Green oasis in the city rush: 10 picturesque parks in Riga

 Mežaparks

 / Bike Paths & Beach /

Mežaparks is the largest park in Riga, located in the historical district by the same name, in the northeastern part of the city.

Mežaparks offers bike paths, children’s playground, and picnic areas. The total area of the park is more than 405 hectares.

Mezaparks has become a place for both active and relaxing recreation. Here you can rent equipment for sports or simply go for a quiet walk. There’s a beach in this park too so you can practice water sports. Facilities: drinking fountains, public toilets, playgrounds and cafes — Širhans and Bella Bella.

And, of course, Mežaparks has the famous Big estrade, where the biggest events in Latvia are held: from the concerts of popular artists to the All-Latvian singing and dancing festival.

Kronvalda parks

/ Picnic with a view over canal / 

Kronvalda park is a nice place to go for a leisurely walk (the area of the park is almost 13 hectares.)

There are unusual structures in this park — a Chinese house, the “Ķergalvis” pavilion and a decorative lighthouse. There is a beautiful fountain near the Congress House. Also, it is popular to have picnics in this park overlooking the canal.

Several playgrounds for children have been built, while there’s also drinking fountains and a free toilet available. And some food available at the kebab house of Döner king.

Bastejkalns

/ Trails and water in the city center /

This is where you can enjoy one of the most wonderful walking routes in the center of Riga. You will recognize Bastejkalns from the alleys of trees, rock garden and water cascade.

Sit on the bench and enjoy a beautiful view over the canal and trees. Or walk along the paths to the Freedom Square and the Monument while admiring Old Riga.

The trails themselves in Bastejkalns are quite unique. They are on several levels of height. There are benches on each of them with a beautiful view over the park. If you want to be as close to the water as possible, you can rent an oar boat or go on a leisurely ride on the river tram.

If you are hungry, you can look for “Kas dārzā” and “Tējo” Tea House in the park. “Kas dārzā” offers a delicious and nutritious meal, and in “Tējo” Tea House you can have a refreshing cocktail or a warming tea — depending on the weather. By the way, we recently wrote about this tea house in our selection.

The park also offers fountains with drinking water, a children’s playground and free toilets. 

Vērmanes dārzs

/ If you want more city traffic /

Vērmanes dārzs is one of the oldest parks in Riga. Festivals, concerts and fairs are regularly held here, but on regular days it’s quiet here.

Viesturdārzs

/ Tennis & Playground /

In Viesturdārzs (or the Centennial Song Festival Park), people come to play tennis, walk around and listen to ducks flowing in the local pond. The park is also known for the Arc de Triomphe.

There is a children’s playground here, so take the kids with you — they will definitely enjoy it here.

Miera dārzs

/ Skatepark and active walks /

Miera dārzs is a small park (3.3 hectares) in the Maskachka area. Beautiful large trees, paved pathways, but very few benches. People go to this park for walks or sports.

Botāniskais dārzs LU

/ Plants & Walks /

One of the top favorite vacation spots in Riga. Botāniskais dārzs LU is located in Pardaugava, a 10-minute drive away from the center of Riga. In the area of 15 hectares, there are greenhouses and a collection of 6,000 open-air plants. You can take a leisurely stroll through the garden and get acquainted with plants from all over the world.

We advise you to bring sandwiches for a snack and buy water in advance. Unfortunately, there are no children or sports grounds in the park.

Ēbelmuižas parks

/ Juniper on the territory of the manor park /

This is one of the oldest manor parks in Riga. The park has the thickest juniper in Pardaugava with a width of 5.6 meters.

Take a walk in the park with the whole family, and then sit comfortably on the grass and have a picnic in the fresh air.

There is a play area for children, but, unfortunately, there are no public toilets.

Ziedoņdārzs

 / Flowers, Trees & Books /

Ziedoņdārzs has 62 tree species and 10 local bush species. There are Siberian Peashrub Plant and Weymouth Pine among the valuable trees here. Therefore, if you can spend hours looking at shrubs, flowers and trees, this is what you need.

Grīziņkalns

/ Walking books and a fountain /

Grīziņkalns is located in the historic district by the same name matching the east of the center of Riga. The total area is 10.4 hectares.

This park is designed for walking, quiet and leisurely pastime. Moms with strollers often walk here. Walk through the large green area of the park. Walk to the fountain, sit on the nearest bench, open the book and drown in your imagination. Usually, the park is quite quiet — no one will stop you from enjoying reading.

If you have small children, there is a good playground with swings and slides to entertain them.

Unfortunately, there are no cafes in Grīziņkalns, so take care of the food yourself.

But there are still public toilets in the park.