Esplanade Riel
A white cable-stayed footbridge across the Red River, its distinctive single pylon a signature of the Winnipeg skyline, linking The Forks with Saint-Boniface.
The Esplanade Riel opened in 2004 and is named after Métis leader Louis Riel. The bridge is about 200 m long, and a white pylon 57 m high holds up the deck with cables; at night its lighting changes colour. From the bridge you can look out over the Red River, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the downtown skyline, which makes it a popular photo spot. A restaurant once operated in the middle of the bridge, but its business was never very stable. You can walk onto the bridge from The Forks, and once across you are in the French-speaking Saint-Boniface district.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- The Forks
- Manitoba Children's Museum
- Canadian Museum for Human Rights
- St. Boniface & Cathedral Ruins
- Manitoba Museum
- Exchange District
- Dalnavert Museum
- Manitoba Legislative Building