Dubai Islands sit within 10 km of Dubai International Airport and 15 km of Downtown Dubai, by Nakheel's own count. For a beachfront address in this city, that is close. Most of Dubai's beach homes face the Gulf from the south, along Jumeirah, the Marina and the Palm. Dubai Islands put the same open sea on the northern side, off the old trading district of Deira, a short drive from the airport and the Creek.
- Dubai Islands cover 18.6 sq km across five islands off the Deira coast, with about 57 km of coastline (Nakheel, April 2026).
- Nakheel puts Dubai International Airport within 10 km and Downtown Dubai within 15 km of the islands.
- The 12-lane Infinity Bridge opened in January 2022 and the Bur Dubai side of the Al Shindagha Corridor was completed in May 2025.
- A 1,425 m bridge from Bur Dubai to Dubai Islands was awarded in April 2025 for AED 786M, with four lanes each way.
- In the Dubai Land Department register the islands appear as Palm Deira, which is the name a buyer searches to check a project.
Five islands off the Deira coast
Dubai Islands are a group of five man-made islands built out from the Deira shoreline. Nakheel, the master developer, gave the current figures in April 2026: 18.6 sq km of land and about 57 km of coastline, of which 21 km is beachfront.
The islands are planned for scale. In October 2026 Nakheel described the full plan as "more than 230,000 residents across approximately 62,000 homes, alongside more than 11,000 hotel keys and over 4,000 branded residences". A buyer today is buying into the early part of that plan, at prices set before most of those homes exist.
Each island has its own role. Island B is where many of the new apartment launches sit, including BEYOND's SIØRA masterplan and Nakheel's own Bay Villas. Our Island B masterplan guide covers that island in detail.
How the islands connect to the city
The road network is the reason the location works. Nakheel describes three bridges to the mainland, linked to the Al Shindagha Corridor, the road programme the Roads and Transport Authority has been building between Deira and Bur Dubai.
Three pieces of that programme are already public record:
- The Infinity Bridge across Dubai Creek opened to traffic on 16 January 2022, three days after its inauguration. It carries 12 lanes, six each way, 295 m long.
- The Al Shindagha Corridor on the Bur Dubai side was completed in all phases, from Al Garhoud Bridge to the Infinity Bridge, as announced on 11 May 2025. The Dubai Media Office gave the journey time for the whole corridor as 16 minutes, down from 104.
- A new bridge from Bur Dubai to Dubai Islands was awarded on 6 April 2025: an AED 786M contract for a bridge of about 1,425 m with four lanes in each direction and a capacity of 16,000 vehicles an hour.
For an owner, the effect is that the islands are tied into the same corridor that already serves Bur Dubai, Deira and the Creek. Each new link adds a route, so the drive to the business districts depends less on a single crossing.
Drive times from Island B
BEYOND publishes drive times from its SIØRA site on Island B, on the HADO project page and on the SHIONE fact sheet. They are developer figures, measured by car:
| From Island B (SIØRA) to | Drive time |
|---|---|
| Gold Souq Metro Station | 10 min |
| Dubai International Airport | 19 min |
| Dubai Frame | 22 min |
| DIFC | 25 min |
| Downtown Dubai | 26 min |
| Business Bay | 33 min |
The airport figure is the one that changes a buyer's week. Twenty minutes from the terminal means an owner who flies in on a Thursday evening is at the beach before dinner. For a home that will be let, it means a short trip for tenants who travel for work.
The nearest metro, and what the Gold Line does
No approved metro line names a station on Dubai Islands. The nearest is Gold Souq, on the Green Line, about 10 minutes by car according to the developer.
The Dubai Metro Gold Line, approved on 22 April 2026, is a separate 42 km line with 18 stations from Al Ghubaiba to Jumeirah Golf Estates, through Mina Rashid, City Walk, Business Bay and Meydan. The approval names no Dubai Islands stop, so the islands remain a drive-in address, linked by bridges to the Al Shindagha Corridor. That suits the buyer the islands are built for: a beach home where people drive to the city and walk to the sand.
