Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT)

What JLT is like

Jumeirah Lakes Towers is a planned district of residential, office and hotel towers laid out around artificial lakes. There are about 80 towers along the edges of Lake Almas West, Lake Almas East and JLT Lake, plus a row of eight towers on the JLT Embankment facing Jumeirah Islands. Most towers have between 35 and 45 floors. The centrepiece is Almas Tower, 66 floors high, standing on its own island between the two Almas lakes.

The towers are organised in clusters of three, named with letters from A to Z. Each cluster has its own car park and shops and cafés at lake level, which gives the district a neighbourhood feel despite the height of the buildings. The first tower, Saba Tower, was finished in 2006 and most construction followed in 2008. The developer, DMCC, drained one of the original four lakes, Lake Elucio, and reshaped it in 2013 and 2014 into a 55,000 m² park. Lakes, waterways and landscaping together cover about 730,000 m².

The plan also includes playgrounds, three mosques, a police station, a civil defence station and a hospital. The last cluster, Cluster Z, is being built by Seven Tides as a single mixed-use project with a large retail element rather than three towers; it was still under construction in August 2024.

JLT is a place where people live and work, with an estimated 60,000 residents and a larger daytime working population. It is next to Dubai Marina, Emirates Hills and Jumeirah Islands, and borders Sheikh Zayed Road.

What to see and do

• JLT Park: behind Cluster Q, beside one of the lakes. It is free, open around the clock and has a cushioned jogging track, outdoor fitness stations, playgrounds for toddlers and older children, open lawns and an amphitheatre. Winter events such as outdoor cinema nights are held here.
• Lakeside walks: paths run along the water between the clusters, lined with cafés and restaurants.
• Sports courts: a fenced full-size basketball court and a football pitch in Cluster O can be booked; half courts in Clusters H and L are free to use.
• The Marina and the beach: cross Sheikh Zayed Road for the promenade at Dubai Marina and the sand at JBR.

For boat trips and yacht charters that leave from the Marina next door, see our tours.

Getting there and around

Two Red Line metro stations serve JLT. DMCC station was called Jumeirah Lakes Towers until it was renamed, and Sobha Realty station was called Dubai Marina. Both link to the Dubai Tram on the other side of Sheikh Zayed Road, so you can reach the Marina, JBR and the Palm Jumeirah monorail without a taxi.

Inside the district, the JLT Link community bus connects the clusters. Rome2Rio estimates the taxi ride from Dubai International Airport at about 26 minutes (roughly 34 km) with no traffic; Sheikh Zayed Road is often slower at peak times.

Where to eat

JLT is known for its variety of small, often independent restaurants spread across the cluster podiums. The official community site highlights places such as a family-run Levantine kitchen, a Greek taverna, a Peruvian ceviche bar, hand-pulled noodles from Shaanxi, a Mexican taco spot that grew out of a food truck, a French brasserie and a contemporary Indian restaurant. A new community hub, BAY360, is anchored by a Spinneys supermarket with waterfront dining.

Practical tips

• Check which cluster letter your hotel or restaurant is in; it makes finding the right entrance much easier.
• Look for the new metro names DMCC and Sobha Realty on maps and signs.
• JLT Park is well lit, so early mornings and evenings are the most comfortable times for a run in the warmer months.