The waterfront Corniche, with its white sandy beaches and generous promenade, stretches the entire length of the north-west shore of the city. Giving spectacular views of the iconic high rise tower blocks assembled along the seafront, it also offers one of the city's main recreation opportunities with a dedicated walking and separate cycle path weaving in and out of the Corniche's landscaped gardens. Refreshments are available from the public beaches that punctuate the western section of the road.
The best way to explore the whole Corniche is by renting a bicycle from Funride Sports, in front of the Hilton Abu Dhabi at the south-western end of the Corniche. There are several other stations, less consistently open, at Al Sahil gardens, about a third of the way along the 8km cycle track. Towels and sunbeds can be rented from several of the Corniche's public beaches, run by Bake UAE. It's worth taking some water for exploring the whole length of the Corniche as the eastern section has few amenities and long stretches without shade.
The inland side of the Corniche is dotted with parks and sheesha cafés that come alive at night with local families seeking the sea breeze in the sweltering summer months (May to September) or clustered around mobile heaters in the cool winter nights (December to February).
