The Corniche — the seafront promenade running north from the port — is where Latakia comes alive in the evenings. Families walk back and forth along the waterfront, fishermen lean over the railings with lines in the water, groups of young men sit on the low stone wall watching the sea. The public gardens at the northern end of the promenade, shaded by palms and oleanders, are a fine place to sit and drink tea.
Latakia's corniche lacks the grand architecture of Beirut's waterfront, but it has something Beirut often doesn't: a genuinely relaxed atmosphere where people of different backgrounds mix easily. The city's mixed Christian and Muslim population — and a strong secular tradition going back to the Syrian Ba'ath party's hold here — has always given the waterfront a more open feel than many coastal cities in the region. As the sun goes down, the light on the sea turns bronze, and the cafés along the promenade fill with people playing backgammon over tea.