---
node: spot_dubai_dubai_marina
type: spot
slug: dubai_marina
destination: dest_dubai
title: "Dubai Marina"
lead: "Dubai Marina is a district of about 200 towers built around a three-kilometre artificial canal cut inland from the Gulf. Roughly 55,000 people live in what was empty desert in 2003."
published: 2026-08-12
updated: 2026-08-12
image_file: spot_dubai_dubai_marina.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DubaiMarinaPanorama.jpg"
image_author: "©2013 @ferd1graphy"
image_license: "CC BY-SA 3.0"
---

## Overview

The canal was dug and flooded to create waterfront on both sides — the same trick as the Palm, applied inwards — and the towers went up around it in a decade. Several are notable: the Cayan Tower twists 90 degrees over its height, and the Princess Tower was briefly the tallest residential building in the world. The Marina Walk at water level is seven kilometres of promenade and is where the district actually lives.

## Highlights

Walk the Marina Walk in the evening when the heat drops and the restaurants put tables out. JBR beach at the seaward end is public, free and has the better swimming. The tram and metro connect the district, and driving here is the slowest way to move at any hour.