Cars are not allowed in Old Town although enforcement is somewhat lax at night, but vehicles making "deliveries" are. Therefore, you can take a taxi to the Old Town, but you cannot park a rental car there.
On foot
Streets are mostly asphalt, with Old town and some random streets being cobblestone; some smaller streets outside the city center may be unpaved. Sidewalks are predominantly asphalt everywhere. Riga's Old town is best explored on foot, especially since it is not very large and cars are not allowed anyway. Cobblestones, where present, are round rather than flat, so comfortable shoes are recommended. Be advised that due to the neglected drainage system, there have been around 2-3 times last year, when especially heavy downpours have caused a couple of central streets to be flooded approximately to ankle level for several hours each time.
By public transport
The city runs the trams street-cars, buses and trolley buses. They all use the same e-ticket e-talons, a single price covers any one route independent of the distance.
There are several railroad lines running through the city, and Latvian railroad (http://www.ldz.lv) runs electric trains that connect the very centre of the city with suburbs and nearby towns; if you know where you need to go, it may be quite convenient to use a train, as they all go from the single central terminal and are by far the fastest public transportatio mode. However, note that the trains run much less frequently during winter and that the railroad system is not integrated with the city public transportation, so in some occasions there are no tram/bus stops near a train stop in the city. See more about trains in Latvia article. Ticket prices for trains within city limits are comparable to other city public transportation modes, but they do change with distance travelled.
Taxi-bus also called mini or march-route bus services: operated by private companies, generally hold 10-11 people in a bus seats only, at least officially, you must purchase the ticket onboard cash only, approximately 0.50 LVL, depending on the operator. Usually drives by and stops at overlapping city public transportation stops, otherwise can stop anywhere were permitted, so flag it to get in, and ask driver to stop in order to get out. If a route covers the city from one end to the other, you may be asked by driver how far you go, and would have to purchase two tickets, either beforehand or at a city centre stop. The taxi-bus services are being overtaken by the city at the moment, so there may be major changes in near future, such as organizing the routes so they would less overlap with the rest of transportation.
Timetables and routes for both city transport (http://www.rigassatiksme....) and taxi-buses (http://www.rdsd.lv/mimap/) are available on the Internet. Stops are marked by a blue rectangular sign with a stylized white image of the vehicle and lists the numbers that stop there taxi-buses are mostly unlisted. Timetables are also usually posted at stops and are fairly accurate. Note that bus routes are marked "A", but tram and trolley bus routes are both marked "T" on timetables, except tram timetables should have red background for the "T" letter and trolley bus -- yellow. Tram lines are numbered 1-11, bus lines 1-55, trolley bus 1-27. Taxi-bus lines have numbers 2xx. There may still be some Riga region bus lines with numbers like 8xx. Be advised that there is virtually no information on timetables, routes or connections onboard. The stops are generally announced on trams/trolley/buses, newer vehicles also include running line with next stop information buses or LCD screens with the list of next 4 stops trolley buses.
Trams are generally the fastest public transportation apart from trains. Although they are on street level and the rails are not physically separated from the rest of the traffic, in all but the busiest rush hours they get their way. Taxi-buses are smaller and thus more maneuverable than buses and trolley buses, making them second only to trams.
"E-talons" system for trams, buses and trolley buses
Single tickets cost 0.70 LVL if bought from the driver cash only or 0.50 LVL, if purchased in advance. 24-hour tickets cost 1.90 LVL, 3-day tickets cost 5.70 LVL, and 5-day tickets cost 9.50 LVL. These all run from first use and cover all travel on city buses, trolleybuses, and trams. Alternatively, 5-day tickets valid only on 1 mode of transport either the bus, trolleybus, or tram can be bought for 6.00 LVL. Tickets are sold in ticket offices, in vending machines, in press kiosks, in Narvesen shops, and other locations listed on the website (http://www.rigassatiksme....). Once inside the bus/tram/trolleybus, validate the ticket by using the yellow device. Note: you must validate the day, 3 day and 5 day tickets every time you enter public transport.
Multi-ride tickets are also available. A 5 ride ticket costs 2.50 LVL, 10 rides are 4.75 LVL and 20 rides are 9.00 LVL
Also available are tickets for 2 trips for 2 people 2.00 LVL and 2 trips for 3 people 3.00 LVL.
If you enter a tram, bus, or trolley buses with the same number and in the same direction within one hour, your ticket is still valid and will not be charged again.
The Riga Card (http://www.rigacard.lv/) allows the holder to travel free on public transportation.
There is a good website to search for connections (http://saraksti.rigassati...) and also a list of routes (http://www.rigassatiksme....).