Riga Skyline River Cruise on the Daugava

11 November Embankment and Vanšu Bridge

Your Riga river cruise starts from the pier on 11 November Embankment, the riverside boulevard that runs along the edge of the Old Town. The embankment is named after the date in 1919 when Latvian forces defended the city, still marked every year as a day of remembrance, and it is lined with lamps, benches and views across the water to the left bank.

Right beside the pier rises Vanšu Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge opened in 1981 whose single tall pylon and fan of steel cables have become one of the landmarks of modern Riga. From here the boat turns upstream, and within minutes you are looking back at the whole Old Town from the river, which is exactly why a Daugava River cruise is such a good first activity in Riga: you understand the layout of the city in one easy hour.

Riga Old Town skyline and Riga Castle

From the water the Old Town reveals its famous skyline: the tall green spire of St Peter's Church, the tower of Riga Cathedral, the slim spire of St James's and the rooftops of merchants' houses that grew rich from river trade. Riga was founded in 1201, and the historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On the embankment stands Riga Castle, first built in the fourteenth century by the Livonian Order and rebuilt many times since. Its pale walls and round towers now house the official residence of the President of Latvia and museum collections. The view from the river is one of the best ways to photograph the castle, and the open upper deck of the boat is the place to be for these shots, especially in the warm light of the later departures.

Stone Bridge and the National Library of Latvia

The boat passes under the Stone Bridge, opened in 1957 and still the main link between the Old Town and the left bank. Just upstream, near the river, you can spot the huge arched pavilions of Riga Central Market, built in the 1920s and 1930s from the frames of former airship hangars and today one of the largest markets in Europe.

On the opposite bank rises the National Library of Latvia, opened in 2014 and nicknamed the Castle of Light. Its stepped glass-and-steel shape recalls the glass mountain of Latvian folk tales, and at night it glows over the river. From the boat you get a clear view of how the modern library and the medieval Old Town face each other across the Daugava, one of the most striking contrasts in the city.

Zaķusala and the Riga Radio and Television Tower

Further upstream the river divides around Zaķusala, or Hare Island, the site of the Riga Radio and Television Tower. Completed in the 1980s and rising about 368 metres, it is the tallest structure in the Baltic states and one of the tallest towers in Europe, with its three concrete legs standing out on the skyline from almost anywhere in the city.

Seeing the tower from the water gives a real sense of its scale as the boat glides along the island. The booklet on board explains its history and the role of the island, which also hosts parks and the city's television studios. It is a good point to switch between the open deck and the indoor lounge, depending on the wind and the season.

Lucavsala and the Southern Bridge

Next to Zaķusala lies Lucavsala, a large, green island of meadows, willows, a riverside beach and small garden plots where city residents grow vegetables in summer. It feels surprisingly rural so close to the centre, and in the evening light the reflections on the water here are beautiful.

The cruise continues as far as the Southern Bridge, opened in 2008 and the newest of Riga's main river crossings, before turning back downstream towards the Old Town and the pier at Vanšu Bridge. The whole loop takes about an hour. The best time for this Riga boat trip is from late spring to early autumn, but the heated lounge with panoramic windows means it can also be enjoyed on cool or rainy days.