Wrapping up my trip to Riga with a visit to the airport lounge! The city is connected to the airport by Bus 22, which runs frequently during the day and is the only bus line where you can buy a ticket onboard. Alternatively, taking a Bolt is also convenient – just a short ride and costs a bit over €10.
There are two lounges at Riga Airport. Aside from the one I’m reviewing today – Primeclass – there’s also the Kepler Hotel & Lounge, which looks quite unique. It features a public area with gaming consoles and even capsule hotel-style sleeping pods. Caution: it’s not considered a traditional lounge, so Priority Pass cards issued by American Express typically don’t grant free entry, whereas DragonPass has no such restriction.
I do have DragonPass, but decided not to waste it here – I wasn’t looking to play any games or try a sleeping pod. So I opted for the Primeclass Business Lounge instead, which has excellent ratings on both the Priority Pass website and Google Maps.
The lounge is located near Gate B1 and requires going upstairs. Note that this is in the Schengen zone, so if you’re flying to a non-Schengen country (like the UK), leave enough times to go pass the passport control.
First impression: the facilities are quite good. It’s a long rectangular space with great natural light and a spacious feel.
There’s a wide variety of seating options.
A small kids’ play area too:
Hot food options were limited: just pasta, roasted chicken and carrots with broccoli. There was also a salad bar with some fruit and cookies.
The highlight was definitely the fridge fully stocked with ice cream, which earned big points from me! This seemed to be the same local brand as the one served at the Hilton Garden Inn yesterday, lightly sweet and delicious.
Alcohol selection was decent as well. I tried a “local beer” that looked interesting in a wooden keg, but something felt off. It turned out to be a non-alcoholic drink called Kvasa / Kvass which is popular in Eastern Europe and Northeast China.
There was also a uniquely shaped bottle of Jägermeister, kept fresh at -18°C. Thankfully no one was partying and doing shots in the lounge.
As I was leaving, I noticed a Lufthansa and Swiss aircraft models displayed near the entrance – perhaps they’re a key sponsor?
Small airports like Riga usually don’t have their own branded lounges, so all airlines likely use Primeclass here. All in all, having an unlimited Priority Pass or DragonPass membership is definitely worthwhile if you fly around Europe often. Most of us aren’t flying business every time, and a good lounge makes a big difference.
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