Business Bay

What Business Bay is like

Business Bay is a modern district of about 4.36 km², built along an extension of Dubai Creek. Plans called for more than 240 buildings mixing offices, hotels and homes, and the skyline is now dense with towers. Among them are the twin towers of the JW Marriott Marquis, each 355 m tall with 77 floors, and the group of 12 buildings known as Executive Towers.

The creek extension carries on from Business Bay as the Dubai Water Canal, which runs for 3.2 km under Sheikh Zayed Road, past Safa Park and out to the sea at Jumeirah. It was inaugurated on 9 November 2016. With the canal complete, the water now loops all the way round Bur Dubai and the old city.

By day the district is mostly about work. In the evening the canal banks become the main place for walking, running and eating out.

What to see and do

• Dubai Water Canal: walkways and cycle paths run along the banks. Three pedestrian and cycle bridges cross it, including the Bridge of Tolerance.
• Heritage abra on the canal: the RTA runs a petrol heritage abra round trip from the Sheikh Zayed Road marine station, lasting about 45 minutes. It needs at least six passengers, and the RTA lists AED 25 per person per hour or AED 300 per hour for a private charter.
• Downtown Dubai: the Burj Khalifa, the Dubai Mall and the Dubai Fountain are just across the road. See our Downtown Dubai guide.
• City sights: for tickets to attractions across Dubai, see our attractions.

The canal was designed with boats in mind. The road bridges over it, including those on Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Wasl Road and Jumeirah Road, sit about 8.5 m above the water so that vessels can pass underneath. Four marine stations were built along it for public transport. The creek itself originally ran for about 14 km inland from the sea; with the extension through Business Bay and the canal, the waterway now totals about 24 km. The infrastructure of Business Bay was completed in 2008, and the total development was valued at around AED 110 billion.

Getting there and around

Business Bay metro station is on the Red Line, on a viaduct beside Sheikh Zayed Road at its junction with 35th Street. It opened on 15 October 2010. It is a Red Line station only; it is not an interchange with the Green Line. Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station is the next stop towards the city centre.

Because the district is large and cut through by the canal and main roads, walking between towers can take longer than it looks on a map. Taxis are the easiest way to cover longer distances, and the canal walkways are the most pleasant route on foot.

We could not find a reliable published taxi time from Dubai International Airport to Business Bay. It sits next to Downtown Dubai, so journey times are broadly similar; allow extra time at rush hour.

Where to eat

Most restaurants are inside hotels and on the ground floors of residential towers, with a growing number of cafés and terraces along the canal. For the widest choice, cross into Downtown Dubai, where the Dubai Mall, Souk Al Bahar and the Boulevard have many options.

Practical tips

• Check how far your hotel is from Business Bay metro station; some towers are a long walk or a short taxi ride away.
• The canal walkways are best early in the morning or after sunset.
• If you plan a canal abra trip, remember it needs a minimum of six passengers to run.
• Browse hotels in Business Bay for stays close to Downtown.