Lienes iela Gem 1BR Apartment with Fireplace in Historic UNESCO Center

Lienes iela Gem 1BR Apartment with Fireplace in Historic UNESCO Center Overview

Look, I’ve stayed in a lot of places in Riga’s Old Town, and honestly, most of them feel like they’re trying too hard to be something they’re not. But this little apartment on Lienes iela? It just works. You walk up to this narrow street – I mean, you’d probably miss it if you weren’t looking – and there’s this perfectly preserved building that somehow manages to feel both historic and livable at the same time.

The fireplace is what got me initially (because who doesn’t want a fireplace in a Latvian winter?), but what really won me over was how the place actually feels like someone’s home rather than a sterile rental. The bedroom’s got this cozy, almost cabin-like vibe, and the living area opens up nicely around that fireplace. You know what’s funny? I expected the UNESCO designation to mean everything would be precious and untouchable, but the apartment strikes this nice balance between respecting the building’s character and being genuinely comfortable to live in for a few days. The kitchen’s small but functional – I made coffee every morning and cooked a simple dinner twice without any issues.

What I really appreciated was the location without the chaos. You’re literally a three-minute walk from Doma laukums, but Lienes iela itself stays pretty quiet, especially in the evenings. I could hear the church bells from Dome Cathedral in the morning, which sounds touristy but is actually kind of lovely when you’re having breakfast. The building’s got thick walls, so street noise isn’t really an issue, though you will hear other guests coming and going sometimes – it’s an old building, after all. Parking’s tricky (like everywhere in the Old Town), but there’s a paid lot about five minutes away that worked fine. Check-in was straightforward, though I’d recommend confirming timing in advance since it’s not a traditional hotel setup. One small thing – the WiFi was solid, but the bathroom’s on the smaller side, which is pretty typical for these historic conversions. Still, everything worked well, and the water pressure was better than I expected. If you’re looking for that sweet spot between authentic Old Town atmosphere and actual comfort, this place delivers without the inflated prices you’ll find closer to Town Hall Square.

Lienes iela Gem 1BR Apartment with Fireplace in Historic UNESCO Center Accommodations

Reviews of Lienes iela Gem 1BR Apartment with Fireplace in Historic UNESCO Center

• Great value for the money – Vilhelmine from Denmark – 12 February 2025 (8/10)

  The appartment is nice and cozy and in a great location. It has everything you need for a short stay – kitchen is well equiped and it's even possible to wash clothes, which really helps when traveling with a baby.
  
  What could be improved: It got very very cold (we were there in winter and it was -10 celsius out side at night), but luckily we were able to mitigate that with running the brick burner, but it would have been nice with some warmer blankets. The bed is one of the worst I have ever slept on – the old spring mattress was very hard and made squeaky noises every time one of us moved.

• Great location for a nice flat with severe electric issues. – Gerda from United Kingdom – 22 January 2024 (7/10)

  Great location, nice flat, very clean and amenities were good! Enjoyed the park nearby and the local shops and restaurants.
  
  What could be improved: Impossible to change the heating inside the flat – the system is remotely controlled by the owner via an app. The power went out twice. Had to go to neighbours to try and get help. The electric switch is outside the flat, behind a lock. The flat has no access to the lock, therefore we had to bother neighbours on two occasions just to get the power back. Owner stated this only happens when all the applicances are running. This was, in fact, not true. On the first occasion – heated floor in the bathroom + electric stove + general lights were on. On the second instance the washing machine + lights + tv was on. Neighbours told us this power outage happens a lot for this flat. The owner really needs to leave a written note on what to do when this happens. It was winter and it was evening (pitch black outside) when this happened. Extremely unpleasant experience.

• Very good – Onyshkiv from Finland – 27 July 2023 (8/10)

  Convenient location
  
  What could be improved: The floor in the room was dirty, I had to wash it myself. Bed linen and towels need to be changed.

• Very good – Giedrius from Lithuania – 31 July 2022 (8/10)

  clean
  
  What could be improved: somewhat too small for family with little kids, but perfect for travelling couples
  location

• Good – Eva from Czech Republic – 19 August 2023 (7/10)

  We stayed in Riga during our roadtrip around baltics states. We appreciated that the center was in walk distance from accommodation and free parking in the yard.
  
  What could be improved: Tha flat was quite dark, there was a lot of humidity and quite cold. The towels were quite wet and little smelled, we washed them but the humidity in the apartment was very high so we cannot dry them and our clothes.
  During our stay, there were some road works nearby…. we would appreciate if the host get us inform about some issues to get there.

• It should change a new bed,,and need better bedding (blankets), but I like the living room area – Yirong from France – 3 June 2023 (7/10)

  new and well design apartment ,close to some restaurant and grocery store ,flexible check-in and check out time
  
  What could be improved: The bed is really uncomfortable . and I was freezing inside the apartment 🙁

• Exceptional – Mārcis from Latvia – 14 July 2023 (10/10)

  Apartment was well equipped and clean. Near good restaurants, pubs, free parking for a car.
  
  What could be improved: Nothing.

• A good place to stay in summer, probably a good place to stay in colder periods when the floor heating is turned on. Not – Risko from Estonia – 20 October 2022 (6/10)

  The property was clean, had all the necessary equipment, host was friendly. Good neibourhood.
  
  What could be improved: The apartement was cold. There is floor heating in the bedroom/livingroom/kitchen, but it was not turned on. The floor heating in the bathroom was turned on. There was a fireplace installed in the livingroom that was not in the Booking.com pictures – that was a vig surprise. So i had to make fire and heat the apartment myself with briquettes that were provided. It took a lot of time to get the whole apartment warm.

• Exceptional – Vevevero from Norway – 16 August 2022 (10/10)

  Apartment was nicely furnished and modern. It had everything one needs. It was nice park nearby the property. It was a pleasant stay

• Exceptional – Emil from Czech Republic – 13 July 2022 (10/10)

  Everything was perfect. Apartment was ready way sooner before regular check-in. Check-out was easy, didnt nees to wait anyone. Well equiped with everything you can possibly need.

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