Finding the islands on the DLD register
A buyer who wants to check the area in official records needs one detail: the Dubai Land Department lists Dubai Islands under the area name Palm Deira. SHIONE, HADO, The Meriva Collection, Ellington Sands and Bay Villas are all registered there.
That name is the key to every check that follows. DLD's open data shows the sales registered in Palm Deira, and the Mashrooi project records show each development's registration, developer and escrow agent. On those records, Dubai Islands apartments sold AED 12.05bn across 3,481 sales from 1 January to 9 November 2026 (M&M analysis of DLD open data). Our 2026 price analysis for Dubai Islands reads those figures by bedroom type.
Where the location fits among Dubai's waterfronts
Dubai Islands compete with two other new coastlines for buyers: Palm Jebel Ali to the south and the inland lagoon communities. The difference is position. Palm Jebel Ali sits near Jebel Ali and the Expo district; Dubai Islands sit next to the airport and the old city. We compare both in Dubai Islands vs Palm Jebel Ali, and the inland option in Dubai Islands and Meydan Horizon for off-plan.
For the full area picture, with projects and developers, start with our Dubai Islands area guide.
One project on the map: SHIONE by BEYOND
On Island B, BEYOND (part of OMNIYAT Group) is building SHIONE, the second residential phase of its SIØRA masterplan, next to HADO. It has direct access to 6 km of open beaches, homes from one to four bedrooms, and a 50/50 payment plan. The project is registered with the DLD as project 4501, with its escrow account at Mashreq Bank.
Our SHIONE investment case sets out the homes, the prices and the payment plan, and the SHIONE project page has the floor plans and the registration form.
Talk to an M&M advisor about Dubai Islands
An M&M advisor can take you through the islands on a map, show you each project's DLD record and drive the route with you on a visit. Ask the team for the SHIONE case or for a shortlist across Island B.
Figures are past data from the sources named. This article is general information and not tax, legal or financial advice; returns are not guaranteed.
Where are Dubai Islands located?
Dubai Islands are five man-made islands off the coast of Deira, in the north of Dubai, facing the Arabian Gulf. Nakheel, the master developer, gives the land area as 18.6 sq km with about 57 km of coastline. The airport is within 10 km and Downtown Dubai within 15 km. In Dubai Land Department records the area is registered as Palm Deira.
How do you get to Dubai Islands from the mainland?
The islands connect to the mainland by road bridges linked to the Al Shindagha Corridor. Nakheel describes three bridges to the mainland. The 12-lane Infinity Bridge across Dubai Creek opened in January 2022, and the Roads and Transport Authority completed every phase of the corridor on the Bur Dubai side in May 2025. A new bridge from Bur Dubai to the islands was awarded in April 2025.
How long is the drive from Dubai Islands to the airport and Downtown?
BEYOND's map for its SIØRA masterplan on Island B gives about 19 minutes to Dubai International Airport, 25 minutes to DIFC, 26 minutes to Downtown Dubai and 33 minutes to Business Bay. Gold Souq Metro Station on the Green Line is about 10 minutes by car. These are developer drive times; actual times depend on the hour and the route.
Is there a metro station on Dubai Islands?
No approved metro line names a Dubai Islands station. The nearest station is Gold Souq on the Green Line, about 10 minutes by car according to the developer. The Dubai Metro Gold Line approved in April 2026 runs from Al Ghubaiba to Jumeirah Golf Estates and does not name a Dubai Islands stop.
What is Dubai Islands called on the DLD register?
The Dubai Land Department lists Dubai Islands projects under the area name Palm Deira. Projects such as SHIONE, HADO, The Meriva Collection, Ellington Sands and Bay Villas are all registered there. Searching Palm Deira in DLD's open data or project records returns the island's sales and developments.
