Bastejkalns Park & City Canal
Bastejkalns / Pilsētas kanāls
A ring park built along the old city moat, linking the Old Town and New Town with a small waterfall, stone bridges and canal boats; the Laima Clock stands nearby.
Bastejkalns (“Bastion Hill”) is a small hillside park formed from the earth of the old bastions after the city walls were demolished in the 19th century. It runs along the City Canal and features a small waterfall, an arched stone bridge and a memorial stone to the victims of the January 1991 barricades. Green lawns line both banks of the canal, and you can walk all the way to the Opera House. In summer, small boats leave from the Bastejkalns pier for a roughly one-hour trip around the canal and the Daugava River, costing about €20 (check locally). The Laima Clock (Laimas pulkstenis) at the park entrance is a traditional meeting spot for Riga locals, and there is a chocolate shop of the same name nearby.
Opening hours
Open all day; boat tours operate about May–October
Nearby sights
- Powder Tower & Latvian War Museum
- Cat House & Līvu Square
- Freedom Monument
- St. Peter's Church
- Latvian National Museum of Art
- Art Museum Riga Bourse
- Nativity of Christ Cathedral
- House of the Blackheads & Town Hall Square