Neighbourhoods: Where to Stay and Where to Go

The main artery of the city runs along the coast. The business, the main tourist attractions, and the road traffic — the essenсe of Dubai life flows through the Sheikh Zayed Road. Most of Dubai skyscrapers (and Dubai has more than two hundred) are here including Burj Khalifa and The Emirates Towers, as well as all the grand malls.

Sheikh Zayed Road is the part of E 11 — the longest road in the UAE connecting all the emirates. It is also the main artery in Abu Dhabi (where locals call it Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Road and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Road) and in Ras al-Khaimah (where locals call it Sheikh Muhammad bin Salem Road).

Dubai Marina is a new district built around an artificial canal and populated mostly by wealthy expats. It is probably the most Westernized area in the city. Dubai is not a city made for walking, except for Dubai Marina’s walkways. The pedestrian way alongside the Marina artificial canal is about 8 km long, lined with luxurious hotels, shops and restaurants, and the most stunning views of Dubai's urban glory. Some of the world’s tallest residential towers are here, and the cluster of skyscrapers surrounded by water looks especially spectacular after dark.

Highlights: Skyscrapers and Jumeirah Beach Residence with The Walk and one of the most popular beaches in Dubai; Bluewaters with the world’s tallest Ferris wheel.

Great for: beach pleasures, nightlife, promenades, dining with a breathtaking view, taking a water taxi, a Yellow Boat or even a yacht for a cruise.

Downsides: pricey and crowded at weekends.

Jumeirah Beach Residence (aka JBR) is a relatively new waterfront community in Dubai Marina. It includes 40 residential and hotel towers.

The main reasons for visiting JBR are The Walk and the Beach. The Walk is a 1.7 km promenade decorated with murals and modern art pieces. It is home to a wide range of boutiques, department stores, and cafes. The Walk regularly hosts various cultural activities. The Beach is one of the most popular public beaches in Dubai with splendid water play areas for kids.

Bluewaters Island is a man-made island near Dubai Marina. It features mid rise apartment buildings and hotels, promenades, restaurants and shops. You can reach the island by road or by pedestrian bridge.

The main reason to visit Bluewaters Island is a 210-metre-high Ain Dubai, the highest observation wheel in the world. One of the legs of the towering structure houses the highest rope-climbing platform in the world.

Jumeirah Lake Towers, a cluster of residential skyscrapers set around several man-made lakes is comparable to its neighbour Dubai Marina but less touristy and more affordable. The area is in close proximity to Dubai Marina, JBR, and Bluewaters Island and well-connected with the rest of Dubai. Thanks to lake promenades JLT is pedestrian-friendly. The place is also home to a number of little restaurants with unique ethnic foods.

Dubai Media City is a hub for media groups (magazines, newspapers, TV networks). The Media City Amphitheater hosts rock concerts, festivals and food markets. Before or after the show drink a cup of coffee among local creative specialists and students of the American University (a cafe named 1762 is especially recommended) or have a picnic (there are special zones at the lake shore).

Built in the shape of the palm The Palm Jumeirah is one the world's largest artificial islands. It is connected with the mainland by monorail. The monorail goes through the island to Atlantis luxury hotel and Aquaventure water park, sitting at the apex of the palm.

Highlights: Atlantis The Palm hotel, Aquaventure water park, beach clubs.

Great for: high-end beach pleasures, nightlife.

Downsides: there is no budget accommodation and there is not much to do besides sipping cocktails in a beach club. Also, The Palm is not very well-connected to the rest of Dubai.

A luxurious resort, often called “Dubai Venice”, styled as a traditional Arabian town. Hotels and villas, lush gardens, and picturesque terraces stretch all along the waterways (you can take a boat ride!). The place is especially beautiful when it gets dark and the time comes for a fancy dinner at one of the many Madinat Jumeirah restaurants.

The waters of Madinat Jumeirah also serve as a turtle sanctuary. The Madinat Jumeirah turtle rehabilitation unit rescues and treats injured turtles. Here the turtles go through the final stage of rehabilitation before being returned back to the sea. The turtle pen is located near the Mina A’Salam hotel. At 11 am on Wednesdays visitors can participate in turtles feeding.

Spread for 23.5 km between Jebel Ali port and Bur Dubai area, Jumeirah is often called the Beverly Hills of Dubai. It is home to mostly low-rise private dwellings and hotels, public beaches, lavish villas, and countless boutiques.

Some parts of Jumeirah are extremely posh, some have a laid-back vibe. Jumeirah neighbours with the Palm Jumeirah and Umm Suqeim, which is often considered a part of Jumeirah, and is famous for Burj Al Arab, one of the most expensive hotels in the world, and Wild Wadi aquapark.

Highlights: Burj Al Arab and Wild Wadi waterpark; public beaches; Madinat Jumeirah, styled as a traditional Arabic town; and the only mosque in Dubai to welcome non-Muslims.

Great for: relaxing on the beach, family entertainment, sport, shopping.

Downsides: public beaches are very busy during peak season.

This neighbourhood isn’t glamorous but it features affordable hotels and is close to the metro.

Highlights: the Mall of the Emirates, the second most famous mall of Dubai with an indoor ski resort with artificial snow and penguins inside. Al Barsha also features good restaurants and less ostentatious, as opposed to typical Dubai nightlife, bars with local rock bands or karaoke.

