<p>Natural rivers are straight only for a few meters and are mostly curved. However, the flow behavior around a bridge pier in a curved channel is not well explored. Hence, the present study used large eddy simulations to understand the flow behavior around a bridge pier in a curved channel under flat-bed conditions and to examine how it differs from that in a straight channel. The results indicate that maximum flow velocities in the curved channel are observed near the inner bank, striking the pier surface on the 45° plane. The number of secondary vortices and their interactions with the primary horseshoe vortex are found to be higher in the curved channel than in the straight channel. The Q-isosurfaces revealed that the horseshoe vortex around the pier in the curved channel is larger and more coherent than that in the straight channel. The vorticity, turbulent kinetic energy, and turbulent intensity variations revealed that the horseshoe vortex around the pier is stronger and more energetic in the curved channel due to the presence of high-momentum flow at the inner bank. The bed shear stress around the pier in the curved channel is found to be 12% higher than that observed in the straight channel. All parameter variations suggest the formation of a deeper scour hole around the pier in the curved channel than in the straight channel. Even in the curved channel, the maximum scour depth is expected to form on the left side of the pier.</p>