often have a mutually beneficial “arrangement” with the stripclubs and they will be happy to beat you up to force you to pay the 2000 Ls bill!!!

We have many first hand accounts of this happening in many strip clubs. Particularly avoid the stripclubs in Old Riga!!! These are the most notorious for these kinds of scams. If you enter one of these clubs you will be scammed!

In general it is best to avoid the stripclubs entirely unless you have someone with connections at the club to assure that you do not get the “tourist” treatment. For these kinds of events or Stag nights it is best to book a party through a legitimate tour agency who can make sure you don’t get scammed.

The currency used in Latvia is the Lat. It can be written as Lats, LVL or Ls. The currency comes in coins of 1 Santims (about 1.4 Euro Cents), 2 Santimi, 5 Santimi, 10 Santimi, 20 Santimi, 50 Santimi, 1 Ls and 2 Ls (about 3 Euro). Paper currency denominations go from 5 Ls, 10 Ls, 50 Ls, 100 Ls and up.

Hotels, clubs, restaurants and stores in Riga will usually not accept any currency besides Lats so you will need to exchange your Euros, Pounds, Dollars, etc. Always exchange your money at a bank like Parex Banka, Hansabanka, Nordea Bank, etc.! Do NOT use the small currency exchange booths (valÅ«tas maiņa) which are all over Riga!!! The rates given at the small currency exchange windows are always very bad. The rates they post on their signs are the rates they will sell the given currency for…… not what they will buy it for! Be very careful about this as this is one of the ways to lose a large amount of money in Latvia! Make sure you have exchanged all your Euros, Pounds, Dollars, etc. into Ls before you go out for the night as you will get a VERY bad exchange rate when you try to change your currency at 3AM after some drinks!

Never exchange currency with anyone you meet off the street! That is a good way to get robbed or end up with some very low value currency like Russian Rubles or Estonian Kroons. Also if you try to exchange your money in a bar or club you are likely to get a very bad exchange rate as well. Make sure you exchange all of your money at established banks!