The Damietta branch of the Nile runs along Mansoura's western edge, and the corniche that follows it is where the city comes to breathe. In the evenings the promenade fills with families, students from the university, and old men playing backgammon on folding tables. Feluccas and small motorboats move slowly on the water. The air smells of the river.
There is nothing formal to see here — no museum, no marked viewpoint — but the scale of the Nile at this point is impressive, and watching the light go off the water as the sun drops is one of the better free experiences in the Delta. The corniche runs for several kilometres and connects naturally to the older parts of the city centre. A walk from the Shinnawi Palace end to the university waterfront and back takes about an hour at a strolling pace. Street vendors sell grilled corn and karkade juice along the way.