Lake Liepāja (Liepājas ezers) is the fifth-largest lake in Latvia, a shallow, reed-fringed body of water that forms the eastern boundary of the city. It is connected to the Baltic Sea by a canal through the port district, which keeps it slightly saline and gives it a different ecology from most Latvian inland lakes.
The lake is a good spot for birdwatching, particularly in spring and autumn migration when large numbers of wading birds and wildfowl pass through. The reed beds around the southern shore shelter breeding populations of bitterns and other secretive species. Canoes and small boats can be hired near the city. On summer evenings local families walk the lakeside paths with a casualness that makes it clear the lake is genuinely integrated into daily life here — not a tourist attraction but a neighbourhood resource.