Where it is and getting around
Downtown Dubai sits on the inland side of Sheikh Zayed Road, opposite Al Wasl. Financial Centre Road runs along its north-eastern edge, and Business Bay lies directly to the south, so the two districts share a border.
The district is served by Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall station on the Red Line of the Dubai Metro, which connects to The Dubai Mall by a covered, air-conditioned link bridge. Business Bay station is the next stop along the line. RTA buses run on the main roads, and taxis and ride-hailing cars are easy to find.
By car, DIFC is a few minutes away and Dubai International Airport is roughly 10 to 15 minutes' drive outside the rush hour. Inside the district, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, about 3.5 kilometres long, loops around the centre, lined with cafés, shops and residential entrances. Most residents walk to the mall, the supermarkets and the metro.
Living here
Daily life centres on The Dubai Mall, the Boulevard and Souk Al Bahar, around Burj Khalifa Lake and the Dubai Fountain. Dubai Opera, in the Opera District, hosts concerts, theatre and other performances, and the mall's aquarium and entertainment venues are within walking distance of most buildings.
Supermarkets, including Spinneys, Waitrose and Carrefour Market branches, are spread across the district, along with clinics, pharmacies and gyms. Burj Park and the landscaped Boulevard are the main open spaces. There are nurseries within Downtown, while most schools are a short drive away in Al Safa, Al Wasl and Jumeirah.
It is also one of the busiest parts of the city. Visitors come for the mall, the fountain shows and the New Year's Eve fireworks at Burj Khalifa, and the roads around the mall slow down at weekends and during big events. If quiet matters to you, the building and the side it faces matter more than the postcode.
Property types
Downtown is an apartment district. The main types of home are:
- Old Town: low-rise residential buildings in an Arabic vernacular style.
- Burj Khalifa: the tower itself includes private residences.
- Towers around the Boulevard and the lake: studios to four-bedroom apartments and penthouses, many with views of Burj Khalifa or the fountain.
- Serviced and hotel-branded residences: furnished units run with a hotel operator's services, such as Address Residences and DAMAC Maison The Distinction.
- Opera District: newer towers around Dubai Opera, including Opera Grand.
Service charges vary widely between buildings, and in serviced and branded towers they also cover the hotel services. We put the current service charge and the building's recent transfer prices beside every unit on a shortlist, so towers can be compared on the same basis.
Short lets and serviced units
Letting a home by the night in Dubai requires a holiday home permit from the Department of Economy and Tourism, and the whole unit has to be let, not a room. In hotel-branded and serviced towers, the operator's management agreement also applies and can set its own rules on rentals. Read both before you buy with short lets in mind, and ask us for the building's rules before you make an offer.
Renting in Downtown
Most homes are let on annual contracts, and every tenancy contract in Dubai has to be registered with Ejari. Rent is usually paid by cheques, with the number of cheques agreed with the landlord. Before signing, check whether chilled-water cooling is billed separately, how many parking spaces come with the unit, and whether the building restricts moving hours at the lifts and loading bays.
Who it suits
- Professionals working in DIFC, Business Bay or along Sheikh Zayed Road who want to walk or take the metro.
- Buyers looking for a furnished or serviced unit in a district with steady short-let demand.
- People who want restaurants, shopping and events on the doorstep and do not mind crowds.
Families who want a garden and a school inside the community may prefer a villa community such as The Villa.
Buying or renting here with Lumin
We handle sales and leasing in Downtown, including serviced and furnished apartments. Every unit on a shortlist comes with its service charge and the building's recent transfer prices, and we manage the offer, the MOU (Form F) and the developer NOC through to the DLD transfer. For tenants, we handle the Ejari registration, the cheques and the move-in.
Comparing central districts? Read our Business Bay area guide. If you own in Downtown and want to sell or let, see list your property.
