Latvia’s mobile network punched above its weight — 418 Mbps inside a Zeppelin hangar, 315 Mbps from the tarmac.

Saily, from the makers of NordVPN, offers eSIM data in 150+ countries with a 15% affiliate commission — the highest in the eSIM space. After Helsinki (457 Mbps avg) and Tallinn (118 Mbps avg), Riga was our third Baltic capital. We expected something in between. We got speeds that nearly matched Finland.

Test Location: Riga, Latvia

Based at the Hilton Garden Inn Riga in the Old Town — a skylight room on Grēcinieku Street. Tests covered the hotel, the Freedom Monument area, the Central Market, and the airport. Bonus: a quick stop in Pārnu, Estonia en route.

Activation & Setup

Third country on the same eSIM — no reactivation needed. Saily switched to a Latvian carrier within seconds of crossing the border from Estonia. The handoff was invisible. By this point in the trip, the eSIM had become infrastructure: you stop thinking about it, and that’s the highest compliment.

Speed — Four Locations Across Riga

Four tests, all strong. No duds, no dead zones, no excuses.

• Pārnu Bus Station (Estonia, en route): 20 Mbps down / 32.5 up — unusual split, upload outpaced download in the small coastal city
• Hilton Garden Inn Riga: 229 Mbps down / 22.5 up — skylight room, Old Town
• McDonald’s (Freedom Monument): 315 Mbps down / 2.0 up — excellent download, upload bottlenecked by crowded location
• Riga Central Market: 418 Mbps down / 12.5 up — inside a WWII Zeppelin hangar. The metal shell did nothing to stop this signal
• Riga Airport (RIX): 315 Mbps down / 23.0 up — on the tarmac, inside the aircraft. A stunning 4.6x faster than Helsinki Airport’s 68.3 Mbps

Across all four Riga locations, Saily averaged 319 Mbps down / 15 Mbps up. That’s second only to Helsinki (457 Mbps) and well ahead of Tallinn (118 Mbps). For a country of 1.8 million people, Latvia’s mobile infrastructure is seriously impressive.

The Airport Test — A Surprise Win

We tested at three airports across the Baltic: Helsinki (68.3 Mbps), Tallinn (didn’t test at TLL), and Riga (315 Mbps). Riga’s airport delivered nearly 5x the speed of Helsinki’s — from the tarmac, inside the aircraft. If you’re transiting through RIX, you can get actual work done before takeoff.

Coverage & Reliability

The standout result: 418 Mbps inside the Central Market’s Zeppelin hangars. Those are massive metal structures from the 1930s, and the signal punched right through. By contrast, Tallinn’s Balti Jaama Turg (similar market building) managed just 7 Mbps. Different country, different network partner, vastly different result.

Zero dropped connections. Signal was strong everywhere — Old Town, airport, market. The only weak spot was upload at McDonald’s (2 Mbps), likely tower congestion in a high-traffic area.

Hotspot & Battery

Tethering worked out of the box. Battery drain was unremarkable — consistent with the primary carrier. The 25GB plan’s 5GB high-speed cap means hotspot should be reserved for quick tasks only.

Value

At $50 for 25GB ($2.00/GB), Saily in Latvia is an easy recommendation. The speeds are more than sufficient, the coverage is reliable, and the airport performance alone justifies it for business travelers transiting RIX. For leisure travelers, the Central Market test proves you’re covered even in large indoor venues.

Baltic Scorecard — Three Countries, One eSIM

Three countries, 17 Saily tests, one takeaway:

• Finland (Helsinki): 457 Mbps avg — DNA 5G network, the gold standard
• Latvia (Riga): 319 Mbps avg — punched well above its weight class
• Estonia (Tallinn): 118 Mbps avg — spottier but still 60x faster than the hotel WiFi

In every city, Saily outperformed the hotel WiFi — sometimes dramatically. In Tallinn, the Telegraaf’s WiFi managed 1 Mbps. Saily: 60. That’s not a comparison. That’s a rescue.

How This Connects to the Seven Senses

• 🧭 Wander (Instinct): Reliable data means following a whim — finding that hidden courtyard, the 4.9-star restaurant three alleys over. Bad connectivity kills serendipity.
• 🙏 Sanctuary (Spirit): Knowing your connection is private (Saily runs on Nord’s infrastructure) turns a random café into a secure office. Peace of mind is a sense too.
• 👁 Vista (Sight): A working eSIM means Google Maps loads instantly. You’re looking at the city, not squinting at street signs.
• 👂 Cadence (Sound): Music streaming, voice notes to family, the podcast that narrates the city you’re walking through — connectivity feeds the ears.
• 👅 Palate (Taste): The difference between eating at the tourist trap and finding the place with 4.9 stars is a working data connection.

Tested July 18, 2026 in Riga, Latvia. Saily Europe 25GB plan ($50). Network partner: Latvian 5G carrier (roaming). Affiliate disclosure: 7senses.ai is a Saily affiliate (15% commission). This review reflects our actual experience.