The riverside promenade along the Venta runs from the castle north past the small craft harbour to the breakwater, lined with benches, planted beds, the Boats of the Sun fountain, and a series of the painted Cow sculptures. On summer evenings it is the natural after-dinner walking circuit of the town.
Several restaurants and cafes face the water at the harbour end. The view across to the working commercial port — gantries, oil terminals, cargo cranes — gives a useful sense of what actually keeps Ventspils prosperous.