Although nature has not endowed Riga with prominent relief features (to put it mildly), and Riga is not a skyscraper citadel, there are still many interesting and beautiful panoramic viewpoints in the city. A large part of them, thanks to the silhouette of Old Riga's towers and the Daugava's water area, offer several excellent viewpoints from ground level. However, there are also quite a few views from above, offered by the city's verticals - some of them publicly accessible, others not. Here is a compilation of the 30 best viewpoints for Riga's panorama.

#30. View from the Southern Bridge. A distant perspective on Riga's center and some unusual compositions with TV tower supports and high-rise buildings.

#29. View from Progresa iela 12a. From here, a magnificent urban panorama opens up with Imanta's high-rise buildings, as well as towards Zolitūde.

#28. View from the 16-story building at Salacas iela 16. The building, which stands out in the Krasta massif, was allegedly built for party members, etc. Good telezoom compositions with Old Riga, etc.

#27. View from Dzegužkalns. Riga's rare natural elevation, through the foliage of trees, opens up view corridors both towards the center and other parts of the city.

#26. View from Islande Hotel restaurant. Vanšu bridge, Old Riga, and Citadel district from an elevated perspective.

#25. View from 11. novembra krastmala.

#24. View from the University of Latvia Academic Center for Natural Sciences. In the view from LU Nature House, Torņakalns is visible in the foreground, then the blue tongue of the Daugava, and a wide panorama of Riga center/Maskačka.

#23. View from Salu Bridge. The southern part of Riga's city center on the right bank, as well as the other bridges and the high-rises on the left bank, are visible as if on the palm of your hand.

#22. View from Stockmann terrace. Here, the quarters of Riga's city center open up to view, as well as some main streets from the 5th-6th floor level. Furthermore, the verticals of Old Riga and the left bank interestingly "grow" above the city's rooftops.

#21. View from the tower of Sarkandaugava Lutheran Church. Very unusual, experimental compositions with Riga's silhouette from a distance. To climb this tower, one had to perform one of the scariest climbs in life - up shaky, propped-up wooden stairs that didn't even quite reach the top, requiring a bit of "Jackie Chan-like" tricks.

#20. View from "Bellevue Park hotel" restaurant. From this viewpoint, Uzvaras Park and the rooftops of Āgenskalns are visible nearby, with the panorama of Old Riga in the background. The title image shows a total of at least 13 contemporary architectural buildings – most of them from the Skanste district.

#19. View from the former Ibis Styles hotel restaurant. Another unusual viewpoint of Riga – original urban compositions of Riga are revealed from the Pētersala area.

#18. View from the "Ziemeļblāzma" observation tower. The primary landscape includes the Ziemeļblāzma culture palace and a French-style garden, further on, the block-house district of Vecmīlgrāvis, and the industrial landscapes of Riga Port and Riga Shipyard are visible.

#17. View from Bumbukalniņš Tower. At the base of the tower, several kilometers are occupied by green natural foundations - Kleisti meadows on one side, Rītabuļļi forests on the other. However, with telephoto zoom, one can pull in both the panorama of Riga's center and a very unusual and impressive silhouette of Imanta's high-rise buildings.

#16. View from the 12-story building at Purvciema iela 13. This block-house, located close to Riga's center (on the other side of the tracks from Grīziņkalns), opens up exciting perspectives. Of course, they are best captured with a telephoto lens.

#15. View from Vanšu Bridge. Vanšu Bridge offers one of the most classic panoramic views of Old Riga, as well as the Swedbank building, Ķīpsala shore...

#14. View from Swedbank square. Similar viewpoint to Vanšu Bridge, but here an even more classic frontal view of Old Riga.

#13. View from Akmens Bridge. Akmens Bridge, located directly in the middle of the central part, reveals views of both the railway bridge, Vanšu Bridge, and, of course, Old Riga and the right bank, as well as Pārdaugava.

#12. View from AB dam. The most direct frontal view of Old Riga's towers, with Akmens and Vanšu bridges on the sides.

#11. View from the Central Station clock tower. Here you can enjoy interesting perspectives - both over the rooftops of Old Riga, and towards Raiņa Boulevard, and towards the station, and elsewhere.

#10. View from Galerija Rīga rooftop. Unfortunately, no longer truly publicly accessible in recent years, this was another interesting hunting ground for compositions, from a perspective slightly above the rooftops of Riga's center.

#9. View from Radisson Blu Daugava. This is like a view from AB dam that has taken steroids - the composition is similar, but with an elevated perspective, thus offering significantly greater diversity and interesting angles to the sides.

#8. View from AC Hotel by Marriott. An 11-story height is what is truly needed to rise more seriously above the rooftops of Riga's center and gain breathtaking views! The former Albert Hotel, its terrace offers plenty of that, justly earning it the status of one of the best panoramic spots in Riga.

#7. View from the National Library. Quite similar to the view from Radisson Blu Daugava, but slightly higher.

#6. View from Riga TV Tower. The highest legally accessible viewpoint of Riga - from a height of 97 meters. It combines the charm of nature (Zaķusala, Daugava) and urban perspectives. All of Riga is visible. Hopefully, the reconstruction will soon end and the new tower windows will not have an oxidation problem.

#5. View from Swedbank Tower. The viewpoint is excellent - standing here, it seems that the entire Riga center is at your feet, more central buildings are distinguishable than from any other point lower in the ranking. Unfortunately, Swedbank has not kept its initial promises, and the place is no longer accessible for public excursions.

#4. View from Balasta dambis. The highest "natural", ground-level viewpoint perspective in the ranking is the charming Balasta dambis - here, the panorama of Old Riga is so variable that in a few hundred meters walk, you can photograph countless different compositions of verticals. In addition, the view can also be directed towards the Citadel, Andrejsala, and the port industry.

#3. View from the Academy of Sciences. The view from the Academy of Sciences reveals the podium - the center from the south side is not yet as strong (much is spoiled by Stockmann's concrete wall, the unkempt Central Market area, the station, etc.), but the bend of the Daugava and its integration with the National Library, Swedbank high-rise buildings, and Old Riga's towers are stunning. From here, countless perspectives can be captured with telephoto, both towards the center and towards the Moscow Suburb.

#2. View from St. Peter's Church. The most centrally located vertical naturally opens up the richest perspectives on the rooftops of Old Riga, as well as the Daugava's water area. Here one can spend at least an hour, capturing hundreds of different shots.

#1. View from Radisson Blu Latvija. The view from Radisson panorama bar is unsurpassed. It reveals Riga's center in the most harmoniously encompassing perspective possible, where the beauty of the boulevard ring, the green park strip, the spires of Old Riga, and the Pārdaugava background play in visual unison. To the other side, in turn, an "endless" sea of rooftops of Riga's historic central quarters opens up.