Great for: staying if you are on a budget and if you are equally interested in sightseeing and beaches.

Downsides: nothing to see and not much to do here.

You come to a new city, check into a hotel, and immediately go to the centre to see the most famous attractions. In Dubai that’s going to be Downtown Dubai.

Highlights: Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, the Dubai Mall, the biggest shopping mall in the world, the Dubai Fountain and the futuristic Dubai Opera, fancy boulevards and posh nightclubs.

Great for: sightseeing and shopping, dining in luxury with a view and getting anywhere, because Downtown Dubai is extremely well-connected to the rest of Dubai. If it is not too hot, you can also have a picnic in the Burj Khalifa park.

Сheck out the guide to Downtown Dubai.

In a short taxi or one-metro-station ride from Downtown Dubai lies a slightly more affordable accommodation — Business Bay, a financial district built up with skyscrapers.

Highlights: Dubai Water Canal and business, hotel, and residential towers including The Opus by Zaha Hadid, and some great restaurants.

Great for: walking or jogging along the Canal (there are also bicyle rental stations), shopping in Bay Avenue Mall full of mid-priced stores, dining in the Treehouse restaurant with a great view at Burj Khalifa or other numerous restaurants.

Downsides: still far from beach heaven.

This neighbourhood is mostly famous for numerous affordable clothes stores. Satwa is home to a large Filipino community so there are a lot of great Filipino eateries. The area with crowded narrow streets and high-density residential buildings is a glimpse at what Dubai looked like 10–20 years ago.

Al Satwa may also disappear soon since this part of the city is going to be re-developed as The Jumeirah Garden City.

The Dubai Creek divides the old Dubai to Deira (in the North-West) and Bur Dubai (in the South-East). The creek is the true Dubai’s soul. For thousands of years fishers and pearl divers have been settling here, at the shores of the creek.

Now there are 4 bridges and a tunnel crossing the Creek. However, not only tourists but also the residents of the city still regularly sail across the Creek in traditional little wooden boats called abras: an authentic experience for just 1 AED.

Also, traditional dhow sailboats (the boats that look like the Burj al Arab skyscraper — or, more precisely, Burj al Arab looks like a dhow) are still used not only to entertain tourists, but also to carry cargo.

The Creek is 8 km long, but there are plans to make it even longer.

An old district on the western side of the Dubai Creek. Some of the most beautiful mosques of Dubai are located here, including the Grand Mosque (the tallest minaret in Dubai) and the blue Iranian Mosque, as well as the Hindu temple and the Dubai Museum, located in the oldest existing building in Dubai. It is also cheaper to stay in the Old Dubai than in the New Dubai.

Highlights: Shindagha Historical Neighborhood with the Diving Village, the Heritage Village and Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum’s House, art galleries, wind towers, souks(markets) and the colourful Iranian Mosque.

Great for: saving some money, learning more on Dubai history and culture, souk bargaining, and eating in some of the most authentic Indian and South Asian restaurants in town.

Downsides: if you are more into beaches and luxury, it is definitely not the best place to stay.

The most charming part of Bur Dubai, Bastakiya, or Al Fahidi, is an old neighbourhood: narrow lanes with elaborately restored Iranian merchants’ houses. That is what Dubai was like before the oil and the modern glory, and that is what traditional Persian architecture looked like. For example, one of the typical elements of the Persian architecture is a windcatcher, or a wind tower: a tower for natural air-conditioning. The device was known yet in ancient Egypt.

Nowadays Bastakiya’s traditional houses are occupied mostly by tiny cafes, shops, and art galleries.

A historic district between Bur Dubai and Port Rashid. The reasons for a tourist to visit Al Shindagha are the Dubai Museum and Heritage and Diving Villages.

On the eastern side of the Creek lies Deira, one of the oldest Dubai districts, a mixture of old and modern buildings. Deira is densely populated, mostly by migrant workers.

In fact, less than 15% of the population of the emirate is made up of Emirati nationals. The majority are expatriates, chiefly Indian and Pakistani.

Most of the famous Dubai souks (markets) are located in Deira: the spice souk, the gold souk, the fish market.

But the best reason to sail across the Creek to Deira are numerous spots selling shawarma and falafel. The noisy and dusty streets of Deira are awash with cheap authentic yummy food from around the world, so you can have a quick bite for just a few dirhams.

Highlights: cheap authentic eateries and souks.

Great for: cheap accommodation, gastronomic adventures, traditional shopping, and a break from glamorous Dubai lifestyle.

Downsides: noisy, busy, far from everything but the airport.

The main site of Expo 2020 is currently being transformed into District 2020. District 2020 will be an innovative city where daily urban necessities — home, work, shopping, entertainment, education, healthcare — are within a 15-minute reach on foot or by bike.

Expo 2020 was a World Expo hosted by Dubai from October 2021 to March 2022. After opening a year late because of the Covid pandemic, Expo 2020 Dubai had over 23 million visitors. It occupied a 438-hectare area located between the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, containing impressive pavilions, many designed by world-famous architects.

Some Expo futuristic pavilions are being rebuilt now, some are still available to visit. The Sustainability Pavilion, designed by British architecture firm Grimshaw, is a showpiece of Expo’s eco-friendly vision. Alif — the Mobility Pavilion is a journey across space and time, exploring the history of technological progress.