Riga Canal and River Electric Boat Tour with Audio Guide

Riga City Canal

The Riga City Canal follows the line of the old town moat. Until the middle of the nineteenth century Riga was a fortress surrounded by walls and bastions; when the fortifications were pulled down between 1857 and 1863, the moat was reshaped into a gently curving canal framed by parks and boulevards. Today it separates the medieval Old Town from the grand nineteenth-century city centre and is one of the most peaceful places in Riga.

From the low electric boat you glide beneath small bridges, past weeping willows, flower beds and swans, at eye level with the water. Because the boat is silent you hear the birds and the commentary clearly. A Riga canal boat tour is one of the easiest ways to understand how the city grew outward from its old walls, and it takes only an hour, so it fits into any sightseeing day.

Bastion Hill park and the boulevard ring

Bastion Hill, or Bastejkalns, is a landscaped mound built from the remains of one of the old bastions. Paths climb its slopes, a small waterfall tumbles down to the canal and footbridges cross the water, making it one of the prettiest corners of Riga. Nearby stands the Freedom Monument, the tall symbol of Latvian independence, which you glimpse between the trees as you pass.

The parks along the canal form part of the boulevard ring, a protected green belt that is included in the UNESCO World Heritage listing of historic Riga together with the Old Town. In spring the banks are full of blossom, in summer they are deep green and in autumn the trees turn gold, so the scenery changes through the season. After the cruise many visitors walk back through these parks towards the Old Town.

The Latvian National Opera

One of the finest views from the canal is the Latvian National Opera, a white neoclassical building with a columned portico that rises directly above the water and gardens. It opened in 1863 as the city theatre and has been the main stage of Latvian opera and ballet for generations, with a richly decorated hall of gilded balconies inside.

The building is especially photogenic from the boat, framed by the canal, the fountain and the trees of the opera garden. The audio guide tells the story of the theatre and the surrounding boulevards, which were laid out when Riga was booming as one of the great ports of the Baltic. If you would like to see a performance, the theatre box office is a short walk from the canal.

The Daugava River and the Old Town skyline

Leaving the canal, the boat heads out onto the Daugava, the wide river that made Riga a trading city from its founding in 1201. From the water you see the Old Town skyline at its best: the tall spire of St Peter's Church, the tower of Riga Cathedral, the turrets of Riga Castle, and the bridges that link the two banks, including the cable-stayed Vanšu Bridge.

Across the river rise the modern National Library of Latvia and the quieter left bank. The contrast between the narrow canal and the open river is one of the highlights of this Riga boat trip. The best time to take the cruise is a calm, sunny day from late spring to early autumn, and late-afternoon departures give warmer light on the towers. The boat then returns to the canal and the starting pier.