Dubai Marina Tickets and Tours | GetExperience.com

Dubai Marina is a canal cut into the coast. Gulf water was let into an artificial channel along a three-kilometre stretch of shore, and towers went up on both banks. Around seventy thousand people live in them.

A skyline of flats, not offices

The towers here are residential, which is unusual for a Dubai skyline. Several of them hold or once held records.

• Princess Tower. 413 metres, and the tallest residential building in the world when it was completed.
• Cayan Tower. 306 metres, twisted a full ninety degrees between ground and roof.
• The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence. A 1.7-kilometre strip behind the western bank, ending on public sand.

Almost eight kilometres of walkway follow the water. Restaurants line most of it. This is one of the few districts in Dubai where an evening works without a car.

What casts off here

• Dhow dinner cruises. Wooden boats, buffet on deck, two to four hours after dark; a seat costs about what a mid-range dinner ashore would.
• Speedboat runs. An hour out of the marina mouth and back, past Bluewaters Island and the coast.
• Yacht charters. Same berths, sold by the boat rather than by the head.
• XLine. A zip line from Amwaj Towers across the canal to the mall, billed as the longest urban one anywhere. It costs several times what a cruise does.

Practical

• Season. November to March. From June the humidity over the water stays heavy well after sunset.
• Wind. Boat trips are cancelled for wind, and the call is usually made that morning.
• Transport. Two Red Line stations bracket the district, the tram links them to the beach, and one card covers both.
• Money. Promenade restaurants charge promenade prices. The food courts a block inland cost a fraction of that.
• Bluewaters. A footbridge from the JBR end crosses to the island, which is a walk rather than a taxi ride.