Doha Corniche

The Doha Corniche is a 7 km waterfront promenade that curves around Doha Bay in Qatar, from the Sheraton in West Bay to Doha Club Park in Al Khulaifat. It is free and open at all hours, and suits walkers, runners and first-time visitors who want skyline views and the city's main museums along one route.

How was the Corniche built?

Land reclamation along the bay began in the late 1960s, at the same time as work started on the Amiri Diwan, the seat of the Emir. Planners in the Amiri Diwan's urban planning office laid out the new seafront, and the 1972 national development plan made the Corniche a priority. Most of the land between the old shoreline and today's promenade was created then. Corniche Street, one of Doha's main roads, runs alongside.

The 2017 to 2022 redevelopment

Qatar's public works authority, Ashghal, launched the Doha Corniche Development Project in October 2017 ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. More than 137,000 square metres of green space were planted with 940 trees and 920 palms, and 1,440 lighting poles shaped like palm fronds went up. Public art was installed in four spaces in 2022. During the World Cup, vehicle access was limited and the waterfront became a stage for live performances.

Landmarks from north to south

The pyramid-shaped Sheraton opened in 1982, and the West Bay towers rose behind it in the decades that followed. Further south stand the Amiri Diwan, the Qatar National Theatre and the Museum of Islamic Art, opened in 2008 on its own island. The National Museum of Qatar, shaped like a desert rose, opened in 2019 near the southern end. The Pearl Monument and the dhow harbour sit near the middle of the bay, and Al Bidda Park, covering about 1.75 million square metres in three zones, lies inland.

Dhow cruises and events

Traditional wooden dhows leave from docks at Al Bidda Park, Al Dafna Park and Sheraton Park for cruises of 30 minutes to an hour; prices are agreed on the spot. The Corniche hosts the Qatar National Day parade on 18 December, National Sport Day and festivals such as the Eid Al-Fitr Festival, whose first edition in May 2022 drew an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people a day.