The high riverbank above the Amur is Khabarovsk's finest public space: a long promenade along the cliff edge with sweeping views over the great river and the low Chinese shore beyond. The river here is immense — over a kilometre wide — and the setting is dramatic in all seasons.
The promenade stretches from the park at the northern end of Ulitsa Muravyova-Amurskogo southward past the Uspensky Cathedral and down to the beach below the bluff. In summer, outdoor cafes, ice cream stalls, and bands playing in the park make it a lively place. In winter the river freezes solid and locals walk dogs and fish through holes in the ice. The view at sunset, when the river reflects the sky and the Chinese shore disappears into haze, is one of the genuine pleasures of the Russian Far East.