Business Bay

Business Bay was planned in the early 2000s as a new business district along an extension of Dubai Creek, which later became part of the Dubai Water Canal. Dubai Properties, part of Dubai Holding, is the master developer, and the towers themselves were built by many different developers. It started as an office district and much of it still is, but it has become one of the city's main areas for apartment living.

Its biggest advantage is location. Downtown Dubai and Burj Khalifa are next door, DIFC is a few minutes away, and Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road run along its edges. Many apartments look across the water to the Downtown skyline. Homes are usually cheaper than similar ones in Downtown, which draws professionals who want a central address for less.

The flip side is that it is still being built. Cranes are part of the view in several pockets, some streets feel like an office park after working hours, and traffic on the internal roads and bridges is heavy at peak times. The canal-side promenade has made the area much more pleasant on foot, but distances between towers can feel long in the summer heat.

• 01

  Next door to Downtown

  Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa and Dubai Opera are a short drive away and, from many towers, a walk.

• 02

  Canal-side promenade

  The Dubai Water Canal has walking and cycling paths along its banks, with footbridges across the water and cafés along Marasi Drive.

• 03

  Short commute to DIFC

  People working in DIFC, Downtown or Business Bay itself can be at their desks in minutes, by car, on foot or by metro.

• 04

  Bay Avenue and Bay Square

  These pedestrian clusters have cafés, restaurants, gyms and small shops, and work as the district's local high street.

Day to day, residents use Bay Avenue, the retail podium at Executive Towers, and Bay Square, a cluster of low-rise buildings with cafés and restaurants around pedestrian squares. Marasi Drive along the water has more restaurants and a promenade busy with runners in the evenings. The district's hotels, including JW Marriott Marquis and The Opus, have restaurants and bars that residents use as much as visitors do.

For bigger shopping, Dubai Mall is a few minutes away, and Dubai Design District (d3), next door, has design studios, galleries and cafés. There is no beach in Business Bay; Jumeirah's public beaches are about 15 minutes away by car.

Business Bay station on the Red Line sits on Sheikh Zayed Road at the district's edge. Towers near the canal and along Marasi Drive can be a 20 to 30 minute walk from it, so many residents use buses, taxis or their own cars for that stretch. RTA marine stations along the water, including Marasi, offer ferry and water taxi services, though schedules are limited and worth checking. Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Khail Road and Financial Centre Road are the main routes in, and several bridges cross the canal and creek; expect queues on them at rush hour. The approved Gold Line metro will interchange with the Red Line at Business Bay, with opening targeted for 2032.

Apart from nurseries, there are no schools inside Business Bay, but several are within a 10 to 20 minute drive. GEMS Jumeirah Primary School and Jumeirah English Speaking School are in Al Safa, and the Swiss International Scientific School is in Dubai Healthcare City. Mediclinic City Hospital in Dubai Healthcare City is the nearest major hospital, around 15 minutes away, and there are clinics and pharmacies throughout the towers.

Almost all homes are apartments, in towers ranging from mid-rise blocks to some of the tallest buildings in the city, with plenty of serviced apartments run by hotel brands. Buildings finished in the late 2000s and early 2010s stand next to brand-new towers, and build quality and management vary more here than in most districts. Units facing the canal or Burj Khalifa are the most sought after.

The area attracts investors, and much of the stock is rented out, either on annual leases to professionals or as holiday homes. It is also a busy off-plan market, with new towers launched regularly, so look closely at the developer's track record, the payment plan and realistic completion dates. In ready buildings, check whether a unit faces the canal, a main road or a building site that will change the view.