A corniche is a road on the side of a cliff or mountain, with the ground rising up on one side of the roadway and falling away on the other. The English language has adopted the word from the French term route à corniche or "road on a ledge", itself derived from the Italian cornice, for "ledge".

Europe

France

Three famed corniche roads of the Côte d'Azur in the French Riviera run between the sea and mountains from Nice eastward toward Menton. They are known as the Corniche Inferieure (or Basse Corniche ) along the coast, the Moyenne Corniche slightly inland, and the Grande Corniche along the upper cliffs. The Corniche Inferieure passes through the principality of Monaco. The Grande Corniche featured prominently in the Alfred Hitchcock film To Catch a Thief.

Italy

The Amalfi Drive, along the Amalfi Coast south of Naples, is a road carved into the cliffs along the Tyrrhenian Sea, and can be classified as a corniche. It runs between Sorrento and Amalfi and was originally built by the Romans.

Africa

Senegal

The coastal road facing the Atlantic Ocean in the capital city of Dakar is called the Corniche Ouest and runs along a cliff above the beaches and rocky shores.

South Africa

Many of the roads running around the Cape Peninsular, south of Cape Town, have been constructed in the form of corniches. A good example is part of Victoria Road running through the suburbs of Clifton and Bantry Bay.

Libya

The Tripoli Corniche, also known as Al-Fatah Street, runs along the Mediterranean from the Waddan Bridge to the roundabout at Tripoli's sea port entrance.

Egypt

Any waterfront passage along a body of water is classed as a corniche in Egypt. Most Nile valley and Delta cities overlooking the 1000km river course and two branches in the country have one or two corniche streets (east and/or west banks). For example "Corniche Giza" and "Corniche Cairo", the longest Egyptian corniche. Other cities such as Mansoura, Damietta and Luxor also have corniches. Though the word itself comes from French, the Egyptian usage has led neighboring Arab countries, which are not francophone and have no French influence, to adopt the word. These include Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar.

Middle East

Qatar

This is a waterfront promenade extending for seven kilometres (4.3 mi) along Doha Bay in Qatar's capital city, Doha. Annual celebrations of national holidays such as Qatar National Day and National Sports Day are centered on the Doha Corniche. It is a popular tourist and leisure attraction within Qatar.

Lebanon

The avenue that runs along the western and northern coast of the Beirut peninsula is colloquially called Corniche Beirut.

Oman

The promenade along the waterfront in Muttrah, Muscat, is known as The Corniche.

United Arab Emirates

Saudi Arabia

Dammam corniche, Qatif corniche, Khobar corniche, Ras Tanura corniche, Jeddah Corniche, Yanbu corniche, Al Jubail corniche, Khafji corniche.

Southeast Asia

Philippines

** India ** Marine Drive, Mumbai