Dubai Marina

Dubai Marina was built by Emaar from the early 2000s around a man-made canal on Dubai's western coast, with towers lining both banks. Emaar planned the district and built the first phases, and dozens of other developers built the rest. Today it is one of the busiest residential districts in the city, popular with people who want to live by the water, walk to cafés and get to work by metro or tram.

Marina Walk, the promenade that runs around the water, is the centre of daily life, with restaurants and cafés at the foot of the towers. JBR and its beach sit between the Marina and the sea, so the sand is a few minutes on foot from most buildings. The yachts moored in the marina and the dinner cruises that run in the evenings give it a holiday feel, especially at weekends.

Most of the Marina was built between the early 2000s and the mid-2010s, so some towers are showing their age while newer ones go up on the last plots. Traffic is the main complaint: the roads inside the Marina are narrow loops that clog at rush hour and on weekend evenings, and visitor parking is limited in many buildings.

• 01

  Walk to the beach

  JBR's public beach and The Beach are a few minutes on foot from most towers, so a swim before work is easy.

• 02

  Metro and tram together

  DMCC and Sobha Realty stations on the Red Line sit on Sheikh Zayed Road, and the Dubai Tram loops through the Marina to link them.

• 03

  Promenade living

  Marina Walk runs around the water with cafés, restaurants and benches, and is busy with walkers and runners until late.

• 04

  Wide choice of towers

  There is always a large stock of apartments for rent and sale, from towers finished in the 2000s to recent high-spec buildings.

Most days revolve around Marina Walk and Dubai Marina Mall, which has a supermarket, a cinema and everyday shops. Pier 7, next to the mall, stacks restaurants and bars on several floors overlooking the yachts. Quieter cafés line the stretches of promenade further from the mall, and many towers have their own pools and gyms.

For the beach, residents walk to JBR's public beach and The Beach, an open-air strip of shops and restaurants by the sand. Skydive Dubai's drop zone is at the Palm end of the Marina, Dubai Harbour and Bluewaters Island are close by, and boat clubs and yacht charters operate from the marina itself.

The Marina is one of the few residential districts with both a metro and a tram. DMCC and Sobha Realty stations on the Red Line sit on Sheikh Zayed Road, and the Dubai Tram loops through the Marina and JBR with stops including Dubai Marina, Dubai Marina Mall and Marina Towers, connecting to both metro stations and, at the Palm Jumeirah stop, to the Palm Monorail. RTA water buses and the Dubai Ferry also stop in the Marina. By car, Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Sufouh Road are the main routes out, and both get congested at peak hours.

Schools are outside the Marina, but several are close by. Dubai College and GEMS Wellington International School in Al Sufouh are roughly 10 to 15 minutes away, and Emirates International School Meadows, Dubai British School and Dubai International Academy are across Sheikh Zayed Road in Emirates Living. There are nurseries and clinics throughout the district, and the nearest full hospitals are in Al Barsha, including Saudi German Hospital, about 15 to 20 minutes by car.

Homes are almost entirely apartments, from studios to large penthouses, in towers that range from mid-rise blocks to some of the tallest residential buildings in the world. The early towers often have generous layouts but older kitchens, lifts and air conditioning, while newer buildings offer better amenities, usually with higher service charges. Views matter a lot: full marina or sea views are priced well above a view of the next tower.

Many residents rent, and the tenant base is broad: young professionals, couples and some families. Investors buy for long-term letting and for holiday homes, which are common here. Before buying, check the building's maintenance record, how cooling is billed (some towers charge district cooling separately), parking, and whether the building allows short-term letting.