Just 1.5km from Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, Business Bay lies on the Dubai Canal, a waterway flowing from the Dubai Creek at Deira and out to sea again at Jumeirah Beach. Still in development, Business Bay comprises 64 million square feet of freehold projects and has established itself as a new business hub of the region, with office and residential towers, landscaped gardens and a network of roads and waterways. This up-and-coming district is attracting businesses from around the world and sharp-witted investors buying into it.
Following the economic downturn of 2008, the proportion of residential buildings has risen in comparison to commercial buildings, so that now there are more apartments coming onto the market here than originally envisaged in the master plan.
Marasi Business Bay is a novel development made possible by the Dubai Canal connection to the open sea. Comprising a collection of floating 'water homes', a marina and associated shops and promenades, Marasi is at the centre of a transformed Business Bay as ferries, yachts and water taxis make their way out to sea just as they do at Dubai Marina.
Al Habtoor City was the first major development on the Dubai Water Canal. Located on the Sheikh Zayed Road Waterfront, it spans 10 million square feet and comprises three luxury residential towers and three five-star hotels.
From Business Bay it takes roughly 9 minutes to drive to Dubai Mall, 21 minutes to Palm Jumeirah, 20 minutes to Burj Al Arab and 25 minutes to The Walk JBR.*
Dubai International Airport (DXB) is roughly 32 minutes' drive and the new Al Maktoum International Airport is roughly 43 minutes' drive.*
Business Bay is well connected to both Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road, the two main highways running the length of Dubai.
Phase 2 of the Parallel Roads Improvement Project at Business Bay was completed in June 2018. The works included improvements to the Western part of the parallel roads in the sector between Al Meydan and Financial streets across the Business Bay by widening the street from three to four lanes in each direction and by building service roads in both directions in most parts of the project.
The international airport and Dubai Marina each take about 30 minutes by train from Business Bay Metro station.
The 100-metre wide Dubai Water Canal that connects Business Bay to the sea is part of Dubai's plan for water transport. Now complete, passengers can take water transport from Dubai Creek to reach Business Bay, Jumeirah, Al Wasl or Sheikh Zayed Road. Stations for water buses and private boats have been built on both sides of the canal, making this one of Dubai's major attractions both for tourists and residents.
There are five sub-communities in Business Bay. Learn more in the following guides.
Dubai Mall, the biggest in the world, and Burj Khalifa, the tallest in the world, are less than ten minutes drive away. In fact, when it’s not too hot you could actually walk it.
One Business Bay is a 35-storey skyscraper occupying the best location in the development at the northern entrance to Business Bay, close to the Metro. The tower´s impressive neighbours include Dubai International Financial Centre and Emirates Towers.
There are 693 outlets currently open in Business Bay including 238 restaurants, 34 mini marts, 70 ladies' salons, 40 men's salons, 29 coffee shops, 15 pharmacies, 36 supermarkets, eight medical clinics, 13 trade offices, a car showroom, eight banks, three furniture shops, 13 car rental shops, eight flower shops, seven smoking accessories shops, 22 laundrettes, eight fashion shops, two typing centres, 10 massage centres, six tailoring shops, a dance studio, a pilates studio, nine real estate offices, four print shops, six pet shops, three bike/scooter shops, four sweet shops, a cinema, a general store, 15 catering kitchens, six children's nurseries, five gyms, a medical supplies shop, a distribution centre, two luxury food shops, three computer/electronics shops, 10 cafés, a delivery outlet, a veterinarian, nine spas, an interior decorating shop, a dental clinic, five gifts & entertainment shops, a travel & tourism agent, a nightclub, three bakeries, five government offices, two currency exchanges, a liquor store, a learning centre, a perfume shop, three phone shops, an optician & eyewear shop, a utility shop, a toy store, a driving centre, a photo shop, a yoga studio, a salon and an ice cream shop.
For a full list and analysis of shops and services in Business Bay visit our Business Bay amenities page.
Business Bay is well connected to both Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road, the two main highways running the length of Dubai.
Phase 2 of the Parallel Roads Improvement Project at Business Bay was completed in June 2018. The works included improvements to the Western part of the parallel roads in the sector between Al Meydan and Financial streets across the Business Bay by widening the street from three to four lanes in each direction and by building service roads in both directions in most parts of the project.
The map below shows the location of Business Bay and just below are summaries of the nearest attractions, parks, beaches, golf clubs and cinemas. For a more in-depth look at the local attractions, and to see what's on in and around Business Bay, visit our Things to Do guide.
Business Bay has many schools nearby including Japanese School Dubai at 1.6 km and Global Indian International School Dubai at 1.7 km.
In terms of performance there are 13 schools nearby that have achieved either of two highest government inspection rating of 'Very Good' or 'Outstanding' including Horizon English School Dubai which has a rating of 'Outstanding' and Jumeirah English Speaking School which also has a rating of 'Outstanding'.
We've partnered with LadiesNightDubai.com and BrunchCrunch.ae to give an overview of the current Ladies Nights and Brunch offers in the vicinity of Business Bay. For full nightlife listings and to see what else is happening nearby see the Things to Do page.
Explore communities that are either adjacent or close to Business Bay.
A look at the original masterplan published by the developer at the time of the launch of Business Bay.
There are 262 building developments in Business Bay. For a full list of all Business Bay buildings visit our Buildings Guide.
Propsearch.ae is a Dubai property portal that hosts ads from a number of local real estate agencies. In addition we offer a comprehensive set of community and building guides to help property buyers, renters and investors learn about the areas and buildings that they may wish to live or invest in.
Any enquiries sent regarding a specific property go directly to the estate agent that advertised the property and Propsearch does not play any role in any transactions that may result. Enquires that are sent directly to Propsearch are forwarded to a trusted partner agency that is best suited to handle the enquiry.
Please note that whilst we have a large database of buildings and developments, Propsearch is not a property developer, nor an agent, nor an architect, nor a construction contractor.