The embankment along the Sozh River is where Gomel takes its best form. Below the palace bluff, a promenade runs along the water's edge — shaded, quiet in the mornings, used by joggers and families in the evenings. The river is wide and slow-moving here, and the view back up to the palace and cathedral on the cliff is the city's most attractive angle.
A small pier at the embankment offers boat trips on the river in summer. The adjacent park has Soviet-era sculptures and benches. It is not dramatic, but it is genuinely pleasant — a quality that is not universally distributed across Belarusian cities.